And this is not a hindrance, nor a limitation. On the contrary, precious information guarantees to be aware of the need to rehabilitate the organism to face the next day.
As much as he drank coffee, the nights were always tricky. The solution seemed to be to eat a good dinner because, with a full belly, a better state of wakefulness was guaranteed throughout the night. It would seem to work. But there was always a time, at 3 or 4 am, when sleep and inevitable tiredness seemed to come out of nowhere, despite the 6 coffees, drunk meticulously throughout the day. At 6 o'clock, the sound came again and only a hearty breakfast, in good company, seemed to bring some hope. In any case, the next day was spent in zombie mode.
Some of us have tried this feat: a direct one. There are those who do it heroically. On a softer level, there are heroes and geniuses who say they only need to sleep four hours a night. Napoleon would be one of those types who thought he was above nature and prided himself on sleeping little.
Interestingly, Shakespeare, a man of the century. XVI, wove praise to sleep and a good night's sleep, as a starting point to achieve or maintain good health: “O sleep, gentle sleep, gentle nurse of Nature, how did I scare you?”. Thomas Dekker, also a playwright, but from the 19th century. XVII said, "Sleep is the golden chain that connects health to our bodies". One might think that they were men of the theatre, who went to bed late at night for duty and regretted their lack of health.
Edison, who may have just wanted to sell his electric lamps, grumbled: "Sleep is a criminal waste of time and an inheritance of cave time."
Today we know the importance of sleep and a good night's sleep. Doctors and researchers in the area, make an effort to cry out in the wind to the importance of sleep and the way we waste it. But we keep our eyes fixed on the screens of computers, tablets or even smartphones. Yes, because television is already starting to be a thing of the past.
The century. XIX brought this naive illusion that we could access the category of super-men or semi-gods, placed above nature. First, it was the steam engine, then electricity, followed by the discoveries of chemistry.
Analyzing everything that is known about sleep, its various phases and all the processes that occur during those necessary 8 hours (at least), we remember that behind this mask of supermen, almost gods, we inevitably have feet of clay or at least a little body of flesh and bone.
Homo sapiens continues to have a biological dimension, despite the technological world that is here to stay. Just one example of this Paleolithic ancestry is this inevitable need for sleep.
The more we know about the processes that take place over the course of several hours of sleep, the greater the importance we attach to this state, in which one plunges into a kind of extreme withdrawal. On the one hand, it is during sleep that harmful substances are eliminated from the body's cellular tissues. There is also an intense protein synthesis, which will replenish tissues and our organism in general. But there still seems to be an interesting process of reorganizing information in the brain. These are just some of the many processes already known today, which take place during sleep.
How many times do we fall asleep sick, with the threat of several flu-like symptoms and the next day, after several hours of restful sleep, we wake up refreshed and full of energy?
Sleep is just one example of the relationship we continue to have with our ancestry, which dates back thousands or even millions of years.
And this is not a hindrance, nor a limitation. On the contrary, it is precious information that guarantees to be aware of the need to rehabilitate the organism to face the next day.
After a good night's sleep, everything faces, even the most terrible challenges. And when we fall asleep worried, not knowing how to solve a problem, it is worth remembering that the solution may come the next day, because “the night is a good counsellor”.
But is it enough to sleep to have a toned body?
The answer to a question always leads to the emergence of many other interesting questions ...
Sleep is just one example of the relationship we continue to have with our ancestry, which dates back thousands or even millions of years.
As much as he drank coffee, the nights were always difficult. The solution seemed to be to eat a good dinner because, with a full belly, a better state of wakefulness was guaranteed throughout the night. It would seem to work. But there was always a time, at 3 or 4 am, when sleep and inevitable tiredness seemed to come out of nowhere, despite the 6 coffees, drunk meticulously throughout the day. At 6 o'clock the sound came again and only a hearty breakfast, in good company, seemed to bring some hope. But the next day was spent in zombie mode.
Some of us have tried this feat: a direct one. There are those who do it heroically. On a softer level, there are heroes and geniuses who say they only need to sleep four hours a night. Napoleon was said to be one of these types who thought he was above nature and was proud of it.
Interestingly, Shakespeare, a man of the century. XVI, wove praise to sleep and a good night's sleep, as a starting point to achieve or maintain good health: “O sleep, gentle sleep, gentle nurse of Nature, how did I scare you?”. Thomas Dekker, also a playwright, but from the 19th century. XVII said, “Sleep is the golden chain that connects health to our bodies”. One might think that they were men of the theatre, who went to bed late at night for duty and regretted their lack of health.
Edison, who, I say, would mainly want to sell his electric lamps, grumbled: "Sleep is a criminal waste of time and a legacy of our cave time."
Today we know the importance of sleep and a good night's sleep. Doctors and researchers in the area, make an effort to cry out in the wind to the importance of sleep and the way we waste it. But we keep our eyes fixed on the screens of computers, tablets or even smartphones. Yes, because television is already starting to be a thing of the past.
The century. XIX brought this naive illusion that we could access the category of super-men or semi-gods, placed above nature. First, it was the steam engine, then electricity, followed by the discoveries of chemistry.
Analyzing everything that is known about sleep, its various phases and all the processes that occur during those necessary 8 hours (at least), we remember that behind this mask of supermen, almost gods, we inevitably have feet of clay or at least a little body of flesh and bone.
Homo sapiens continues to have a biological dimension, despite the technological world that is here to stay. Just one example of this Paleolithic ancestry is the inevitable need for sleep.
The more we know about the processes that take place over the several hours of sleep, recommended for an adult, the greater the importance we attach to this state, in which one plunges into a kind of death or extreme withdrawal. The elimination of substances harmful to the body, which result in normal metabolic activity, protein synthesis, which will replenish tissues or the reorganization of information in the brain, are just some of the many processes already known today, which take place during sleep.
How many times do we fall asleep sick, with the threat of several flu-like symptoms and the next day, after several hours of restful sleep, we wake up refreshed and full of energy?
Sleep is just one example of the relationship we continue to have with our ancestry, which dates back thousands or even millions of years.
And this is not a hindrance, nor a limitation. On the contrary, it is precious information that guarantees to be aware of the need to replenish the organism to face the next day. And this means facing the most diverse obstacles and difficulties that we face. After a good night's sleep, everything faces, even the most terrible challenges. And when we fall asleep worried, not knowing how to solve a problem, it is worth remembering that the solution may come the next day, because “the night is a good counsellor”.
But is it enough to sleep to have a toned body?
The answer to a question always leads to the emergence of so many interesting questions…
© Eduardo Rui Alves