Sleep Towards Looking
Good
Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
From time to time, we
hear people around us
complaining, “24 hours a
day is not enough for
me!” The typical city
dweller is busy going
about completing a
mountain of tasks within
a day, meeting multiple
deadlines and juggling
their family and work
commitments. Not
only that, in this boom
of the IT age, where
communication and
information become more
and more accessible,
knowing and unknowingly,
we may find ourselves
spending more and more
time “staring” at the
monitor screen to a
point that some would
think that sleeping is a
waste of time or simply
do not sleep enough.
Do you happen to fall in
either of the
categories? We
know that sleep is
essential for all
mammals. But do
you understand the
consequences of not
having enough sleep?
Consequences of Sleep
Deprivation
Performance reduction
Daytime sleepiness
affects your memory and
reduces your ability to
think and process
information, which
affects your overall
performance at work.
Studies show that
reducing your night-time
sleep by as little as
one and a half hours for
just one night could
result in a reduction of
daytime alertness by as
much as 32%.
Stressful relationships
Tiredness may lead to
poor management of one’s
emotions, leading to
strained relationships
when one loses control
over his or her emotions
such as anger.
Excess weight gain
All of us have hormones
called leptin and
ghrelin which controls
our feelings of hunger
and fullness.
Ghrelin stimulates
appetite and is produced
in the gastrointestinal
tract, while leptin,
produced in fat cells,
is responsible for
sending a signal to the
brain when you are full.
Leptin level is reduced
when you don’t get
enough sleep and this
causes ghrelin to
increase, which
encourages you to eat
more because your
appetite is stimulated.
Poor quality of life
Long term sleep
deprivation puts you at
a disadvantage.
Besides battling with
cardiovascular related
diseases, you are less
likely to engage in
activities that require
substantial amount of
attention span, for
example, playing with
your children and
watching your favourite
movies.
According to Dr Arthur
Lee, Specialist in
Psychiatry at
Raffles Counselling
Centre, “Sleep is
restorative and
important for the
brain’s memory and
learning functions to
operate optimally.
Lack of sleep can affect
many areas of
functioning including
the nervous system and
the body’s immune
system. It not
only impairs thinking
but also affects the
mood and behavior which
can put a toll on a
person’s appearance,
responses and
relationships.”
Dr Lee further advised,
“It is important to work
with your doctor to look
out for treatable
medical and
psychological causes,
such as physical or
emotional pain,
obstructive sleep apnea,
restless leg syndrome,
anxiety, depression and
addictive disorders,
including addictive
internet gaming and
sexual addictions."
Although it is
recommended that an
adult sleeps seven to
eight hours a day, this
varies for individuals
even within the same age
group. All in all,
getting enough sleep is
too important to be
neglected. So
start making time for
sleep, if you haven’t
been doing so, and sleep
your way to feeling and
looking good!
Article contributed by:
Raffles Medical Group
Dated: December 2011
|
Raffles
Medical
Group is
a leading
medical
group and
the largest
private
group
practice in
Singapore.
As a fully
integrated
healthcare
organisation,
the Group
owns and
operates a
network of
family
medicine
clinics, a
tertiary
care private
hospital,
insurance
services and
a consumer
healthcare
division.
Patients of
the Group
enjoy a
continuum of
care, from
having their
most basic
healthcare
needs met
through the
Group’s
islandwide
network of
Raffles
Medical
clinics, to
specialist
and tertiary
care at
Raffles
Hospital. |
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