I’ve learned during my life not to believe everything experts tell you. Now there are people, perhaps a majority who would condemn me for saying that, but then I’ve come to the conclusion that when faced with health problems, instead of simply adhering to taking medicine to overcome issues, we are better off to try to resolve the problem naturally.
You don’t need a magic wand to appreciate that if anyone knows your own body as well as you, it’s you, yourself. You know when you need to get up, and go to bed irrespective of what the experts recommend, that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night for better health. Then they’ll say that consistently getting less than 5 hours of sleep can have adverse effects on physical and mental health. Inadequate sleep can impact memory, mood, concentration, immunity, and overall quality of life.
My father-in-law used to complain about the air conditioning on all night because it irritated his breathing tract, and wanted to turn it off. His wife wouldn’t allow him, and consequently he suffered enough to reduce his lifespan. I’m not saying the AC was fully responsible, but if he felt it wasn’t doing him any good then he was probably right.
My dad also passed away before his time, but in his case, it was because he was fixated on heights. He used to be a parachuter, but once he got old, he had to give up. That didn’t stop him from climbing ladders, even onto the roof of my parent’s house to do routine maintenance even in his eighties. Eventually after falling and breaking his femur bone, one would think he would take my mother’s insistence, not to use ladders!
It took several more years for him to take heed of her advice, and not before he had fallen and hurt himself again. Then when he was 87, he wanted to cut the bushes in the garden, so as he had been banned he used a plastic garden chair. He fell off, and once again broke his femur. He was a cussed man.
I’m no expert, but have paid attention to something I read about that between 10pm-2am is where humans get the most beneficial hormonal secretions and recovery. Our stress glands (adrenals) rest and recharge the most between 11pm and 1am and melatonin production is highest 10pm to 2am. Regulate your circadian rhythms by going to bed at the same time each night.
Obviously, my case is different from you, and clearly age and various issues influence sleeping patterns. All I can say, is if you ever have sleeping difficulty, go ahead and try going to bed at 10pm.
All the best!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Fixated (adj) = obsessed, absorbed, fanatical, engrossed, hooked
Cussed (adj) = used to describe people who are unwilling to be helpful, or things that are annoying: He's just plain cussed: he's only doing it because I asked him not to! (syn) annoying, stubborn, uncooperative, irritating