Health Review: All about sleep

Our sleep is controlled by a gland called Pineal gland. This gland in the presence of light produces an hormone call Melatonin, melatonin secreted at night aids our sleep. It sends a signal to the brain alerting it that it's night time and we should sleep. This is referred to as circadian rhythm.

If this is so why then do we have difficulty sleeping at night or taking a nap during the day?

   The secretion of melatonin during daylight hours is low, and high during dark periods.
During the day the pineal gland is just producing melatonin, thus its secretion is low.
    At night certain factors maybe responsible for our lack of sleep:
        Lack of exposure to natural light during the day
        Stress
        Nutrient deficiency and most importantly,
        Exposure to light at night.

Many of us are guilty of watching late night movies or sleeping with lights on, this action disrupts the natural order and activity of the pineal gland... Instead of secreting melatonin to help you sleep, It rather produces.

If you must take a nap in daylight or sleep at night with lights on try to wear sleep mask to cut off your exposure to light. It's also important to avoid late night movies.
Remember to consult your doctor for further counselling.

Comments

Polo

Did you know that polo T-shirt was originally made for polo players? While you may have worn a wholesale polo-shirt before. you may never have wondered how it came to be and how it got the name 'polo-shirt'. FYI, Polo is a sport that involving riding on a horseback with a mallet that has a long, flexible handle which is used to drive a wooden ball down a grass field between two goal post. The exact origin of the polo shirt is unknown, but its widely recorded début came in the late 19th century in the birthplace of Polo in Manipur, India. The sport grew in popularity with the British Army and British tea planters in India becoming regular players. Attention soon turned to their polo playing kit with traditional attire of the time consisting of thick, long sleeved shirts made of cotton. Unhappy with these uncomfortable shirts, they attached their collars to their shirts with buttons to stop them from flapping while galloping on the field. The sport was ...

Be creative

Have you got a plain top or shirt and you're wondering how to give it a new touch... This should help... Be inspired!

Recipe: Stuffed Roast plantain By Abby Soetan

Well what better way to enjoy your weekend than trying new recipes for food lovers... (Not gluttons o). Well I came across this and am wondering what better way to spice up plantain from the common dodo and beans or boli and groundnuts... Give it a try, you just might be surprised at how spicy your weekend can turn out. "So the other day, I was looking though my food archive and realised that only two of my most recent recipes were plantain based. What an abomination! How is it possible that I eat plantain almost daily and have so few plantain recipes? I was absolutely baffled. A decision was made to honour the greatness of plantain by dedicating the whole week to it. This colourful stuffed plantain is day two of my plantain week, it is definitely a unique way of cooking your plantain, fairly easy and sure to satisfy plantain lovers. What You’ll Need… 2 ripe plantains 1 tbsp melted butter 2 tbsps canola oil Gizzard ¼ ...

JOOscoop

Search This Blog