Pastor Tinu Olajide (MFM Sweden)
Sleep, that wonderful therapy ordained by God as an integral part of life and a daily reminder of our lack of control and need to let go was first mentioned in Gen 2:21. Sleep is one of the strongest biological urges we have and one of the few we cannot control. Sleep is a complex active process involving the entire body particularly the mind. During sleep, your breathing and heart rate decreases and muscles relax. We spend about a third of our life in slumber land, failure to get enough of this pleasant stuff can negatively impact your health. Now, before you decide to spend half the day in bed remember getting too much of a good thing can also be harmful to other areas of your life. Where sleep is concerned, it is not a case of the more the better! It is a matter of getting just enough to keep you healthy.
Extended period of sleep deprivation has been scientifically shown to limit lifespan. It is not just the number of hours you sleep that is important, the quality of your sleep is also crucial to your overall well-being. Very few of us understand the role of sleep in our lives, as a result sleep is misunderstood, badly managed and sometimes abused. Some of us are burning our candles on both ends erroneously thinking time spent sleeping is time wasted. It may shock you to know you can die faster from sleep deprivation than for being deprived of food. In 2014 a devoted soccer fan died after staying awake for 48 hours to watch the world cup; his death was due to a stroke. The length of time spent sleeping has been on the decrease with the advent of industrialisation and economic growth. Today, very few people are sleeping for 7-8 hours as medically recommended. People who are not getting enough sleep can be classified into two broad groups: sleep deprived and insomniacs. You are sleep deprived if you have no problem falling asleep and staying asleep but lack enough opportunity. Parents of young children, night shift workers, flight crew, health care workers, teenagers and truck drivers fall into this group. The second group are those who have enough opportunity but find it difficult to fall asleep and staying asleep. They also wake up too early and wake up feeling tired. Insomnia could be due to factors such as stress, medical and neurological disorders, medication, substance abuse and age.
While you are asleep, your body balances and regulates your circulation, immune, respiration, circulation and hormonal systems. Not getting sufficient sleep leads to poor quality of life, poor general health and increased mortality in many ways. Prolonged sleep deprivation affects the part of the brain that controls planning, language and memory. Chronic sleeplessness puts a strain on your heart, makes you feel tired, grumpy, forgetful and unable to concentrate. Reaction time and decision making is negatively affected resulting in accidents. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to depression, hallucination, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes because your hormones fluctuate causing greater cravings and poor appetite control. Curiously, not getting enough sleep has also been linked to increased incidence of feeling physical pain more intensely. Another effect of getting inadequate sleep which is quite common is reduced productivity in school and at work.
Improving your sleep quality can greatly contribute to your overall health, it is therefore important to get help if you are not sleeping as well as you ought to because of issues like snoring, sleep apnoea, restless leg syndrome, always sleepy during the day, insomnia and sleep walking. There are a few steps you can take to derive maximum benefit from your snooze time.
1. Aim for a regular bed and wake up time.
2. Establish a bedtime routine, we are creatures of habit. Creating a systematic bedtime routine can help you sleep better. It could be as simple as brushing your teeth, reading your Bible and praying and immediately going to bed.
3. Train your body to recognise it is sleep time when you get in bed by not watching TV, eating, surfing the net or reading in bed.
4. Melatonin, the sleep hormone is raised in the body when the sun goes down telling our bodies it is time to rest. Unfortunately modern day light pollution from street lights, computer screens, smart phones and the like are confusing the body into thinking it is still daytime. It is better to stop using social media, iPad, laptop and phone about an hour before bedtime. Ensure your bedroom curtains are doing a good job of shutting out unwanted light.
5. Exercise regularly morning/afternoon to reduce stress.
6. Increase exposure to bright light during the day.
7. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine and other stimulants within three hours of bedtime.
8. Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet and comfortable temperature wise.
9. Slow down during the evening so you can have a good night sleep.
10. Do not underestimate praying the promise of God in Psalm 127:2 ...for so He gives His beloved sleep,
Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makes me dwell safely.
Proverbs 3:24 says “When you lie down, you will not be afraid: you will lie down and your sleep shall be sweet”.
11. Wage war against dream tormentors and powers of the night.
12. Cast your burden on Jesus and rejoice always.