Sleep...zzz...

Of course we all know the importance of sleep and the consequences from lack of it. It is recommended that people my age get around 7-8 hours of sleep which honestly isn't always realistic for a student. I'd say in general, I get about 6-6.5 hours and then try to sneak it a few extra hours during the weekends but once the midterm time comes 4-5 hours is the norm. However, as the week progresses I can feel how my energy levels slowly diminish. I have trouble focusing, zone out in class and start getting irritated and pessimistic (Aah! Scary! I shall never mention the p word again). I don't know what it is for me during the school year but I really have trouble sleeping and wake up around 6ish without an alarm clock. That wouldn't be a problem if I didn't go to sleep late due to extracurriculars, late group meetings and my student house being loud. 


I guess there are little things that one can do in order to have quality sleep, such as eating certain foods or doing certain activities during the day. I'm sure you've all herd of tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids (little molecules that make up proteins) which can be found in milk products as well as protein based foods. Tryptophan is metabolized into seratonin (neurotransmitter) and melatonin (hormone) which help us sleep. I'm not quite sure how effective this is because most of the clinical research isn't very conclusive but I doubt that there is any harm in it. This is just a guess but our bodies already have a lot tryptophan (unless you're eating an improper diet) so adding a little bit more might not change anything. If you're already deficient in tryptophan, I am sure that our bodies would use it to make essential proteins rather than wasting it to make sleep hormones.

Though I'm pretty sure that drinking some warmed milk with a little bit of carbs (honey, crackers...) could be relaxing and help you sleep. Of course, you should avoid any stimulating activities or drink anything with caffeine, get some exercise during the day, avoid spicy and high fat foods. Remember that the quantity of sleep doesn't mean you're getting quality sleep.

Also, the amount of sleep you need is very personal. In fact there are some people who have a gene called ABCC9 that allows them to sleep about four hours a night without harming their health. I guess there' re outliers everywhere, the same way there' re people who are taller or shorter than others in the same way there' re people who don't need much sleep. Lucky them :P

Another really interesting thing is the way how da Vinci, Napoleon and some other geniuses have slept. It is called polyphasic sleeping, where you sleep less than 5 hours per day. It basically requires you to sleep in little 10-20 minute "power naps" several times throughout the day for a total of 2-4 hours. Pretty crazy ha? These naps have been associated with more vivid dreams, give you more free time and energy. In no way am I suggesting this, because it should not be done if you have pre-existing medical conditions and there is a two week getting used to period which has many unwanted symptoms like nausea, ironically lack of energy, headaches, lack of appetite, and loss of co-ordination.

Happy sleep everyone!