al about sleeping habbits

1. SLEEPING HABITS
ANDITSAFFECTONMINDANDSOUL
By-Priyanshi Nandwani

2. Importance of sleeping
◦ Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you
refreshed and alert when you wake up. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain
healthy and stave off diseases. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function
properly. This can impair your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process
memories.
◦ Most adults require between seven and nine hours of nightly sleep. Children and
teenagers need substantially more sleep, particularly if they are younger than five
years of age. Work schedules, day-to-day stressors, a disruptive bedroom
environment, and medical conditions can all prevent us from receiving enough sleep.
A healthy diet and positive lifestyle habits can help ensure an adequate amount of
sleep each night – but for some, chronic lack of sleep may be the first sign of a sleep
disorder.

3. How Much Sleep Do I Need?
Although the amount of sleep you get each day is
important, other aspects of your sleep also
contribute to your health and well-being. Good sleep
quality is also essential. Signs of poor sleep quality
include not feeling rested even after getting enough
sleep, repeatedly waking up during the night, and
experiencing symptoms of sleep disorders (such as
snoring or gasping for air). Improving sleep quality
may be helped by better sleep habits or being
diagnosed and treated for any sleep disorder you
may have.

5. The Benefits of Getting a Full Night's Sleep
◦ Sleep. We all wish we had more of it. Yet it’s still. So. Elusive. And while yawning and feeling tired all
the time can be a bummer, a lack of zzz’s can actually have a big impact on your health. Experts say
you should aim to get between seven and eight hours of shut-eye each night, but what does that
really do for you?
◦ 1. Sleep Can Boost Your Immune System
◦ When your body gets the sleep it needs, your immune cells and proteins get the rest they need to
fight off whatever comes their way — like colds or the flu. And according to the well-rested sleep
specialists over at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, proper sleep can also make vaccines
more effective, which is obviously a plus.
◦ 2. Gaining Zzz’s Can Help Prevent Weight Gain
◦ Racking up eight full hours of sleep isn’t going to result in losing the lbs. by itself, but it can help your
body from packing on the pounds. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces ghrelin, a
hormone that boosts appetite. Your body also decreases the production of leptin, a hormone that
tells you you’re full. Put ’em both together and that’s one dangerous combo for late-night snacking,
my friend. Plus, when you don’t sleep enough you get more stressed and don’t have the energy to
fight off junk food cravings. We’re exhausted just thinking about it.

6. ◦ 3. Sleep Can Strengthen Your Heart
◦ Not getting enough sleep can lead to heart health problems like high blood pressure or heart attacks.
That’s because lack of sleep can cause your body to release cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers
your heart to work harder. Just like your immune system, your heart needs rest in order to function
powerfully and properly. Just another reason to “heart” sleep.
◦ 4. Better Sleep = Better Mood
◦ There is some truth in the old saying, “Getting up on the right side of the bed.” It has nothing to do
with which side of the bed you roll out of, but sleeping can lead to good moods. And really, it makes
sense. If you sleep well, you wake up feeling rested. Being rested helps your energy levels soar. When
your energy is up, life’s little challenges won’t annoy you as much. When you’re not annoyed, you’re
not as angry. If you’re not angry, you’re happy. So, go to bed early and everyone around you will
thank you for it.
◦ 5. Sleeping Can Increase Productivity
◦ You may think you’re wowing your boss by burning the midnight oil, but putting off a good night’s
rest could be having an adverse effect at work or school. In fact, sleep has been linked to improved
concentration and higher cognitive function, both of which can help you be successful at work. But
one restless night can leave you feeling frazzled, making it more likely that you’ll make mistakes that
a pot of coffee won’t be able to fix. Speaking of coffee, the more tired you feel, the more likely you
are to reach for that afternoon cup. And while that may seem to fix the afternoon crash problem you
experience, the extra caffeine late in the day could set you up for another sleepless night.

7. Researchers and researches carried out on
sleeping habits.
Inadequate sleep has detrimental effects on both
students’ health and academic performance. While
college students may know this information, they
often do not prioritize sleep above other
responsibilities of college life nor perceive their
own health as being threatened. The purpose of
this quantitative, descriptive study was to
determine the sleeping habits and perception of its
health effects among college students. In this study,
116 college students in the Midwestern

8. United States were surveyed. Participants completed a demographic and a 19-item
Likert-type survey about their sleep habits and their perception of its health effects. In
this study, 61% of participants reported obtaining at least an average of 7 hours of
sleep per night. In addition, 77% of the participants reported taking naps during the
day, with 51% of the naps lasting at least an hour. By comparing the participants’
sleeping habits with the review of the literature, it was concluded that overall,
participants did not have beneficial sleeping habits. The majority of the participants
(M=3.49; SD=0.57 on a 4- point Likert-type scale), agreed that academics are affected
because of the lack of sleep. In conclusion, college students do not have beneficial
sleeping habits.

9. The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your
Body
◦ If you’ve ever spent a night tossing and turning, you already know how you’ll feel the next day
— tired, cranky, and out of sorts. But missing out on the recommended 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye
nightly does more than make you feel groggy and grumpy.
◦ The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are real.
◦ It drains your mental abilities and puts your physical health at real risk. Science has linked poor
slumber with a number of health problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system.

10. Causes of sleep deprivation
In a nutshell, sleep deprivation is caused by consistent lack of sleep or reduced
quality of sleep. Getting less than 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis can
eventually lead to health consequences that affect your entire body. This may also
be caused by an underlying sleep disorder.
Your body needs sleep, just as it needs air and food to function at its best. During
sleep, your body heals itself and restores its chemical balance. Your brain forges
new thought connections and helps memory retention.
Without enough sleep, your brain and body systems won’t function normally. It can
also dramatically lower your quality of life.

11. ◦ A review of studies in 2010Trusted Source found that sleeping too little at night increases the
risk of early death.
◦ Noticeable signs of sleep deprivation include:
• excessive sleepiness
• frequent yawning
• irritability
• daytime fatigue
◦ Stimulants, such as caffeine, aren’t enough to override your body’s profound need for sleep. In
fact, these can make sleep deprivation worse by making it harder to fall asleep at night.
◦ This, in turn, may lead to a cycle of nighttime insomnia followed by daytime caffeine
consumption to combat the tiredness caused by the lost hours of shut-eye.
◦ Behind the scenes, chronic sleep deprivation can interfere with your body’s internal systems
and cause more than just the initial signs and symptoms listed above

12. Conclusion
◦ Sleep should be as important as getting regular exercise and eating right. Edward Everett Hale
said “Sleep, and enough of it, is the prime necessity. Enough exercise, and good food and
enough, are other necessities. But sleep—good sleep, and enough of it—this is a necessity
without which you cannot have the exercise of use, nor the food.”
◦ Beginning March 6, 2016, the National Sleep Foundation will celebrate Sleep Awareness Week:
its annual event to raise awareness regarding the health benefits of sleep and its importance to
safety and productivity. Share this information with friends and family and help to improve the
health of your loved ones.