Sleep has the power to restore, heal and repair the body and the mind; Sleep gives power to our immune systems, in fact, to all systems that perform various functions in our body.
There are some misconceptions about sleep, which we should all we aware of. We here them all the time from people of old and new generation, assume its true and spread the word around. Some of these misconceptions are…
Snoring is not harmful: But, far worse than the social inconvenience or embarrassment snoring can cause, it’s is often a symptom of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder that can cause high blood pressure and heart attack. Snoring may be due to the structure of the jaw, flabby ovula or an enlarged tongue, soft palate etc.
Snoring can be cured easily: Sorry to say but is not so easy. People can sell or suggest the medicines available across the counter that can cure snoring but in reality it can prove to be a dangerous exercise unless the doctor himself prescribes it.
If the case of your snoring is more complicated your doctor may also suggest one of the many surgical procedures, some of them simple operations done in the office, to alleviate the snoring problem. So, before even thinking of trying any self-medication or device or suggested remedy to get rid of your snoring, seek professional help. You should take professional sleep test in a sleep lab – to confirm that the cause of your snoring is not sleep apnea.
2-4 hours of sleep is all that you require: Less than 8 hours of sleep can lead to disorders resulting from sleep deprivation.
Mental and physical health can be adversely affected. During this 8 hours o sleep the body, rejuvenates. The system repair takes place. Body relaxes and gets ready for the next day’s work.
Missed sleep today? Catch up tomorrow! Forget it. You can at the most get back to schedule the next day but cannot catch up the lost sleep of previous night. It’s lost forever. The time has gone.
Your body weight and sleep have no connection: It does. Obese people snore more. There are more chances of obese people suffering from sleep apnea, which is a dangerous sleeping disorder.
Alcoholic beverage or smoking help sleep better Alcohol can give you a good 3-5 hours of initial deep sleep but after that the same alcohol starts affecting or disrupting your sleep adversely.
Don’t even think that you can improve your sleep quality or pattern with the help of a few drinks. Warm Milk, hot chocolate, herbal tea, brisk walk before sleeping, light music etc are sensible alternatives. And never ever smoke before sleeping.
Don’t wake up sleepwalker: You can but do it gently. It is important that you understand everything about sleepwalking so that you can cope with it better. This point is for those who have members in the family who sleep walk. It’s all right to wake the person up and lead him back to bed, but gently so.
Old people need less sleep than young people: Sleeping patters change with age. Reasons could be many like older people on drugs or medication may be losing sleep as an after effect of medication. If such thing is noticed doctor should be consulted. Depression, psychological, medical problems, insomnia etc could be possible reasons. Old people have difficulty sleeping and waking up both.
A research group in New Zealand have found that people who suffer from vision problems also suffer from sleep disorder.
Falling asleep at the wheel is a close second and may even surpass drunk driving True! The general view is drunk driving or rash driving leads to majority of accidents.
But allow me to wake you up to the fact that National Sleep Foundation has studied and found that falling asleep at the wheel is a close second and may many a times even surpass drunk driving!
