Photo courtesy: Gregory Pappas
Alejandro Vazquez Coronado
The importance of sleep is widely debated and neglected. Students tend to fall victim to sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation is often not their choice.
We know the dangers of smoking, but tobacco is still a big and growing industry. As with sleep, there are internal and external factors that influence these decisions and outcomes.
For the essentials of life, sleep can seem like a no-brainer. Perhaps this is because we know so little about it. Research on sleep began in the mid-1800s and many positive findings were made, but much of what we know about sleep is based on what happens when we don’t get enough sleep, not why we sleep. increase.
Brock University has its own sleep lab that focuses on the role of sleep in our waking lives, but still narrows it down to sleep deprivation.
The lab page says: the role of hormones in vulnerability to sleep deprivation; memory consolidation during sleep; the benefits of naps in young and old; and the mechanisms and consequences of insomnia. ”
They provide a glimpse into how important sleep is for cognition, perception and memory, the main areas related to sleep research. Sleep may be rare for college students, but it’s worth noting that sleep has a positive relationship with both physical and mental health, and may even help with academic performance.
Here’s a quick look at some of the effects that enough or too little sleep has on us.
As mentioned earlier, the right amount of sleep is good for memory retention, so the next time you think about staying up all night studying or learning a new concept, prioritizing sleep will improve your productivity and memory. Consider how beneficial retention is.
Other areas where adequate sleep increases are concentration and the ability to perform cognitive tasks. This includes reaction time and awareness. This broadly covers many of our daily tasks, but more specifically driving.
Sleep-deprived driving is, of course, dangerous, and according to the National Safety Commission, “driving after more than 20 hours without sleep is equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% (U.S. legal limit).” are equivalent.”
Sleep affects not only the brain, but also other organs and systems. Sleep and sleep deprivation are known to affect hormones and metabolism. More specifically, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, long-term sleep deprivation is associated with coronary heart disease, hypertension, It can increase your risk of chronic health problems such as: , obesity, and stroke.
Considering that the average person spends about eight hours a day, or about one-third of our life, sleeping, sleep is an integral part of our daily lives, so we take it seriously. I have to.
For more information, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has a more detailed explanation. here.
