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MoonDragon's Alternative Health Information
THE VALUE OF SLEEP
Many of us have discovered from experience that a good night's sleep is often the best way to help us cope with stress, solve problems, or recuperate from illness. Sleep is prompted by natural cycles of activity in the brain and consists of two basic states: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, when most dreaming occurs, and deep sleep, known as Non-REM (NREM) sleep.
THE FUNCTION OF SLEEP & DREAMS
Recent research has shown that during NREM (dreamless) sleep the body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle, and appears to strengthen the immune system. We get less of this precious NREM sleep as we get older; people under 30 enjoy about two hours of restorative sleep every night, while those over 65 may get a mere 30 minutes. Some experts claim that finding ways to maintain this type of sleep could help delay the aging process.
REM (dreaming) sleep is thought to act as a kind of psychological safety valve, helping us work through unconscious events and emotional issues. The fact that people deprived of sleep become forgetful and confused has led to the theory that dream sleep may help consolidate memory, but although it is clear that everybody dreams, the question of why the mind should generate these fantastic images is still unanswered. Some researchers believe they represent random and meaningless bursts of nerve-cell activity in the brain stem, while others argue that they relate clearly to the dreamer's real life, making emotional connections between past and present events that can help resolve conflict. Freudian and Jungian psychoanalysts have long regarded dreams and their interpretation as a window to the inner life of patients: practitioners recommend keeping a dream diary, jotting down details of a dream on waking, and then analyzing them for possible meaning.
Another theory is that REM sleep exercises nerve networks in the brain to prevent atrophy. REM sleep accounts for 50-90% of the fetus's sleep in the uterus, where there is not enough external stimulation for nerve circuits to mature on their own, compared with only 25% of a typical adult's sleep.
HOW MUCH SLEEP IS NEEDED?
This depends on the individual and it decreases with age. Some researchers claim that we may need as much as 9 1/2-10 hours of sleep or we risk chronically underfunctioning. Other experts believe that while 6 hours is the minimum to avoid feeling tired, 7-8 hours a night is about right for most people.
TIPS FOR A RESTFUL NIGHT
Avoid large meals and stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco for at least two hours before bedtime.
Don not go to bed hungry; milky drinks, cereal, whole-wheat cookies, and bananas are thought to reduce restlessness.
Get aerobic exercise during the day to reduce stress hormones, but avoid anything too strenuous - apart from sex - within three hours of bedtime. Regular exercise may promote deeper sleep.
Go to bed at a regular time and avoid napping late in the afternoon.
Stop work an hour before bedtime to calm mental activity.
At bedtime, keep your mind off worries or things that upset you.
Make sure your bedroom is well ventilated and a comfortable temperature (below 75°F/ 24°C).
Keep your bedroom for sleeping. If you can not sleep or if you wake up, go into another room and read a book or watch television until you feel sleepy.
Learn a relaxation technique such as progressive muscle relaxation and practice it in bed.
If early daylight disturbs sleep, use an eye mask or invest in heavy curtains.
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