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We suffer fatigue from our nerve cells being constantly active: to recover from this fatigue we need to undergo the periodic loss of consciousness known as sleep as this gives the body cells an opportunity of ridding themeselves of waste and to repair themselves.
There are different physiological states during sleep that vary with the individual and also other factors, but generally there is a characteristic uniformity of behavior during sleep: unconsciousness or the diminution or irritability.
The amount of sleep necessary will vary with individuals and with the strain on the individual body. Nervous and tense people usually require more than those who are of a placid disposition. The average individual maintains his health by about eight hours of sleep. Older people require more sleep than young people, as a general rule.
There are some common abnormalities associated with sleep: to stop these abnormalities you need to form regular sleeping habits.
The inability to sleep your usual amount is called insomnia and this is a problem for millions of people. Doctors advise avoiding foods that will keep you awake, such as foods containing caffeine (coffee, chocolate and soft drinks). Exercise during the day will often help a person to sleep better. Try to establish a regular bedtime and go to bed only when you are tired. If you just cannot sleep get up and read. The inability to be able to sleep can happen to anyone. Overfatigue will sometimes produce insomnia as you may be too tired to go to sleep. A virus or run down condition can also cause you to not be able to sleep.
If you have physical fatigue, as in when your muscles ache, you want to be left alone, you feel on edge and uneasy then you may be unable to sleep. There is also mental fatigue that you might have for example after studying too hard for an exam. Mental fatigue can also result from boredom or from a difficult emotional experience. Usually the best cure for mental fatigue is some form of recreation, such as painting, fishing, etc. The best cure for the physical fatigue is sleep.
If you tend to delay going to sleep after retiring try taking a warm bath, or a little exercise or deep breathing or perhaps have a hot drink or a small amount of food.
Be very careful with taking over the counter sleep producing products as they could be very harmful to your health and should be used very rarely. If you need to take drugs to go to sleep there could be something wrong with your nervous system and your health habits.
Try taking a short nap in the middle of the day as it may be helpful. It can also relax you after doing a lot of work in the morning.
Your state of mind when going to sleep is involved. When you retire, try to forget the cares and worries of the day, and try to relax and rest. You might keep some light reading material by the bed to read for a little while before falling asleep. This will help you to take your mind off of your worries and cares of the day.
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