What do we miss when we are tired? Ahhh yes. Watching a student struggle, this thought came to me. He struggles not necessarily because the techniques performed were hard. More so because he was tired from working … a lot. Credit to him for showing up and putting himself through the struggle. However, many subtle points were missed because of the mental and physical fatigue.
We get so wrapped up in our goals, jobs, assignments, etc that we miss opportunities or lessons that will help to make life easier or better. We are so tired we don’t even think about those around us. We don’t notice the drive home. We are just on auto-pilot. Thank God. Did we hit someone? I hope not. What about those pretty flowers now blooming? The blessings of seeing another sun rise? What did we miss by being tired?
If sleep is so important, why do so many miss it? Perhaps we grew up watching others miss sleep. We are taught to “finish the task”… no matter what. To me, this seemed to be important as farmers. There are many tasks that must be done. If not, many will starve. That is real pressure to perform. This practice has carried over into the corporate world: as if missing some deadlines will result in someone starving. Maybe so if missing the deadline results in one getting fired… But, really?
Everything has a period of sleep. The study of sleep has grown since so many people miss this precious ingredient to health. For humans, I learned that sleep is a chance to “clean the brain”. There is an exchange of cerebral fluid (cerebrospinal fluid or CSF), replenishing the nutrients and flushing out toxins. This only happens during the deep sleep cycle; about three hours in. If you don’t sleep long enough, you never enter the cleaning period. Overtime, this affects brain functions. Here is a recent article questioning why we sleep. (Why do we sleep? Scientists still don’t know) Look at the picture of the Human Circadian Clock. Interesting.
Other reading indicates sleep is needed to help us remember the information we are supposed to; locking in the new information into long-term memory. This explains a lot for those who don’t seem to remember things very well. (Children who lack sleep may experience detrimental impact on brain... ) There is a growing suggestion of damaging the brain by missing the needed sleep over a period of years. We get so used to living without sleep, we just adapt and keep going. What do we do to ourselves in the mean time by not getting enough sleep?
This article, Understanding the Connection Between Sleep and Mental Health, implies there is a connection between good mental health and good sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, don’t you feel a bit “off” or even crabby? Sure. We don’t feel like exercising, reading or anything else. Getting out of bed? Why bother?!! Well, you have to get to work. The kids need to get up for school. That report is not going to write itself. How about just greeting the morning sunrise in a peaceful, good mood? What do we miss when we are tired? The list is long.
Check out these articles when you get a chance. They seem to just “pop up” in my reading list when I started thinking about this topic some time ago. Maybe reading these will put you in the mood to sleep. Good night!
Naps cannot fix sleep deprivation
How much sleep do I need based on age?
Your brain still hears sound as it sleeps
Your brain “wakes up” more than 100 times each night
How natural “short sleepers” thrive on 4 hours of sleep