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Bach flowers mix 87

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What are the dangers of not getting enough sleep?

what are the dangers of not getting enough sleep

You may think that eight hours of sleep seems like a monumental waste of time, given how busy we all are. In the twenty-first century, we live hectic lives, combining demanding work and home schedules, while simultaneously struggling to find space and time for friends, family, and leisure pursuits. It is therefore no wonder that many people work late into the night, or are up at the crack of dawn to visit the gym, at a time when you might reasonably expect to find the world asleep.

Sleeping makes us vulnerable too. You’ll know how deeply unconscious we can become if you’ve ever slept through a storm or the alarm. In the prehistoric era, this would have placed our ancestors at risk, and yet, we are evolutionarily programmed to sleep for between 6 and 11 hours at a time.

The advent of technology has led to a disruption of our sleeping habits. Before electricity, people tended to ease down as it became dark, and work during the daylight hours. The lightbulb means we can work late into the night, and electronic devices can fool our brains into thinking it is still daytime. This disrupts our natural rhythms, but also leads to poorer quality sleep. Professor Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School has found that those who read electronic books before they go to bed take longer to get to sleep, have reduced levels of melatonin (the hormone that regulates the body's internal body clock), and are less alert in the morning.

Shift workers face the most disruption. The US Centre for Disease Control claim that nearly half of all US shift workers sleep for fewer than six hours a night.

The importance of sleep

While scientists don't fully comprehend sleep, and its importance, it is largely understood to be an anabolic, or building, process, which restores the body’s energy supplies and repairs physical and emotional fatigue that have been exhausted during the day.

Don’t assume that when we sleep, the mind and body shuts down. This is far from the case. When we sleep the mind and body are extraordinarily active. We do a huge amount of important processing, restoration, and strengthening occurs. It is not known exactly how this happens or why we have to sleep for such a long period of time, but scientists know sleep is needed for optimal health and wellbeing.

What are the dangers of not getting enough sleep?

1. Memory

Sleep helps us to solidify and consolidate memories. All the information that we take in during the day are processed while we sleep. Many memories are transferred from the short-term memory to the long-term memory, consolidating them so that they are easily remembered in the future. In addition, the brain clears itself of waste, or the things it thinks it doesn’t need to know. This is rather like cleaning the cache on your computer.

2. Physical fitness

The body needs long periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones.

Sleep restores our mental energy. Having spent all day thinking, worrying and creating, we use up our energy stores, and they need to be restored.

Sleep deprivation affects our coordination. We become clumsier and make more mistakes. We lose our ability to do things with agility. If we get enough sleep, muscle tone and skin appearance improves. Without it we are sallow complexioned. With adequate sleep athletes run better, swim better and are able to lift more weight. Our immune system responds much better depending on how well we sleep.

3. Increased risk of disease or illness

What are the dangers of not getting enough sleepA lack of sleep alters the way in which genes in the body's cells behave, according to researchers at Surrey University in Guildford, UK. They found that genes involved in inflammation increase their activity if we’re not getting enough sleep, and they behave as though the body is under stress. This seems to be part of the fight and flight mechanism we display when we’re stressed. It’s a primordial reaction. The resulting inflammation helps to cushion the effects of potential attacks by wild animals or human enemies. The body is therefore ‘on alert’ even though no attack happens and this activates the immune system even though it isn’t needed. Scientists fear this explains the link between sleep deprivation and negative health outcomes such as heart disease and stroke.

4. Problems thinking

Research has shown that as we become more sleep-deprived, parts of the brain become inactive while we are awake. This explains why we feel ‘half-asleep’ sometimes, or perhaps, slightly dim-witted.

5. You lose your coping mechanisms

A lack of sleep affects our personalities. We lose our sense of humour. We may become irritable and less tolerant. We snap at members of our family, we’re grumpy with colleagues. Things that might generally amuse us seem annoying.

What prevents you sleeping?

  • Mobile phones in the bedroom disturb sleep for one in eight of us.
  • An uncomfortable or noisy environment
  • An irregular routine - going to bed late or waking up early prevents the likelihood of restorative deep sleep
  • Daylight – or too much artificial light
  • Stimulants - coffee, alcohol, food
  • Foods containing a chemical called tyramine (such as bacon, cheese, nuts and red wine) can keep us awake. Tyramine causes the release of noradrenaline, a brain stimulant. Carbohydrates have the opposite effect and release serotonin, which makes us sleepy.
  • The wrong body temperature
  • A busy mind
  • Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about

How much sleep is needed?

Children need more sleep than adults because they are learning at a higher rate. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, one-year-olds need approximately 11 to 14 hours, school age children between 9 and 11, and teenagers between 8 and 10.

If you are sleep deprived, you cannot simply make up for it at weekends. It is best to develop a sleep habit that is consistent, regardless of your age, to meet your sleep needs every night. This will enable you to keep on top of life's challenges on a day-by-day basis.

The factors that influence our sleep patterns are thought to include our physical size, muscle mass, brain size and our ability to think.

Created by Tom Vermeersch

Tom Vermeersch

Tom Vermeersch is a certified Psychologist and Bach flower expert with more than 30 years of experience.

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Are you sleeping enough? Test!

Are you sleeping enough? Test! Do you feel tired during the day? Are you struggling to stay asleep in the night? Do you drink gallons of coffee to give yourself more energy? You may well be showing signs of sleep deprivation. Take our test and see whether you are sleeping enough.

What are the dangers of not getting enough sleep?

What are the dangers of not getting enough sleep?
what are the dangers of not getting enough sleep

You may think that eight hours of sleep seems like a monumental waste of time, given how busy we all are. In the twenty-first century, we live hectic lives, combining demanding work and home schedules, while simultaneously struggling to find space and time for friends, family, and leisure pursuits. It is therefore no wonder that many people work late into the night, or are up at the crack of dawn to visit the gym, at a time when you might reasonably expect to find the world asleep.

Sleeping makes us vulnerable too. You’ll know how deeply unconscious we can become if you’ve ever slept through a storm or the alarm. In the prehistoric era, this would have placed our ancestors at risk, and yet, we are evolutionarily programmed to sleep for between 6 and 11 hours at a time.

The advent of technology has led to a disruption of our sleeping habits. Before electricity, people tended to ease down as it became dark, and work during the daylight hours. The lightbulb means we can work late into the night, and electronic devices can fool our brains into thinking it is still daytime. This disrupts our natural rhythms, but also leads to poorer quality sleep. Professor Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School has found that those who read electronic books before they go to bed take longer to get to sleep, have reduced levels of melatonin (the hormone that regulates the body's internal body clock), and are less alert in the morning.

Shift workers face the most disruption. The US Centre for Disease Control claim that nearly half of all US shift workers sleep for fewer than six hours a night.

The importance of sleep

While scientists don't fully comprehend sleep, and its importance, it is largely understood to be an anabolic, or building, process, which restores the body’s energy supplies and repairs physical and emotional fatigue that have been exhausted during the day.

Don’t assume that when we sleep, the mind and body shuts down. This is far from the case. When we sleep the mind and body are extraordinarily active. We do a huge amount of important processing, restoration, and strengthening occurs. It is not known exactly how this happens or why we have to sleep for such a long period of time, but scientists know sleep is needed for optimal health and wellbeing.

What are the dangers of not getting enough sleep?

1. Memory

Sleep helps us to solidify and consolidate memories. All the information that we take in during the day are processed while we sleep. Many memories are transferred from the short-term memory to the long-term memory, consolidating them so that they are easily remembered in the future. In addition, the brain clears itself of waste, or the things it thinks it doesn’t need to know. This is rather like cleaning the cache on your computer.

2. Physical fitness

The body needs long periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones.

Sleep restores our mental energy. Having spent all day thinking, worrying and creating, we use up our energy stores, and they need to be restored.

Sleep deprivation affects our coordination. We become clumsier and make more mistakes. We lose our ability to do things with agility. If we get enough sleep, muscle tone and skin appearance improves. Without it we are sallow complexioned. With adequate sleep athletes run better, swim better and are able to lift more weight. Our immune system responds much better depending on how well we sleep.

3. Increased risk of disease or illness

What are the dangers of not getting enough sleepA lack of sleep alters the way in which genes in the body's cells behave, according to researchers at Surrey University in Guildford, UK. They found that genes involved in inflammation increase their activity if we’re not getting enough sleep, and they behave as though the body is under stress. This seems to be part of the fight and flight mechanism we display when we’re stressed. It’s a primordial reaction. The resulting inflammation helps to cushion the effects of potential attacks by wild animals or human enemies. The body is therefore ‘on alert’ even though no attack happens and this activates the immune system even though it isn’t needed. Scientists fear this explains the link between sleep deprivation and negative health outcomes such as heart disease and stroke.

4. Problems thinking

Research has shown that as we become more sleep-deprived, parts of the brain become inactive while we are awake. This explains why we feel ‘half-asleep’ sometimes, or perhaps, slightly dim-witted.

5. You lose your coping mechanisms

A lack of sleep affects our personalities. We lose our sense of humour. We may become irritable and less tolerant. We snap at members of our family, we’re grumpy with colleagues. Things that might generally amuse us seem annoying.

What prevents you sleeping?

  • Mobile phones in the bedroom disturb sleep for one in eight of us.
  • An uncomfortable or noisy environment
  • An irregular routine - going to bed late or waking up early prevents the likelihood of restorative deep sleep
  • Daylight – or too much artificial light
  • Stimulants - coffee, alcohol, food
  • Foods containing a chemical called tyramine (such as bacon, cheese, nuts and red wine) can keep us awake. Tyramine causes the release of noradrenaline, a brain stimulant. Carbohydrates have the opposite effect and release serotonin, which makes us sleepy.
  • The wrong body temperature
  • A busy mind
  • Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about

How much sleep is needed?

Children need more sleep than adults because they are learning at a higher rate. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, one-year-olds need approximately 11 to 14 hours, school age children between 9 and 11, and teenagers between 8 and 10.

If you are sleep deprived, you cannot simply make up for it at weekends. It is best to develop a sleep habit that is consistent, regardless of your age, to meet your sleep needs every night. This will enable you to keep on top of life's challenges on a day-by-day basis.

The factors that influence our sleep patterns are thought to include our physical size, muscle mass, brain size and our ability to think.




Bach flowers mix 87: Sleep problems

Bach flowers mix  87 helps to:

  • Worry less and therefore sleep better
  • Become calm and have fewer tensions
  • Be less afraid
  • Respect your own boundaries and prevent over-tiredness
  • Have more confidence and be less worried about others
  • Sleep better and sleep soundly
Discover how Bach flowers mix 87 can help you
Marie Pure

Other articles


Is the world as we know it over

Is the world as we know it over?

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world have taken unprecedented measures to stop the spread of coronavirus. The rapid changes we've seen have had an impact on almost every aspect of our lives.

Read the complete article

Do We Label Too Fast

Do We Label Too Fast?

Nowadays, it can sometimes seem almost everyone has a mental health issue or learning disorder. But, are we too quick to label people, or is it that we are more aware of the problems? This article looks at some of the issues surrounding these sensitive questions.

Read the complete article

Signs of depression under the radar

Signs of depression under the radar

It is not always obvious when someone is experiencing depression. Some people with depression mask their symptoms, hiding their feelings behind a smile to convince others they are happy.

Read the complete article

How can I help my child achieve their dreams

How can I help my child achieve their dreams?

Children's imaginations know no limits and their dreams are a mix of hopes and fantasies, the real and the magical, the impossible and the achievable.

Read the complete article

7 Reasons Why Your Child is Underperforming

7 Reasons Why Your Child is Underperforming

As parents, we often worry about a poor school report as much, if not more, as our kids do! And if your child's grades are slipping, you'll be looking for reasons and if there's anything you can do to help.

Read the complete article

How to break your bad habits

How to break your bad habits

Bad habits waste your energy and time. They disrupt your life, risk your health and stop you from achieving your aims. So why do we do them? And what can we do to break our bad habits?

Read the complete article

Even the brightest minds have setbacks!

Even the brightest minds have setbacks!

We all want to be successful but many of us find the path to achieving our dreams is blocked by our fear of failure. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, go backpacking around the world or start up a new business, you need to accept that you might fail many times over before you achieve success.

Read the complete article

Do you expect too much from others Find out!

Do you expect too much from others? Find out!

Most people are disappointed when others don't meet their expectations. But when you always expect too much, it isn't healthy, either for yourself or for others. If you often find yourself feeling let down by your loved ones or even by strangers, could it be that you have unrealistic ideas of how people should act?

Read the complete article

12 easy ways to get people to like you

12 easy ways to get people to like you

Have you ever noticed that some people are instantly likeable? Many people believe that people will only like you because of natural traits you're born with: good looks, talent and sociability. But this is a misconception. Getting people to like you is within your control, and it's all to do with self-belief, knowing yourself and being emotionally intelligent. Here's what to do to be more likeable.

Read the complete article

Are you sleeping enough Test!

Are you sleeping enough? Test!

Are you sleeping enough? Test! Do you feel tired during the day? Are you struggling to stay asleep in the night? Do you drink gallons of coffee to give yourself more energy? You may well be showing signs of sleep deprivation. Take our test and see whether you are sleeping enough.

Read the complete article

Bach Flowers are not medicinal but harmless plant extracts which are used to support health.

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