Sleep is an Important Aid to Stroke Recovery

Sleep contributes a lot to the success of a stroke patient's rehabilitation program. Brain scientist and former stroke patient, Jill Bolte Taylor reveals this in an interview.

Taylor contradicts the methodology of most rehabilitation facilities wherein stroke patients are kept awake through medication or through activities that depended on therapists' schedule despite the patient's tiredness. Taylor's treatments stopped when she was tired and began when she was ready for it, regardless of the time of day or night.

Sleep

This proves that stroke rehabilitation programs' effectiveness rely on the capability of the human body to absorb information in a given day especially when the brain is not functioning properly.

Sleep is an Important Aid to Stroke Recovery

APPLYING THE BENEFITS OF SLEEP TO STROKE PATIENTS

1. Sleep helps the brain consolidate memories

Harvard Medical School's Dr. Jeffrey Ellenbogen tested whether sleep helps build and maintain memory and overcome interference. Results showed that sleep is not a state of mental inactivity for it actively helps the brain digest memories such as those from recently learned facts or working memory.

Participants who did not sleep between learning and testing recalled less of the new words they learned than those who slept. Sleeping in between therapy,then, allows the stroke patients to absorb information derived during their rehabilitation.

2. Sleep strengthens the brain

Various psychologists during the 84th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association presented the benefits of Random Eye Movement (REM) Sleep, which occurs between the 6th and 8th hour of sleep when dreaming begins. REM sleep produces sleep spindles that allow the brain to store new information into long-term memory. Sleep spindles are one- to two-second bursts of brain waves that rapidly wax and wane at strong frequencies.

The brain, while in REM sleep, transfers short-term memories in the motor cortex to the temporal lobe, to become long-term memories. Sleep spindles are transmitted as the temporal lobe makes sense of the new information and stores it in long-term memory. In this process, neurotransmitters essential to remembering, performance, and problem-solving are replenished by the brain.

Sufficient sleep strengthens and recuperates the brain to overcome common problems like short attention spans. Stroke patients can also be given Neuroaid to expedite recovery of neurological functions.

3. Sleep decreases risk for another stroke

Patients with diabetes and high blood pressure who suffered stroke may decrease the risk of another stroke by increasing sleep in their regime. According to Dr. Eve Van Cantor, professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, lack of sleep increases risk for diabetes and high blood pressure to become less susceptible to medication.

Scientific research has proven the effects of sufficient sleep (8 hours) to the human body, to behavior, and to society as a whole. This is why sleep should be interspersed in a stroke patient's rehabilitation program, even if this means incorporating more hours of sleep. The length of time is irrelevant. Patience is a real virtue that reaps great rewards like the 8-year recovery of Jill Taylor.

Sleep is an Important Aid to Stroke Recovery

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Why Good Sleep is Important For Good Health?

Sleep is one of the precious gifts of god. A good night sleep makes you fit and cheerful after you wake up from sleep. For a healthy living, good food and good sleep are very important. Sleep makes the tired body not only cheerful, but also healthy. At the time of sleep, most of the organs and cells of the body are working in slow, respiration, heart and nervous system. The temperature is reduced by 0.5 to 1.0º F. The blood pressure will be 20mm less. The tone of the skeletal muscles will be reduced. The pupils are constricted and eyes are rolled upwards. A clean body and mind, physical exercises, relaxed mood and perfect food control are sleep producing methods.

There are several health benefits of sleep. Some of the major health benefits of good sleep are as below -

Sleep

1. A proper sleep is necessary for good eye sight (vision). If you do not sleep properly at night then you will have defective vision.
2. Emaciation, weakness, impotency, sterility, lack of knowledge and death may be result of poor sleep.
3. A good night sleep strengthens the presence of your mind and consciousness. It makes you feel energized and physically more alert.
4. It enhances your memory and learning capacity. Getting adequate sleep will help you remember and process things better.
5. Good sleep strengthens your immune system and makes you less prone to various illnesses.
6. It reduces stress, tension and anxiety. A proper sleep allows your body to rest and relax. When your body lacks sleep it goes into a state of stress.
7. Good night sleep helps to lose weight. Sleep deficient individuals are more likely to be overweight or obese.
8. Good night sleep keeps your heart healthy. Lack of proper sleep has been associated with increasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both risk factors for heart attack and stroke.

So, getting adequate night sleep is important to your well being in achieving a healthy lifestyle.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the URLs (links) active.

Why Good Sleep is Important For Good Health?

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Why Your Bed is Important For a Good Night's Sleep

To ensure you get a good night's sleep it is important that you have the right bed. A bed is a personal thing because the bed that suits you will not necessarily suit someone else. It is important to understand the right bed, pillow and mattress support your size and body weight.

A good sign that you are not sleeping in a bed that is good for you is when you wake up from your sleep with aches and pains that can last up to several hours. This is telling you that your bed is not providing you with enough support for your body to get a good night's sleep. Over the long term this can cause you back problems.

Sleep Well

Another good sign that you need to change your bed is when you go away either on holiday or business and you find that you get a better nights sleep and you wake up with no aches or pains. Therefore, if you are getting aches and pains from your bed then it could be a good time to consider getting a new one.

However, how do you know when to replace your old bed? The following guide will help you determine if it is time for a change:

• The age of your bed is important. If your bed is over 7 years then it may be past its best.
• If you wake up from bed feeling stiff with an aching back and neck then, this is a good sign that your mattress needs replacing
• If you hear any noises, squeaks and creaking noises as you move about on the bed.
• If you sleep with a partner and you find that both of you end up rolling towards each other in the middle of the bed.
• When the surface of the bed mattress is uneven and sagging where you sleep.

If your bed matches at least 2 of the above signs then, this is a good indicator that you need a new bed. It is important that you do not go the cheap route when buying a bed. It should be seen as an investment so that you can reap the rewards of a better nights sleep and overall better health.

Why Your Bed is Important For a Good Night's Sleep

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