Sleep might seem like a very simple thing we do every night, considering we just close our eyes and slip into nothingness but it's actually a very important biological factor that plays a key role in our physical and mental health. One of the biggest debates when it comes to the topic of sleep has always been "How much sleep do we need?" The way I see it, it varies from person to person but for adults, a range of 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night is usually recommended.
For me, I usually have an average of 6 hours of sleep every night and that's adequate for me. When I was younger, that number was a bit lower (maybe around 4 to 5 hours per night) and that's because I spend a lot of time playing video games, watching movies and surfing the internet but these days, I rarely stay up late into the night even though I'm playing video games or watching movies. I guess that's because I have done those things so many times over the years and no longer get the same dopamine effects I used to get from them back in the day.
That's one thing you probably don't know about sleep; your dopamine level has a big effect on your sleep schedule. The higher your dopamine levels, the harder it is for you to sleep at night. For those that don't know, dopamine is a hormone that is released by your body to give you feelings of excitement, satisfaction or motivation. You know that feeling you get when you eat your favourite food or play your favourite game? That is dopamine. Basically, the more excited you are and the more fun you're having, the harder it is for you to fall asleep because dopamine interferes with another hormone that is responsible for making you fall asleep.
Ok, that's enough science talks for now. Another thing I have noticed that has changed about my sleep over the years is that I rarely dream these days. I think I read somewhere that the more we grow older, the less we dream during sleep. It is either that or I have depression (according to a TikTok video I watched earlier today). I rarely dream but when I do, I have full control over my dream and can do anything. This was something I learned how to do when I was a child and it was years later before I found out that a lot of people can't do this frequently
The trick is to first realize that you're actually dreaming (lucid dreams) and from what I have discovered, a lot of people don't even know when they are dreaming. In my dream, I'm the director and can control things anyhow I want, although some random, weird things still happen that are not done by me. That's the one thing I enjoy about dreaming and I have gotten so good at it over the years to the extent that once I start dreaming, I realize it immediately and take full control of it. It was harder to do when I was a child but it was always fun whenever I was able to do it because I could become anything I wanted (it was mostly Ben 10).
As I said earlier, sleep is a very important biological factor but many people experience challenges that interfere with their ability to have a peaceful sleep. These challenges can be very minor in that they don't cause much of a problem or they can also be serious disorders that need medical attention. Some of them are snoring, bruxism, restless legs syndrome and insomnia. Luckily for me, I don't snore or have restless legs syndrome but I have suffered from insomnia just once. It happened a few years ago and that day, I was praying to God to make me fall asleep.
I was awake for most of the night with just my thoughts keeping me company, I actually thought I had lost the ability to sleep (chronic insomnia) and I became very worried (which also made it harder to sleep!). Luckily, I fell asleep at around 5 AM and woke up an hour later; just one hour of sleep. As for bruxism, that's my major sleep disorder and I didn't even know that was the name or that it was a disorder until I Googled it. Sleep bruxism is simply the grinding of teeth during sleep, and I didn't even know I was doing it until my siblings told me about it.
I'm just glad it isn't severe, it happens once in a while and from what I have researched about it, mine is mostly caused by stress. So, on the days I'm very stressed, I grind my teeth when sleeping and the funny thing is that it isn't a problem to me (I didn't even know I was doing it) but it's a big problem to anybody in the same room with me because it makes it hard for them to sleep (according to my ex-roommate at the university). So, sleep bruxism is my only sleep issue but luckily, it doesn't happen frequently. At least I don't snore, that one is another irritating sleep disorder that pisses off everyone around.
This is my entry for April Inleo Prompt, day 14. Click the link to also participate.
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