Sleep Deprived, Blame Thomas

The purpose of sleep remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in science. Although we spend at least one third of our day asleep scientists have still yet to figure out why humans and other animals sleep. So why does sleeping play such a vital role in maintaining a healthy human body, both physically and mentally.

We often hear that an average human requires at least eight hours of sleep everyday or it could lead to serious consequences such as sleep deprivation, insomnia and in the long run increased risks of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and even cancer. This may be the cause of the increase in health risk as sleeping patterns has evolved over the past few decades. Nowadays in our modern society we are all too busy with our working life pulling all nighters or out in the city enjoying the night life with our friends and family. This gives us less time to sleep and studies show that after 24 hours without sleep, a person's performance can drop to the level of someone who is legally drunk.

It has been said that the shift in our sleeping habits has been largely influenced by Thomas Edison's light bulb and the Industrial Revolution. In the past, especially during winter, it was usually dark for at least 14 hours after the sunset so people had no choice but to go to bed early, and this gave a great deal of flexibility to their nightly sleep requirements. However, the revolution has brought both good and bad revolution in our society. It has helped us subsist in a better living condition. But also due to his invention of the light bulb people tend to sleep later and consume more time doing other things.

This has eventually affected more than one-third of adults to wake up in the middle of the night on a regular basis. Furthermore nearly half are unable to fall back asleep right away due to the distraction they get from the surroundings (i.e. computer, television, reading and etc). This condition is a sleep disorder called insomnia, which is one of the most common and well known sleeping disorders than many adults and even teenagers experience. It is founded that in the past five years people worldwide spent $2 billion on sleeping pills and shockingly it was predicted that within 5 years time the global sales for sleeping pills will drastically jump to $5billion.

To add on, the invention of the light bulb has also help establish our current night life, which initially means that we are given more opportunities to eat. This ultimately conveys one of the biggest problems in our current society; obesity for both adults and children. Researchers has concluded from various test results that adolescents who slept fewer than eight hours gained more calories from consuming the same amount of food compared to adolescents who slept eight or more hours. This may be due to the fact that sleep deprivation alter levels of the hormones that regulate appetite.

It is true that Thomas has gifted us with one of the most empowering invention of all time. Nevertheless it has also excessively brought us some problematic issues. For this reason we should learn how to contemplate and weave out the necessity to our leisure. The bottom line is that you can have a good night’s sleep if you just maintain a healthy lifestyle. For example go to bed at the same time nightly or stay away from caffeine, heavy or spicy foods, and alcohol and other medications that might keep you awake and most importantly exercise regularly.