pieces of my heart…

As a nurse, i dont have a choice but to go on  night duties. Rewarding as it is to care for the patient, it is also equally exhausting.. Nothing really compares to a good night sleep. Here are some facts about sleep that i came across with.

1. You can "cheat" on the amount of sleep you get.

Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. When we don’t get adequate sleep, we accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to "pay back" if it becomes too big. The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road..  http://www.sleepfoundation.org

    True! isn’t! hmmm… maybe that explains why im gaining weight!

 2. Health problems such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and depression are related to the amount and quality of a person’s sleep.

Studies have found a relationship between the quantity and quality of one’s sleep and many health problems. For example, insufficient sleep affects growth hormone secretion that is linked to obesity; as the amount of hormone secretion decreases, the chance for weight gain increases. Blood pressure usually falls during the sleep cycle, however, interrupted sleep can adversely affect this normal decline, leading to hypertension and cardiovascular problems. Research has also shown that insufficient sleep impairs the body’s ability to use insulin, which can lead to the onset of diabetes. More and more scientific studies are showing correlations between poor and insufficient sleep and disease. http://www.sleepfoundation.org

    Oh my! Better take good care of our health nurses! We don’t want to be patients…. 

3. Experts say one of the most alluring sleep distractions is the 24-hour accessibility of the internet. http://listverse.com/

    100% correct! We all agree! Even if our bodies are drop dead tired, the irresistable lure of the internet caused us to stay late at night or wake up early in the morning. Funny how sites such as friendster, facebook, myspace and multiply and activities such as blogging energizes a weary mind and body… u think so too?