As an athlete, I have noticed the importance of sleep-considering I have to go to both class and soccer. “Sleep is one of the three pillars of health, along with nutrition and movement – it is a fundamental part of your overall health and wellbeing. Sleep affects all aspects of your health and, conversely, it is affected by everything that is going on in your mind and body, as well as in your environment. That’s why sleep problems and solutions must be looked at in the context of YOU.Sleep makes up one-third of your life, which is huge – yet, it remains largely invisible, unless it’s disturbed. Some people wish they could skip over this part of life, or try to sleep less, thinking they’ll be able to be more productive or have more fun. Nothing is further from the truth! That’s because sleep isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. If you don’t get enough, your productivity and fun time will suffer.Sleep impacts all of your body systems – cardiovascular, muscular, nervous, endocrine, skeletal, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and the reproductive system. Sleep also affects metabolism, and is closely linked to weight gain and loss. Poor sleep also has been linked to cancer, injuries, poor brain health and even an increased risk of glaucoma.”(https://www.sleephealth.org/sleep-health/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkY2qBhBDEiwAoQXK5abnIPLdw9Rti0H2cmMNgHFc18CUXz8sq5uouKGqV1J4QpXnb5fgVhoCfmoQAvD_BwE).
Sleep is important for everyone, not just athletes. I have noticed when I do not get as much sleep as I need, I become tired the whole day and then I want to nap. I have also learned if you take naps longer than 30 minutes, it makes you more tired and it is not the best for you. “Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,” she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality—that you get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep schedule.”People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress—like the current pandemic—can disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to improve your sleep.”(https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/04/good-sleep-good-health#:~:text=Good%20sleep%20improves%20your%20brain,stroke%20to%20obesity%20and%20dementia.).
I feel like we are not taught or informed about how much sleep we geet impacts us. “Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. The way you feel while you are awake depends in part on what happens while you are sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health.
In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development. Getting inadequate sleep over time can raise your risk for chronic (long-term) health problems. It can also affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. Learn how sleep affects your heart and circulatory system, metabolism , respiratory system, and immune system and how much sleep is enough.When you fall asleep and enter non-REM sleep, your blood pressure and heart rate fall. During sleep, your parasympathetic system controls your body, and your heart does not work as hard as it does when you are awake. During REM sleep and when waking, your sympathetic system is activated, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure to the usual levels when you are awake and relaxed. A sharp increase in blood pressure and heart rate upon waking has been linked to angina, or chest pain, and heart attacks.”(https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important).
As we have learned reading all this important information, I myself learned things about sleep I have never known about. This information has shown us why sleep is very important to our routine and why you should get the right amount of sleep needed for your age. We also learned that if we do not get the right amount of sleep, it could affect us in many other negative ways.