Why is sleep so important to our health? What are the effects of insomnia? When you have difficulty sleeping your body and mind suffer.
Let's take a look at what sleep actually does for you.
Scientists have found that sleep and its accompanying dreams allows you to organize your memories.
It also can help you recover lost memories.
Research shows that that after studying, when you "sleep on it" or get a good night's sleep, it reinforces what you studied.
Sleep actually acts as a mood enhancer and helps to improve our social behavior.
I don't know about you, but one of the effects of insomnia for me is I get grumpy.
Tired people are often cranky and easily frustrated.
If you don't think sleep helps, just check out a toddler that hasn't had enough sleep.
Although it's common for everyone to have difficulty sleeping every once in a while insomnia that lasts more than a few days can really affect us negatively.
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep on a regular basis it can affect your life adversely.
So what is insomnia? Insomnia has been defined as "sleep problems characterized by difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, or waking up earlier than desired.
" Some of the more common effects of insomnia are getting up in the morning in a haze or experiencing ongoing drowsiness as the day progresses.
An easy way to look at insomnia is simply the inability to get enough high-quality sleep.
Sleep acts as a nightly tune up for your brain.
Studies have shown that Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep positively affect your mood during the day.
When you sleep the parts of the brain that control your emotions, decision-making processes, and social interactions slow down dramatically.
This allows your brains to recover from the previous day's activities and improve your performance when you're awake.
Have you ever tried to really concentrate when you're tired and groggy? I find that I don't concentrate well when I haven't slept well.
Scientists have suggested that our brains, or more specifically our brain's neurons, repair themselves during sleep.
Sleep deprived neurons get sluggish and don't fire properly.
When this happens your nervous system doesn't work as it should and your concentration is affected.
You've probably experienced this on a long drive or when trying to study late at night.
You might find that your allergies actually worsen when you have difficulty sleeping.
Studies have also shown that one of the effects of insomnia is that your immune system is weakened.
This can result in your body becoming more susceptible to infections and disease.
Although when I was having difficulty sleeping my health wasn't permanently affected, many people experience an increase risk of disorders such as major depression, anxiety disorder, and even drug and alcohol abuse as effects of insomnia.
Additionally some studies have shown that the lack of sleep can cause a person to develop problems with their weight.
Other studies have shown that sleeping disorders can even lead to a premature death.
When I wasn't sleeping well I experienced trouble falling asleep as well as having a hard time staying asleep.
I found that one of the effects of insomnia was it made me think fuzzy.
I also had a hard time remembering things.
My difficulty sleeping affected my ability to get my work done.
If you have difficulty sleeping you might experience these types of symptoms too.
So to sum it up, if you have difficulty sleeping it can trigger problems at home, work or school.
Other effects of insomnia include the slowing down of your reaction time which can results in accidents in your car, at home, and in the workplace.
If you are having difficulty sleeping get help starting today before the effects of insomnia make a permanent impact on your life.
Let's take a look at what sleep actually does for you.
Scientists have found that sleep and its accompanying dreams allows you to organize your memories.
It also can help you recover lost memories.
Research shows that that after studying, when you "sleep on it" or get a good night's sleep, it reinforces what you studied.
Sleep actually acts as a mood enhancer and helps to improve our social behavior.
I don't know about you, but one of the effects of insomnia for me is I get grumpy.
Tired people are often cranky and easily frustrated.
If you don't think sleep helps, just check out a toddler that hasn't had enough sleep.
Although it's common for everyone to have difficulty sleeping every once in a while insomnia that lasts more than a few days can really affect us negatively.
If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep on a regular basis it can affect your life adversely.
So what is insomnia? Insomnia has been defined as "sleep problems characterized by difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently during the night, or waking up earlier than desired.
" Some of the more common effects of insomnia are getting up in the morning in a haze or experiencing ongoing drowsiness as the day progresses.
An easy way to look at insomnia is simply the inability to get enough high-quality sleep.
Sleep acts as a nightly tune up for your brain.
Studies have shown that Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep positively affect your mood during the day.
When you sleep the parts of the brain that control your emotions, decision-making processes, and social interactions slow down dramatically.
This allows your brains to recover from the previous day's activities and improve your performance when you're awake.
Have you ever tried to really concentrate when you're tired and groggy? I find that I don't concentrate well when I haven't slept well.
Scientists have suggested that our brains, or more specifically our brain's neurons, repair themselves during sleep.
Sleep deprived neurons get sluggish and don't fire properly.
When this happens your nervous system doesn't work as it should and your concentration is affected.
You've probably experienced this on a long drive or when trying to study late at night.
You might find that your allergies actually worsen when you have difficulty sleeping.
Studies have also shown that one of the effects of insomnia is that your immune system is weakened.
This can result in your body becoming more susceptible to infections and disease.
Although when I was having difficulty sleeping my health wasn't permanently affected, many people experience an increase risk of disorders such as major depression, anxiety disorder, and even drug and alcohol abuse as effects of insomnia.
Additionally some studies have shown that the lack of sleep can cause a person to develop problems with their weight.
Other studies have shown that sleeping disorders can even lead to a premature death.
When I wasn't sleeping well I experienced trouble falling asleep as well as having a hard time staying asleep.
I found that one of the effects of insomnia was it made me think fuzzy.
I also had a hard time remembering things.
My difficulty sleeping affected my ability to get my work done.
If you have difficulty sleeping you might experience these types of symptoms too.
So to sum it up, if you have difficulty sleeping it can trigger problems at home, work or school.
Other effects of insomnia include the slowing down of your reaction time which can results in accidents in your car, at home, and in the workplace.
If you are having difficulty sleeping get help starting today before the effects of insomnia make a permanent impact on your life.