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Sleep is precious
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Catch up on sleep when you can
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SLEEP RECHARGES Rest is important
Like hunger and thirst, sleep can be considered a principal biological drive. It cannot be ignored or neglected at any stage of our life. Sleep is universal and serves a primordial purpose, vital to preserve physical and mental health of living beings. In sleep, the head bobs; eyes cease to flutter and the muscles of the whole body slump. These are classic signs to know that someone is fast asleep and hold true in the case of all species — birds, animals and even flies. Deprivation of sleep causes physical and mental problems and faster deaths than those deprived of food. Humans with undeniable drive to sleep make up for the lost hours by sleeping deeper and longer the next chance they get.
Researchers say that fruit flies sleep up to 12 hours a day. In general, herbivores sleep less than omnivores and these in turn sleep less than carnivores. For grazing animals, it is dangerous not to be alert for longer periods of time. If animals like sheep slept deeply, they would become extinct easily.
Interestingly, in the case of the dolphin, the mother, after giving birth, does not sleep for a substantial period of time. Nor does the newborn. The baby then gradually increases the hours of sleep to adult levels over a period of months, and the mother goes back to her regular sleeping pattern, surprisingly one half of the brain at a time.
Replenishes energy stores
Sleep gives the brain time to replenish energy stores. After a day of hectic work, we drag ourselves to bed and then wake up seven or eight hours later, revitalised.
We sleep because we want our body and brain to have adequate rest. Sleep repairs damage caused by our busy metabolism, replenishes dwindling energy stores and even helps generate new neurons. Sleep deprivation may cause damage to the cell membrane in the hypothalamus, mental discord, problems in spontaneity, flexibility and originality in thought processes. One of the primary functions of sleep is to repair the cerebral cortex from the wear and tear of consciousness. We must sleep to stay sane. The strategy to induce sleep is to eat plain carbohydrates like potatoes, corn and muffins, which will trigger the sleep-inducing brain chemical serotonin.
Sleep is precious, for in sleep, we neither take care of anyone around us, nor do we protect ourselves. Sleep allows us to process, consolidate and retain memories and skills.
DR. C. P. SOMASUNDARAM
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