Today's blog post is about something that everyone (hopefully still) does: sleep.
Sleep is important. The human body needs at least eight to ten hours of sleep every day. You might be saying to yourself right now: Yes, I already know that because they always say that in commercials, doctor's appointments, school, etc. Well, knowing is one thing, but doing is another.
Do you actually sleep at lest eight to ten hours a day? You might say there's work to do. Fine. Let me rephrase then. Do you make a conscious effort to get at least eight to ten hours of sleep a day?
Why is it so important to get at least eight to ten hours of sleep a day?
First of all, sleep is the time where your body enhances its growth and "healing" mechanisms. What do I mean by that? Your body isn't exactly perfect (it were then you wouldn't need to sleep) which is why some parts of your body grow tired at the end of the day. Sleep rests those body parts so that by the next day, those body parts are ready for use once again. Also, during sleep, your body continues its growth process by releasing growth hormones. So, if you want to grow taller, you better sleep! Where does the enhancing part come in? Our body naturally grows and heals itself, but during sleep, these processes are, in a way, given boosts and "+"s through hormones that the body releases during sleep.
Secondly, sleep is (usually) the time when you enter the world of dreams. Here, our subconsciousness starts its creative process. Our body creates worlds and dimensions completely based on the things that our body has seen or experienced. The people that we interact with everyday and even those we just see in the street as we cross or drive by. The places that we know about appear in our dreams as well regardless if we have been there or not. Events that we have experienced or know of can also be the basis of our dreams. What's so important about dreams? Dreams allow the brain to continue being creative even during rest.
Now that you know the importance of sleep, you might be wondering: How can I get the sleep that my body needs? Well, I have a few tips for you guys.
1) Avoid Procrastinating. That is probably the number one enemy of sleep nowadays (aside from sleep-related illnesses which can be caused by bad sleeping habits). When you have work to do, do as much as you can days before that work is due. Why? Not only are you jeopardising your work by affecting the quality of your work, you are also harming your own body. How? Overworking it at night when your body needs rest due to the work it's done for the day because you need to finish the work that's due tomorrow.
2) Get off your gadgets minutes before bedtime. Shut down your laptop. Put your phone on silent. Stop playing that addicting game that you might have been playing for almost four hours by now. Do all these minutes before bedtime so that you can prepare yourself for sleep. You never know. That "five minutes more" that you told yourself might turn into four hours. It also gives you time to check if you're ready for the next day (which you should've done before you started using your gadgets).
3) Plan. If you need to get up tomorrow by six in the morning and you want nine hours of sleep, then sleep by nine in the evening. Time your sleep so that you don't lack sleep the next day. It seems very technical but I promise you that it will pay off.
I hope that after reading this post, everyone will value sleep more. It's one of the ways we can love our bodies more, which I think people should do more often. That is all I have for you guys today! I hope you all enjoyed this blog post. If you think someone should see this, feel free to share it to them :)
Until Next Time!
