We have all heard the expression, ‘’I’m so tired. It’s often a phrase we would say when you’re a real-life walking zombie. We tend to say it when we are sleep deprived and all you want to do is curl up and go into a deep sleep so you can be fresh and alert for that all important meeting.
There was research conducted by a Swedish study where if people were sleep deprived, they became less healthy and less attractive to others when compared to someone who does get their beauty sleep, the authors from The Karolinska Institute in Sweden wrote in their paper published in the British Medical Journal: “Sleep deprived people are perceived as less attractive, less healthy and more tired compared with when they are well rested.” (source) Researchers, as well as neuroscientists all, backed the facts that getting your sleep every night does improve your appearances.
First, we need we need to explore what sleep is, and why it is essential to our everyday lives. The importance of sleep is embedded into the human conscious, it is when the brain and nervous system is temporarily inactive, but why we need sleep and how it is embedded into human conscience has in fact been baffling scientists for centuries. Even now it still remains a mystery, but recordings from neuroscientists of the brain’s activities during sleep has found a constant brainwave, where sleep follows regular patterns every night. This regular recurring pattern lasts anywhere from 90 minutes to 110 minutes and neuroscientist’s then divided this into two categories of non REM and REM sleep. Why this is important to beauty sleep and what does this all mean?
It is important to understand the categories of non REM and REM sleep, REM stands for rapid eye movement, non REM is divided into a light sleep, true sleep and deep sleep. This means when your muscles relax, the heart rate slows down. REM sleep means Rapid Eye Movement and although we are not conscious, the brain is active and this is the state when dreams occur, our eyes dart around (i.e. it doesn’t stay still), and the heart rate rises.
To get to that all important sleep and not to be the walking dead during the daytime is to enter the non REM sleeping state; this is a time when your muscles can relax and it gives a chance for the body to enter a restorative process where it can heal any injuries, or simply recuperate from the day activities. Sleep is important to your wellbeing and health, without it, your body wouldn’t be able to function and you would feel grumpy, groggy and forgetful without it.
Bed Guru is an online bed retailer who are sleep specialists, they are determined to help solve the sleep loss epidemic by raising awareness through the Choose Sleep campaign – educating people about the importance of sleep and ways to help get the most from a good night’s shut-eye. Bed Guru understand that no two people share the same sleeping requirements, not just as a belief but as an obligation to ensure that everybody gets a great night’s sleep!
It took 4.4 million years of evolution to develop your body’s need for 8 hours of sleep. In the last 100 years alone we’ve abandoned it almost completely. With devastating consequences to our health and wellbeing. It’s time to reclaim your right to sleep.
So next time you thinking of pulling an all-nighter or can’t get rid of the bag under your eyes in the morning then perhaps you will remember the important of sleep and why you need to have your sleep.
(In collaboration with Bed Guru)
