Knowing the importance of sleep may be one of the best ways you can help yourself live longer, work better, and improve your ability in any area of your life. Getting sufficient sleep profoundly improves your physical feelings and significantly slows the aging process.
Sleeping allows the body to catch up from the stresses encountered during the day. Whether those stresses come from a physically demanding work-out in your martial arts training or a tough day at the job, you need good sleep to recover.
Everything about us is compromised with too little sleep. Our immune system doesn’t work as well, we don’t feel intellectually sharp, our moods are more variable, and we can’t concentrate as well.
Good sleep is vital for optimum brain function. Our brains are the biggest users of glycogen in our bodies. This energy source decreases with too little sleep. So, for the sake of our brains, we need to recognize the importance of sleep.
Much of the healing that takes place in our bodies comes about with sleep. This includes the absorption and best usage of many hormones. Maybe especially the hormones involved in fighting the aging process. Slowing aging is one more reason to be aware of the importance of sleep.
Also important for our brain is the removal of free radicals from the brain. This occurs during sleep. Removing free radicals keeps down nerve tissue damage. When we don’t get enough sleep and keep pushing and pushing to get things done, we increase the possibility of the natural healing that is right inside us.
So, what is the importance of sleep?
Here are some indications of that importance: With too little sleep, our performance is decreased. Getting just one and a half hours less sleep for one night may result in 32% less daytime alertness and decreased performance.
Your ability to think and put information together accurately is decreased with too little sleep.
Not getting enough sleep causes mood shifts and crankiness. And not just in kids. This can lead to relationship problems with significant people in your life.
And you’re more likely to be involved in some kind of injury at work, driving your car, or participating in sports and training if you don’t get enough sleep.
These few examples can highlight the importance of sleep. In any kind of physical activity, martial arts for example, your ability to respond quickly, to process information appropriately, and to think clearly is necessary. Getting sufficient sleep improves all of these processes, leading to better training and less chance of injury.
Shifu Raymond Ahles at Blue Dragon School of Martial Arts is ready and able to help you in practicing the basics of kung fu and in learning the skills you want in martial arts. He will monitor your training and sparring and make suggestions when he sees some area in which you may be lacking – including good sleep. Contact him at 201-385-3130 today and get started or started again!
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