It is known that we spend a third of our life asleep. Sleep is an involuntary and vital process, without which we cannot survive. Just as eating, hydrating and breathing, it is a crucial process for maintaining your mental and physical health.
During sleep, we undergo multiple processes that help us function during the daytime. It is necessary for us to get enough sleep, ranging from 7 to 9 hours, varying among individuals, according to numerous studies in the field. Poor sleep leads to numerous health problems, such as heart disease, kidney dysfunction, high blood pressure, diabetes and even mental issues, for example depression and anxiety. When it comes to children, their school performance can suffer.
Sleep and health are closely linked, meaning that poor sleep will cause health issues, and a bad health state may cause insomnia or hypersomnia, meaning oversleeping.
Lack of sleep can also cause serious events which can put other’s life in danger. Feeling sleepy while driving may cause a severe traffic incident. Throughout history, human mistakes caused by insufficient sleep linked to tragic accidents. For example, American Airlines Flight 1420 in 1999 ended in a horrible way. After a failed attempt to land in bad weather conditions, the plane slid off the runway, killing 11 people. Later, authorities discovered that the flight’s crew didn’t get the required amount of sleep. Unfortunately, there are many other examples, not only in aviation.
Improving the quality of our sleep may be tough, in some cases impossible without consulting a specialist. There are a few breathing techniques, one of them being the 4-7-8 method: inhaling for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds and exhaling for 8. If that doesn’t work, you need to see a doctor, who might prescribe you benzodiazepines, that will help you fall asleep in a shorter period of time. Another one is Diaphragmatic breathing, which involves lying on your back and placing one hand on your chest. The other one goes on your belly. You need to inhale slowly and deeply, feeling your diaphragm expanding. After that, you need to exhale, and then keep your chest still. Repeat this procedure until you feel sleepy, but no more than 5 minutes. A tip for this method is to also listen to Green Noise, to make you fall asleep even faster.
Even though sleep is one of our biggest necessities, dealing with its issues can be quite problematic. Getting enough sleep can help you live a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress.
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