Do you suffer from a chronic and consistent lack of sleep? Many people do these days. Sleep is very important to one's health but it's interesting how many things can interrupt it completely. Stress and anxiety can keep a person awake for hours or wake them up in the middle of the night. Pain and discomfort make it difficult to fall asleep. And problems like sleep apnea and severe snoring can also cause a lack of sleep for the sufferer and the person that he or she shares a bed with.
While some people dismiss a lack of sleep as being not very important, and certainly some people think that it's "cool" to stay up late or go as long as you can without sleep, it's very important for the body's overall health to get adequate sleep every single night. A chronic and consistent lack of sleep has been associated with some forms of cancer, heart disease, blood disorders, muscle pain, digestive disorders, and in extreme cases even death.
The reason that a lack of sleep affects a person in this way is that the brain needs this time of unconsciousness to rest and the body needs this time of inactivity to store up energy for the next day. Every moment of every day the brain is busy taking in information from our senses and then evaluating and judging that information to decide on a course of action. This means from the smallest breeze touching our skin to every single thing we see and hear. A lack of sleep means the brain is going to be overloaded with information and stress as it can never shut off that conscious part of the mind.
The body too needs this period of inactivity in order to repair and renew itself. A chronic lack of sleep can mean that muscles and organs do not get the necessary time and attention for cells to be repaired and impurities to be cleansed away. Persons who suffer from a chronic lack of sleep often have problems with all of their organs and muscles - the skin is not repaired properly and the muscles cannot fix the small tears and other damage they suffer through everyday use. When a person is asleep, however, the body naturally goes to work sending blood, nutrients, and healing oxygen to the muscles and organs and they in turn will use this for repair work rather than for physical activity.
Anyone suffering from a consistent lack of sleep would do well to speak to a doctor if they cannot fix the problem on their own. Sometimes snoring or sleep apnea may require medical intervention. Physical pain that interferes with sleep may also need medical attention if it is the symptom of a much more serious problem. There's really no reason that anyone should suffer from a consistent lack of sleep; there are many simple remedies and techniques that one can use and many things that a doctor can do to help.
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