The single most important aspect in preserving a healthy brain and good mental health may be sleep. In particular, if you are under the age of 20, this is true.
The majority of us live with a sleep debt, which is both interesting and troublesome because it basically means we don’t get enough sleep and are therefore always sleep deprived. Also, having sleep debt has a negative effect on how well the brain functions.
Our unbiased journalism can assist you in making decisions.Feeling as though you are in a mental fog, when things are not as clear and concentrated as they should be, is one of the most typical symptoms of sleep debt. We can become more emotional and more susceptible to depression when we don’t get enough sleep. The mechanisms in your brain that enable perception, memory, attention, decision-making, and even learning can all be hampered by a lack of sleep.
I am a neuroscientist who is very interested in the elements that affect the structure and operation of the brain. Sleep is the single strongest predictor of your brain’s capacity to create new memories, according to studies conducted in my own lab, the Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Victoria.You could be concerned about your sleep quality or question if you are getting enough. Adults should get between seven and nine hours of sleep every night, according to doctors and academics. Oversleeping can also be harmful to your health, therefore it is worth speaking with a doctor if you sleep more than that.
Kids, however, experience it differently. Babies may need to sleep for up to 17 hours a day immediately after birth, and they won’t reach the seven- to nine-hour range until the end of adolescence. Teenagers need between eight and ten hours of sleep per night, and school-aged youngsters (ages six to twelve) normally need between nine and twelve.
It’s important to know that you cannot oversleep to make up for a lack of sleep. In fact, sleeping in on the weekend is one of the worst things you can do to recover from a sleep deficit.
Another thing you can do to improve the quality of your sleep is to avoid looking at screens — phones, computers, TVs — before you go to bed. The technology used to make these screens has been shown to increase alertness, making it hard to fall asleep.
Also, make sleep a priority — it is better to go to sleep and let your brain recover than it is to stay up late studying. In fact, one of the best things you can do at school to improve how well you learn is to get a good night’s sleep.
