Happy Sleep: The body needs it most.

Posted on March 16, 2008
Filed Under Health and Beauty | Viewed 463 times

I asked daughter Monica to give me a title for my post about sleep. She said she could not give me one, as she has been lacking sleep the past few days and could not concentrate, not even think.

That made me think, but I really couldn’t. I, too, lack sleep!

I have been sleeping intermittently several times during the day these past few days, not because I wanted to but because I was just lethargic, so lethargic was I that anything my back touches would put me to sleep. There were times that I felt that I would just fall anytime, like if I were in church. Was I a walking zombie? I asked myself. The final blow was last night or early morning while I was working—and I missed that very important phone appointment. I simply fell asleep for 2 full hours. I was so embarrassed, I knew my staff, who are all working home-based, knew I was missing in action.

Now I realized that for those people working outside normal working hours, i.e., the graveyard shift, like those involved in health care, call centers, entertainment, anything that would change the routine would greatly affect the body mechanism. I have been so used to working from 12 midnight to say 9 am or even past that for the past 6 months, and I was doing fine with at least a real deep sleep from 9-11:45 pm, and intermittent sleeps during the day.

Daylight saving time started in the US and other parts of the world officially last 9 March, and so work had to be adjusted 1 hour earlier. Last night, I had to be in a meeting at 9 pm, and was not anymore able to sleep before the 11 pm schedule. By 11:30 pm, I had to take a half hour break, unusually early! Another break at 1 am, then another one. I was practically sleeping on the job! Oh, yes, working during the day more than compensated for the lost hours, but that is not the point I am hitting at.

Sleep is very important, deep sleep that is. It allows the body to re-energize. It is a time of renewal. Body cells are repaired, mental functions are honed, immune system is strengthened and resistance to illness is increased. Continuous lack of sleep, and for others even at least one night, decreases concentration, memory, learning ability and problem solving skills.

I owe my body a lot of sleep debt, and I have to pay up!

If I am to keep up with being awake in the evenings to early mornings, I have to make a firm resolve to sleep during the day, or at least a few hours before 11 pm. Not only for the reasons given above—I am sure everyone has heard of beauty sleep as well.

Now for some trivia:

One can die from total lack of sleep faster than from starvation—it will take only 10 days to die without sleep, and about 2 weeks from starvation.

More calories are burned while sleeping than while watching TV.

Each person has a different sleep requirement from the other—it is important for the brain and the body to sleep at the same time.

And yes, it is only during sleep that we dream our dreams—dream of all things nice and beautiful, dream of magic and mystery, dream of solutions to problems. Never mind the nightmares. Sleep is luxury, yet it is free. What am I waiting for? I will sleep—the bed is waiting and ready.

You, too, catch up on your Happy Sleep!

Comments

4 Responses to “Happy Sleep: The body needs it most.”

Janette Toral on March 16th, 2008 8:51 am

You are so right Dine. All of us really can use some good rest. Especially you! I recall one saying, “We use our health to gain wealth. When we get older, we use our wealth to gain health.” C’est la vie!
cielo on March 16th, 2008 11:26 pm

how i wish that i can also have my Happy Sleep, for the longest time i have this insomnia, but i have managed to survive…sleepness nights are spent blogging and bloghopping, then my eyes will get tired and then i’ll be hitting the bed…
Kyels on March 18th, 2008 10:54 am

All of need sleep. Lots of sleep to replenish our system. Sometimes I find it hard to sleep due to the amount of workload that I have.

(:
julie on March 19th, 2008 12:14 am

Oh, maybe you need to take a break, Dine, especially if you have been working the graveyard shift.

Take care and have a blessed Holy Week