We spend nearly a third of our lives unconscious. Have you ever considered the mystery of this? Sleep resets our minds to think more clearly and promotes healing in our bodies. But sleep can also be elusive. We’ve all cheated ourselves of sleep in order to complete a big project, but did you know after two weeks of six-hour nights, we function much like we’re legally drunk?
A few facts about sleep:
We’re slaves to external cues.
Our bodies want dark to sleep and light to wake. Without those external cues, our sleep patterns can quickly become a mess.
Our bodies don’t stay on a 24-hour cycle.
Without signals to rein it in, we will function on a 25.4 hour day. If we allow this to continue, eventually our sleep patterns cycle out of control.
We’re not very good at judging our own sleep quality.
We may believe we can sleep well with the lights on or noises around us, but research shows that this is not true. The sleep of many people is disturbed by even regular sounds they hear every night. And for some, the quality of sleep can be reduced without conscious recognition or complete awakening.
Quality sleep is necessary for us to create and perform at high levels each day. Next time, we’ll explore strategies to aid in getting effective sleep.
Read more: http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/09/sleep-astronauts/