Productive Sleep - Oxymoron? Perhaps not...

The effects of sleep (or the lack of) on my health  came to a head shortly before thanksgiving last year.  Working one full-time job, then going to a friends home to paint and install hardwood floors left little time for eating, family, or sleep.  In total I would sleep 30 minutes to one hour in the car after shift, then three or four hours at home. In total 30 hours of sleep per week for 3 weeks until the job was complete compared to 50-60 hours at 7-8 per night as recommended by people "in the know".


The result was some funky bronchitis, a few days of missed work and a cough that lingered for at least two months...


Talk about good inspiration for a new blog post, not necessarily on food this time, but what good is healthy food when your immune system is seriously degraded by a lack of proper rest.


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According to research, sleep not only has the power to re-energize your body, it also regulates your metabolism (lack of sleep can slow down your daily calorie burn), and keeps your appetite in check too! (Self Magazine)


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The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

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There are studies that have shown that proper sleep has a profound effect on regenerating the liver.

Just like it is written in Gods word:

Psalm 139:13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
  and knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
  as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

We were created to eat naturally, and rest naturally...  It seems when we take either for granted there is a price to pay.  Everything in moderation, right? :)

I know I am preaching to the choir on this subject as in a regular week I am currently only getting 40-45 hours.  Working night shift during the week then flipping my sleep schedule for the weekend, then flopping back to nights again for the next week I have not found a way to do it right.
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These are the NEGATIVES:

• aching muscles
• immune deficiency
• hallucinations
• hand tremors
• headaches
• increased blood pressure
• increased risk of diabetes
• increased risk of fibromyalgia
• irritability
• memory lapses or loss
• nystagmus(rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)
• obesity
• temper tantrums in children
• yawning
• symptoms similar to:
  • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Psychosis

Benefits of proper sleep habits: 

• Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy

• Sleep May Prevent Cancer

• Sleep Reduces Stress

• Sleep Reduces Inflammation

• Sleep Makes You More Alert

• Sleep Bolsters Your Memory

• Sleep May Help You Lose Weight

• Naps Make You Smarter

• Sleep May Reduce Your Risk for Depression

• Sleep Helps the Body Make Repairs

(Additional reading and excerpts taken from:)

http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongenergy/tp/healthy_sleep.htm

http://www.monumentalmassage.com/articles/restorative_benefits_of_sleep.html

Here's to a long peaceful sleep!

Terry-