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It worked...Part Four!!!

Posted by Andrea on September 15, 2002 at 16:54:47:

Hi everyone! I did post this awhile ago but the non-permissable words (by Sandman) were in the excerpt and I lost the post in trying to delete them. Since it took so long to post, I couldn't face doing it again so after a break, here I am as promised.

This is my last excerpt from "Sleep Theives" by Stanley Coren. Hope you find it interesting.

"Too little sleep can destroy our psychological motivation and put us into a deep depression. For 4 million years minus only the last 100, the evolving human species was not required to deal with monitoring atomic power plants, pull all-nighters cramming for exams, etc. etc. etc.

These changes occurred only an instant ago in evolutionary time. It was the needs of the primitive hunter that determined our evolution and thus our present physiology.

Sleep is not a case of total insensitivity or temporary death but rather represents a condition of reduced ability to monitor events in one's world.Sleep is not synonymous with being unaware or temporarily in a death-like state. It's just a different level of awareness from that associated with being awake.

Entering the state of sleep is more like being dropped into nothingness rather than a slide into the land of Nod. Sleep is intended to maintain our normal mental contact with the world. In one sleep study, it was concluded that 3hrs./night may be enough vital(core sleep).

Caffeine is such a vigorous stimulant that it is classified as a drug.Tea also makes night's sleep more restless. A single cup of coffee taken 2hrs. before going to bed has been shown to more than double the amount of time it takes an average adult to fall asleep.It also halves the amt. of deep slow-wave sleep that night and may quadruple the number of nighttime awakenings.Chocolate contains caffeine plus other stimulants. Pop and hot chocolate interfere with sleep.Nicotine in smoking also stimulates.

The adult trick is to think about pleasant things. Let your imagination wander. Don't think about work or problems, and certainly don't think about sleep. Deep breathing exercises may help.Others find that thinking of songs or poetry, recalling pleasant events from the past or fantasizing about pleasant events in the future all help. Presleep thoughts should be personal thoughts; they don't have to make sense to anyone but you and you need never tell anyone what they are."

Pleasant dreams everyone.....Andrea

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