Unlocking the Power of Sleep: Your Ultimate Guide to Health, Happiness, and Success

Unlocking the Power of Sleep: Your Ultimate Guide to Health, Happiness, and Success

Sleep...!

Scientists have found such a method that makes you live longer, enhances your memory, creativity, keeps you sharp, and improves concentration. This method can protect you not only from cold and flu but also from cancer and memory loss. It reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and keeps you happier and stress-free.

Some may find this description exaggerated, but every word in it is based on scientific research. This news is neither entertaining material nor some magical medicine! It's the benefits of getting eight hours of peaceful sleep! We simply don't give enough importance to sleep, specially eight hours  we don't take it regularly, and many don't even get it. That is, sleep!

Sleep doesn't just mean a lack of wakefulness. It's a highly intricate, regulated process. Sleep is essential for everyone. Your body has a clock, which operates based on changes in darkness, light, or temperature. They call it the circadian rhythm. This clock resides in a tiny part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Supra means above, and chiasm means crossing. Since this part is located above the two nasal crossings that carry sensory information from the eyes, the light received from the eyes directly informs it. When it gets dark in the evening, this clock sends a messenger called melatonin to the brain. It signals that it's dark, time to sleep.

Direct sleep brings in a chemical called adenosine. As its levels increase, a kind of pressure for sleep builds up in the brain, and sleep occurs. When the day ends, the sensation of light goes from the eyes to the brain. Melatonin secretion stops. Signals for waking up reach the brainstem. The pressure for sleep created by the brain's clock and the need for sleep are two important components for falling asleep. People drink coffee to induce sleep. Coffee contains caffeine. Caffeine blocks the receptors in the brain where adenosine fits naturally, creating a false sense of alertness. Consequently, the pressure for sleep produced by adenosine is not understood by the brainstem. We stay awake.

When we sleep, all our muscles relax. If an aquatic creature sleeps, it undergoes a state of aquatic torpor. At one point, half of their brain sleeps while the other half maintains bodily functions. This happens for the safety of birds too. When one half of a bird's brain sleeps, the eye on that side remains open. This way, the half asleep bird keeps a vigilant "eye" on potential threats. Our ancestors used to sleep in two parts: a long night sleep and a short midday nap. Nowadays, the midday nap has become scarce. Yet, every afternoon our genetic code urges us to connect with this sleep. After eating, our energy decreases as our body prioritizes digestion. During post-lunch meetings or classes, people tend to feel drowsy. In Greece, shops used to close from 1 to 4 in the afternoon, and people in that region were known to have longer lifespans. In Pune, the closed shops of Chitale Bandhu during the afternoon and their sleep were subjects of discussion for many years, but from a physiological perspective, they were quite appropriate.

During sleep, our brain is highly active. It prepares the hippocampus to store newly learned information, and after learning, it consolidates those memories for later recall, making deep sleep essential. Information gathered throughout the day is sent to the hippocampus during sleep. Its storage capacity is similar to that of a USB drive. If information is not sent there, it won't be retained as new memories. Here, sleep plays a crucial role in our cognition. In deep sleep, electrical waves in the brain work on consolidating memory files stored in the cortex of the hippocampus. These memory files are then transferred to the neocortex, where they are firmly stored. If one of your memory files happens to slip into the abyss of forgetfulness, you can retrieve it during the peaceful eight-hour sleep. Waking up from a quiet sleep often brings the experience of, "Oh, I couldn't remember that yesterday, but now it's crystal clear!" This is the magic of sleep.

If you don't get what sleep gives, you may end up with what it takes away, as sleep-deprived individuals tend to have more open eyes. The consequences of lack of sleep first manifest in your concentration. Your foot starts tapping. If a person drives in such a state, they may slip into microsleep due to the pressure of sleep. In this state, all sensory perceptions go away for a few moments. The decision-making ability to press the accelerator or brake, to turn the wheel in a certain direction, completely disappears for 45 seconds. Terrible accidents happen. Alcohol and insufficient sleep combined are even more terrifying. Seeing photos of accidents in the newspaper every day and feeling the exhaustion of the driver, the sentence "If you get deprived sleep, it can lead you straight into the jaws of death" hits home.

Incomplete sleep also disrupts the regulation of our emotions. Due to minor reasons, we may slip into emotions like anger, fear, or sadness. For individuals deprived of sleep, the brakes of rational thinking about these emotions do not work properly, as the connections in the brain become tangled due to sleep deprivation. Many people do not sleep for four to five days within a week. They say, "We catch up on the lost sleep during weekends, on Saturdays and Sundays." But sleep doesn't work like a bank. Debts need to be paid off, and they need to be replenished. To solidify the information gathered throughout the day into memory, sleep on the same day is necessary. Due to not understanding the importance of proper timing for sleep, incomplete sleep has become a way of life. This also leads to memory loss. In eight hours of peaceful sleep, campaigns for cleanliness are carried out. Throughout the day, accumulated toxins, like amyloids, are cleared away from the brain by the lymphatic system. These harmful toxins accumulate in various parts of the brain if regularly removed through proper sleep, they are cleared away in small amounts. This is considered a significant reason for Alzheimer's disease.

During moments of crisis, when we face a fight or flight situation, our sympathetic nervous system is activated. Then, the heart starts beating faster, more blood is pumped with greater force into the body, and blood pressure increases. In this state of arousal, peaceful sleep plays a crucial role in calming down the nervous system. If this peaceful sleep is reduced by 5 to 6 hours, then the nervous system remains in an agitated state. This is harmful to our body. It feels like we are under stress, and cortisol, a stress hormone, also increases. This results in increased heart rate and blood pressure. These stress hormones also damage the blood vessels. Naturally, heart diseases, high blood pressure, and the risk of stroke increase. When peaceful sleep is reduced, weight gain often occurs, especially around the abdomen. Two hormones regulate our appetite. Leptin signals when the stomach is full, while ghrelin signals hunger. Due to insufficient sleep, leptin decreases and ghrelin increases. Leptin, which signals a full stomach, is not communicated, and ghrelin, which signals hunger, continues, indicating that hunger is not satisfied. Therefore, individuals with inadequate sleep often resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms. They may blame poor sleep on others and lack enthusiasm the next day, leading to reduced exercise and choosing more unhealthy foods. In addition to the obvious lethargy, inadequate sleep also becomes a significant factor contributing to various health issues.

When we behave a certain way, the sugar in our blood increases. The hormone called insulin immediately tells the muscles in our body, "Open your doors and take in the sugar from the blood. Muscles listen accordingly and keep the blood sugar levels in check. Lack of adequate sleep reduces the response of muscles to insulin. Then their doors don't open properly, and blood sugar levels remain high. This means that due to lack of sufficient sleep, less exercise, excessive desire for sweet food, and muscles not responding to insulin, all these can lead you into the red zone of type 2 diabetes."

Whenever any microorganism or virus enters the body, there is a fighting force within the body to combat it called the 'immune system'. A peaceful sleep of at least seven hours strengthens this army and prepares it for new battles. Whether it's COVID or the flu, one common piece of advice given during these times of impending illness is to 'get enough sleep'. This advice is crucial for building inner strength to fight against any disease. Within this army, there is a battalion known as killer cells. They target and eliminate cancerous cells. To keep these killer cells constantly prepared, it's essential for you to get sufficient sleep.

Currently, the importance of complete sleep, which is the root cause of many diseases appearing in every household, is something you might not be aware of. Because we do not give it much importance. In the midst of our waking hours, amidst the chaotic screens of colorful screens, we tend to overlook this fundamental need for sleep.

Let's go back a little. "Gita Pravachan" is a small book written by Vinoba Bhave, connecting the daily life with the teachings of the Gita. Vinoba ji says that if there is to be success in any work of daily life, then there must be concentration. Life should be joyful to achieve it. Jnandev says in his sweet language,

"Speak less to your father,

Step carefully with your friend,

Give sleep to your body, seize the opportunity."

They bring it quickly, but this sleep is not like natural sleep. The benefits of natural sleep, such as improving memory, concentration, and creativity, cannot be fully provided by this sleep.

 To get good sleep, you can definitely do the following things-

1.Don't make drastic changes to your sleep schedule. Sometimes, instead of staying up late to finish something, prioritize sleep and make time for it.

2.Exercise regularly, but not within two to three hours before sleep.

3.Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate in the afternoon.

4.Avoid alcohol and similar substances.

5.Don't eat heavy meals late at night.

6.Keep your sleep environment quiet, cool, and dark. Your bed should be comfortable. Keep any electronic devices away from there.

7.Take a warm bath before sleeping.

8.Avoid facing the clock in your room. If you can't sleep, don't keep staring at it; it only adds to the stress of not being able to sleep.

9.Exposure to daylight during the day is crucial for regulating sleep. Spend at least half an hour in clean sunlight every day.

10.Dim all the lights in your house after 8 PM. Put all screens in night mode. Avoid any screen, whether it's TV, mobile, or laptop.

11.If you can't sleep while lying in bed, don't keep watching the clock; it only adds to the stress. Instead, get up and do something else until you feel sleepy again. 

12.Avoid reading or listening to stimulating music to induce drowsiness.

 'Better Sleep, Better Life, Better Planet,' which is something we should always strive for. Vinoba Bhave once said, "See the essence." It means that even if we want a better world, the beginning should be from ourselves.

Take a moment in the past eight days to reflect on your sleep. How was my sleep? Once we recognize any shortcomings, we can make efforts to address them, starting from today.

Best wishes for eight hours of peaceful, restful, and healthy sleep!