Is getting a good night's rest really that important to overall health? In today's fast-paced lifestyle, many people pride themselves on the fact that they can go long periods of time without sleep. Others simply wish they could relax enough to stop tossing and turning every night. High-quality rest can be affected by lifestyle choices, environmental factors and also by medical conditions.
Lifestyle Choices Can Alter Healthy Patterns Of Rest
Some of the reasons why people can have trouble relaxing and sleeping well during the night are because of the wrong lifestyle choices that they make. Drinking too much coffee during the day can keep the central nervous system overstimulated at night. People who are in the habit of eating sugary snacks before going to bed may find themselves tossing and turning all night. Smoking is another stimulant that interferes with proper rest.
Environmental Factors
Workers who do overnight shifts are at serious risk of sleep deprivation. Nightshift workers are technically forced to stay awake during the time when the human body's own natural biorhythm is saying it is time for bed. Nightshift workers compensate for this drag by indulging in those food and drink items mentioned above so they stay alert on the job. The worker then faces the added challenge of trying to relax and get rest as the morning sun comes over the horizon. Eventually, this lack of quality rest can result in increased job-related accidents and fatalities.
Medical Causes For Poor Quality Sleep
Some people have a medical condition called sleep apnea which causes the tissues of the throat to block the airways during night rest. People with this condition can suffer from severe oxygen deficiency by having their airways blocked. When someone is diagnosed with this condition, they may have to wear a sleep apnea machine. This machine uses a mask-like device and special pump to force oxygen into the airways.
Prolonged sleep deprivation is extremely dangerous. The human body is designed to repair and replenish organ tissues during deep sleep. Failure to get enough tissue-repairing rest can cause many different health problems. Lack of quality rest can cause more than general grouchiness and grumpiness during the day.
The longer someone goes without high-quality rest, the more the immune system becomes compromised. It can cause heart attack, stroke and major depression. The human body needs deep overnight rest each and every night to function at the peak of performance.
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