About one-third of a person’s life is spent in sleep. People should make full use of this one-third of their time to accumulate energy for life. The Inner Canon states: “When a person lies down, blood returns to the liver. The liver receives blood and is able to see, the feet receive blood and are able to walk, the palms receive blood and are able to grip, and the fingers receive blood and are able to absorb energy. The energy of human visual perception, footwork, mastery, finger photography, and other life activities is continuously accumulated through sleep, and is continuously satisfied with the needs of life activities through the action of the liver.
As the saying goes, eating well is not as good as sleeping well. Sleep can nourish blood, nourish qi, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and strengthen muscles and bones. Modern medical research has confirmed that the blood flow entering the liver during sleep is seven times that of standing. An increase in liver blood flow is beneficial for enhancing the function of liver cells, improving detoxification ability, and accelerating the metabolism of nutrients such as proteins, amino acids, sugars, fats, and vitamins. Thus maintaining the stability of the internal environment of the aircraft. When people are asleep at night, they secrete 5-7 times more growth hormone than during the day, which can promote growth and development in children and adolescents, and activate various active enzymes in the body to accelerate metabolism and delay aging in middle-aged and elderly people.
When a person is in a state of deep sleep, their pulse slows down, systolic blood pressure decreases, breathing becomes deeper, basal metabolic rate decreases, and cerebral blood flow decreases, which helps to store energy in the brain. A series of beneficial physiological and biochemical changes also occur in the body, such as coordinating the functions of the cerebral cortex, enhancing memory, making people think quickly and react flexibly. This is the reason why after a good night’s sleep, people feel refreshed and energetic. Experts have pointed out that the peak period of skin metabolism is from 1 to 3 o’clock at night, during which a continuous supply of blood provides the skin with sufficient nutrition, allowing for the absorption of new nutrients and maintaining healthy and elastic skin. People who sleep well regularly will have a radiant complexion and a rosy complexion, which is the secret behind it. Even more amazing is that sleep can prevent cancer. The reason why normal cells turn into cancer cells during fission is mostly done at night. High quality sleep can prevent the occurrence and development of cancer. There are so many benefits to sleep, so each and every one of us should pay attention to scientific sleep.
The choice of sleeping posture
The sleeping posture varies according to human habits, but there are three basic postures: supine, prone, and lateral. It is generally believed that lying on the back is beneficial for blood circulation, but attention should be paid not to place hands on the chest to avoid a sense of oppression and the risk of nightmares. Lying on the side can relax the muscles of the whole body, which is beneficial for gastrointestinal peristalsis. When lying on the side, the legs should naturally bend and the pillow should not be too low. Many people advocate sleeping in a “bow like” position, preferably on the right side, with the head and feet facing east-west, avoiding a head to the north and feet to the south. The sleeping environment requires tranquility and freshness, dim and soft lighting, fresh indoor air, suitable temperature and humidity, flat beds, and moderate hardness. The height of the pillow is generally equivalent to one and a half fists of oneself. This is beneficial for entering a sweet dreamland. In short, the choice of sleeping posture should be conducive to quickly falling asleep and comfortable sleeping.
Reasonable sleep duration
The duration of sleep varies greatly among individuals Generally speaking, teenagers need to sleep for 8-9 hours a day; Middle aged people need to sleep for 8 hours; Elderly people sleep for about 7 hours; People who are weak and prone to illness should increase their sleep time appropriately. The quality of sleep depends not only on the length of time, but also on the depth of sleep and the feeling after waking up. Deep sleep means sleeping soundly, waking up with fatigue disappearing, feeling comfortable and relaxed throughout the body, having a clear mind, and feeling refreshed, indicating good sleep quality. If the degree of sleep is shallow, especially mixed with nightmares, and you are awakened halfway through sleep, even if you sleep for a long time, you will not get a good rest. If you still feel dizzy, dizzy, tired and weak after waking up, it indicates that you did not rest well.
Pay attention to nap time
Napping is one of the ancient sleep health methods. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that at noon, the transition of yin and yang occurs, with extreme prosperity and decline. The balance of qi, blood, yin and yang in the body is extremely unbalanced, and one must lie still to wait for the qi to return. Modern medicine believes that a good afternoon nap for the elderly can reduce the incidence rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which has the significance of disease prevention and health care.
After waking up from a nap, you can first open your eyes and lie down for a while to fully wake up your brain. Then get up, wash your face with warm water, drink some tea, and start activity. In this way, the process of the human body transitioning from sleep to wakefulness can be carried out relatively smoothly and gently, feeling mentally doubled.
