During childhood, Your parents might have probably told you to sleep early or else the monster will eat you.
Ever wondered why they lied?. Here's the Answer.
Allow me to share the information I found horrifying and a big concern for India. You heard it right, We all need more sleep.
As per the current statistics presented in a conference organised by the South East Asian Academy of Sleep Medicine (SEAASM) and Getwell Hospital in Nagpur,
"The average sleeping hours per day has decreased globally. What's worse is that with an average of 6.55 sleeping hours, India stands second to last on the list. With an of average 7.16 sleeping hours per day".
The National Health Portal of India which is an initiative by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India, which is responsible to provide healthcare related information to the citizen of india also expresses its concerns.
"Inadequate or unsatisfactory sleep is becoming a serious health issue of the modern living. The rush to meet the targets in the work, nuclear family, urban life style, frequent travel to different time zone, shift work, long distance of journey between home and work place are all contributing havoc to the health and becoming a slow killer. Sleep is one of the basic necessities for a healthy living. Good and adequate sleep improves the quality of life. Sleep helps the brain to work properly, improve memory and provide longevity. The ability to function and feel well while you're awake depends on whether you're getting an adequate amount of sleep. It also depends on whether you're sleeping at a time when the body demands to sleep. While sleeping, the brain is preparing for the next day by forming new pathways to help learning and remembering information".
Sleep is one of the necessites for our survival.
Not only humans but also mammals, reptiles and other species on this planet practice or kind of implement this inactive state called sleep.
If you believe that you sleep enough, I would urge you to read the complete article and think again.
During this state, our body goes through 4 stages which typically lasts for 1 hour and 30 minutes. We experience these four stages roughly 5 times while asleep (i.e. 1:30 x 5 = 7:30 Hours).
Sources: liveli.com
Initially, our body prepares itself to hibernate by making physiological changes in our body like:
The temperature of our body drops by 2°C. Our body is at its lowest temperature 2 hours before waking up.
Our breathing slows down during NREM (Non-Rapid eye moment) and during REM (Rapid eye moment) our breathing gears up a little.
Blood pressure and our Heart rates are low.
Our Muscles are relaxed.
Room temperature also plays an important role to provide quality sleep. As per the National Sleep Foundation published at sleep.org mentions,
"In general, the suggested bedroom temperature should be between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal sleep. When lying in bed trying to snooze, your body temperature decreases to initiate sleep—and the proposed temperatures above can actually help facilitate this. If your room is cool, rather than warm, it will be much easier to shut your eyes for the night".
An adult having quality sleep of 7:30 hrs to 8:00 hrs will lead to:
Lower risk of serious illnesses.
Boost in the immune system.
Prevent weight gain.
Improve mood and memory.
Lower stress levels.
Strengthens heart.
Improve performance and productivity.
Being proactive and alert.
And the answer to why your parent lied about the monster. It's because they knew the importance of sleep as it is crucial for our overall development.
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