Содержание
In order to work, you need to regain your strength. The main tool in this is sleep. A third of our life is spent on sleep. A person who lives to the age of 60 spends 148,000 hours of sleep, that is, 20 years. Can you imagine trying not to waste the rest of the time? But a teenager’s sleep regimen is very important for good health.
How much sleep
Individual need for sleep varies widely, from 4 to 10 hours a day. Sometimes, a very tired person may sleep even longer to regain strength.
The duration of sleep depends on age: a baby sleeps a lot, a student hardly sleeps, an elderly person likes to snooze. The time of year influences the duration of night sleep: it is the shortest in May-June, the longest in September-October. In other months it is the average of these values. Women generally sleep on average one hour longer than men, because they are physically weaker.
The minimum length of sleep should be at least 6.5 hours (plus a woman’s hour). Sleeping less than 4 hours is detrimental to the body. However, “unnecessary” sleep is also harmful.
“Excessive sleep intensifies the vegetable process more than is required by the vital activity of the organism, and makes a man sluggish, unimpressive, dull, lazy, increases the volume of his body – in short, makes him more of a plant,” wrote the famous Russian educator K. Ushinsky.
Modern research by American psychologists at the University of California testifies that people who like to get plenty of sleep die earlier than those who sleep 7-8 hours a day. It is quite revealing: the majority of suicides in the U.S. are people who either did not get enough sleep or slept more than eight hours a day. Scientists conclude that sleeping too little or too long undermines the psyche.
Why sleep
Sleep is our psychic defense. It helps a person to resist in difficult circumstances, to keep our soul in a state of balance. Sometimes it seems to a person: the situation is very difficult, there is no way out! We go to bed and in the morning everything looks different. Troubles do not seem so hard. Ways of solving the problems are found. And it is still worth living. It really is “wiser in the morning.”
You’re learning. That’s why sleep is a particularly important aid to you. No, I’m not talking about hypnopedia (learning through sleep) – it’s doubtful for me. I’m talking about something else. Sleep is important for our memory. When we sleep, the flow of information flowing through the brain is suspended. The information that has already been received is processed: what goes into long-term memory and what is discarded. It has been noticed that the last information received before going to sleep is easier to remember. Take note, especially before exams. Or for a stimulus in autogenic training sessions, repeating before going to sleep: “I’m not afraid of exams… And I am confident in myself… I am the most…”
What is the benefit of sleep
According to scientists, sleep accounts for 30 percent of the total impact of various factors on health. During sleep, numerous glands that produce hormones, kidneys, and liver work actively, but the blood supply to the brain also improves significantly. They say that during sleep, children grow. And in adults, if they do not sleep for 3-4 hours, the reserves of the immune system are reduced to 50 percent. The fact is that it is during sleep that the production of immune particles takes place. Sleep-deprived person has a greater chance of catching a viral infection, the flu. Sleep can also be used as a medicine. When I myself feel bad, I often treat myself that way, because I firmly believe that everything will go away in my sleep.
What Dreams Are Good For
And you, I know, have interesting dreams. It’s like a soap opera. I, on the other hand, have a continuation of my work in my dreams. Sometimes I make so much money that I keep composing my lectures even at night. And it seems to work so well and cleverly. It’s a shame that when I wake up, I can’t restore them. Others manage to do it.
For example, did they tell you at school that Dmitri Mendeleev saw his famous table of chemical elements in a dream? Albert Einstein established the relationship between space and time in a dream. Niels Bohr understood the structure of the atom. Gregor Johann Mendel – the laws of heredity. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin with the help of his dreams.
For women, however, the most successful dream was that of Elias Hawes. Who was he, and why should women remember him with gratitude? He invented the sewing machine. Before him, everyone sewed with their hands. If you sew yourself, you will immediately understand how difficult and time-consuming it is to “twirl the needle.” Not immediately came up with a good idea. And then one morning the inventor did not let the dream of the previous night escape his memory, as often happens. He dreamed of cannibals raising spears with a hole in the tip. Hawes decided to put in his machine a needle with a hole at the tip.
Even if you don’t invent anything, at least you won’t get bored in your sleep. Besides, they say that people who dream are better at learning new skills. Don’t you need them?
How to fall asleep faster
Sometimes sleep disorders occur at a young age. Some people immediately grab for sleeping pills. Don’t. First, there is a gradual habituation to them. And secondly, in the morning the head is not completely fresh. As it seems to me, the freshness of the head is the most important thing for a good mood, good feeling and good work.
Naturally, noise and bright light interfere with falling asleep. Sometimes an uncomfortable position – find the most comfortable position and imagine that you are already asleep. What to sleep on? Some Oriental peoples put a roller under the head; Japanese women put a log to keep their hair. But warriors of the Asmat tribe, who live in the impenetrable jungles of New Guinea, bow their heads on the skulls of deceased ancestors. According to the beliefs of the natives, it gives them strength, courage and wisdom. We have a custom to sleep on the pillow. The pillow should not be high because it can distort the neck and cause a double chin etc. The blanket should not be heavy, and the mattress should not be too soft. Such a bed can make you sleepy and make your morning sluggish.
You probably know that before you go to bed, you should not eat too much. You stuff your stomach, you get nightmares. On the other hand, an empty stomach isn’t the most pleasant thing, either. A light dinner at least two hours before bedtime is best. But it should not include coffee and strong tea. Why cheer up when you need to calm down? If you had dinner a long time ago, if you’re feeling hungry, have an apple or, if you have one, drink milk with honey or just warm milk. Hops herbal tea with valerian is good. The light smell of the same hops or sage, juniper, geranium, roses, lavender promotes falling asleep. In the old days, it was customary to put under the pillow a small bag with these or other favorite herbs.
It is very difficult to fall asleep for people who are sensitive, cowardly, neurotic. They worry about what happened during the day, or what may happen the next day, week, month, year, life… At night they, tossing and turning, cannot fall asleep. Because of the internal tension, the body releases stress hormones, adrenaline. Blood pressure rises. Increases the metabolism.
Before going to bed, it is best to listen to calm music – it is soothing. For dinner, choose light protein foods, such as dairy. And in bed, lie on your back, clench your hands into fists for a few minutes, unclench. Squeeze to unclench. Then do the same with the other muscle groups. At the same time you have to breathe deeply. Very soon life’s problems will recede, sleep will come. If you can not get warm feet, before going to bed, make a foot bath, the water for which should be 38-40 degrees.
The benefits of daytime sleep
Children don’t like daytime naps. I remember myself “freaking out” during “quiet time” in kindergarten, for which I was put in the corner. I used to come out of there quiet and still, lay down in bed and shut my eyelids diligently. Only many years later did I find out the reason for the corner. It turns out that modern biophysicists and bioenergetics have proved that energy is automatically “sucked” in the corner. Remember this when arranging your place for work or rest.
A short nap during the day is a good way to relieve fatigue. And there is no need to lie down for a long time. It is enough to wait until the moment when the “confused thoughts” begin. Once it starts, you can get up. The brain is rested. It takes only 25 minutes, and with good practice, even less. Sometimes you can’t forget because you know you only have two dozen minutes, and you indoctrinate yourself into something like, “Come on, hurry up and sleep!” That kind of compulsion makes it impossible to fall asleep. But don’t feel bad: even if you lie there with your eyes closed for a while, you’ll still get some rest.
How to relax at work
“It may be good, but it’s usable if you’re home,” you say. That’s right. It’s not always possible to lie down. And in the middle of the day at work or during class, you’re suddenly so tired and sleepy. What to do? Help yourself. It is possible to find a place where you are not seen (the same toilet or a part of the corridor without people) and for one minute you can relax with a few techniques of acupressure.
A self-massage blitz will help to relieve fatigue and “recharge your energy:
- First rub your fingers quickly against your palms for 5 seconds.
- Quickly rub your cheeks up and down with your warmed hands, also for 5 seconds.
- Tap a frequent drumbeat on the top of your head for five seconds.
- Clench your hands into a relaxed fist and vigorously stroke the inside and outside of your forearms – 3 times.
- Carefully press the thyroid gland (you’ve studied anatomy and know that it is located under the chin on the neck) with your thumb and index finger. Also three times.
- Find the carotid artery in your neck, gently press on it, counting to five. Release it. Breathe deeply. Again press and go to the other side of the neck.
- Use your thumb to feel the depression at the base of your skull. Press, count to three and release. Repeat this technique three times.
- If possible, massage the reflex zones of the feet. Squeeze the tip of the thumb, then the pad of the thumb. If you find a painful point, rub it until the pain disappears.
If you sit at your desk for a long time, you’re tired, your head hurts, your eyes are inflamed… This can happen when you work at the computer. Then do a simple exercise every hour and a half. Move away from the desk, put your hands on your knees, palms down, pull your head into the shoulders and put it low. In this position sit for a few seconds. Then relax, raise your head high, straighten your shoulders, put your hands behind your back, and lean your head back. Try it. This exercise should relieve fatigue and not really shock those around you.
If you still don’t dare to rest that way, know that relaxation of the facial muscles alone is often enough to rest the nervous system. There is a technique called “face relaxation,” which helps to restore vigor, creative productivity, and without sleep.
How is the “relaxer face” done? Doctors advise adopting any comfortable posture. Closing your eyes, slightly lower your lower jaw, as if trying to pronounce the “Y” sound, and slightly press your tongue to your teeth, as if you were going to say “YES”. The shoulders droop, all the facial muscles smooth out, and the face becomes somewhat sleepy, lethargic, indifferent.
In this position you should stay for about five minutes, otherwise you will really fall asleep. It’s a good idea to massage your face lightly before and after this relaxation. If necessary, you can resort to this technique five or six times during the day. But it is not indicated for people with low blood pressure, prone to fainting and dizziness.
Ask for advice and ask your question in comments! And don’t forget to watch a really interesting video on the topic.
