Adequate sleep enhances healthy living

Getting adequate sleep is no doubt beneficial to human body for healthy living. Sleep deprivation however, an expert says, leaves the body susceptible to different ailments.

Olawale Bello, a medical practitioner and staff of Healing Grace Hospital, Ilorin, who spoke on the importance of sleeping pointed out that enough sleep prevents ailments while inadequate sleep exposes body to an increased risk of body malfunction.

Bello said “Sleep deprivation tends to hurt the immune system, leaving your body open to many different issues, waking up with a sore throat, dry mouth, or headache could also point to a medical reason that one was not sleeping well.

According to Bello, lack of sleep could also cause some skin disorders “Redness, puffiness, dark circles and bags are all signs that you’re not getting enough shut-eye and the sleep-deprived tend to get more wrinkles, lines, swelling and droopiness. This is because it may be that the body misses out on the hormone control and tissue repair that happens in deep sleep stages.

Speaking further, he said loss of sleep causes physiological disorder. “The hormone lepton plays a key role in making you feel full. When you don’t get enough sleep, lepton levels drop and affects how you think. It impairs your cognition, your attention, and your decision-making. Studies have found that people who are sleep-deprived are substantially worse at solving logic or math problems than when they are well-rested. “They are also more likely to make odd mistakes, like leaving their keys in the fridge by accident.”

Bello while advising people with busy schedule, counseled that they should make out time to have enough rest. “As an adult, one needs up to seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but some people do not know this or decide to just do as they like.

“Some people don’t even get to sleep at all during the night while some get as low as two or three hours which is not good enough. Once you are not getting good sleep, your skin may soon show it”.

The medical expert further advised that regular exercise, especially workout, which pumps the heart, should be involved as this promotes deeper sleep. “It is good if one can stick to a schedule which means going to bed and waking up about the same time each day while keeping the room quiet and dark also helps”.  “Enough sleep allows clear thinking, better memory, stronger immunity, get rid of common cold and virus.” he said.

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin