Thursday, November 12, 2009

The Lazy Way to Happiness

Sleep and mood are closely related. In the modern society, to manage more, people compromise on sleep. Newborns normally require 10.5 to 18 hours of sleep, while adults may need to sleep from 7.5 to 8.5 hours.

Sleep deprivation in normal subjects typically causes worsening of mood, with complaints of irritability, depression, and decreased motivation. Lack of sleep may decrease a person’s ability to appreciate things as funny, which would be considered amusing in general. Lack of sleep can also be a significant risk factor for anxiety.

Less sleep has been reported to result in decrease in brain serotonin levels, which can influence academic and athletic performance, and overall subjective well-being.

Healthy sleep has been shown to enhance well being. Adequate sleep has been shown to benefit several forms of neural processing, including insight formation, novel-language perception, visual discrimination, and motor skills.

It has been suggested that if one is feeling down for no reason, shifting the snooze time a bit early for a few days and taking proper sleep would bring back the zest.

To enhance happiness, it is thus advisable that we assess our sleep requirements and develop a proper routine.

4 comments:

VSB said...

Yaaaaawn! I love this one! I am particularly susceptible to side-effects of sleep deprivation - lack of energy and irritability in particular. So, I am going to paste this article on my bedroom door to be nap happy without criticism!

Mridula said...

I am one of those who needs her 8 hours, thought I may not always get it.

VS said...

VSB: You can even try printing a small message on your T-shirt. Btw...if you make a fortune by the T-shirt idea,please shares some (money, not the T-shirts) with me. ;o)

Mridula: Glad you at least know that. For a long time I was under the impression that more than 6 hours was a luxury.

elisa freschi said...

Dear VS, what's going on with you? Are you trying to sleep more and have (hence) less time to blog?