Sunday used to be when everyone stopped working to rest. But life moves 24/7 and work on keeping things in order for the public follows the pace. Today, rest days, or days off, are not only on Sundays but on weekdays to keep the 24/7 cycle going.
What remains unchanged is the fact that a person takes a rest day at least once in a seven-day cycle. The body is not a machine and needs to rest to recover to go on being healthy and efficient.
Sleep is at the center of rest, not only during a rest day, but every day. Sleep is as important to good health as diet and exercise. It improves brain performance, mood and health. Being drowsy or sleep-deprived is often a cause of accidents on the job.
We hear many doctors say that “not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders – from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.” So why are there people who put the value of rest and sleep aside?
One reason is the need to multi-task which often leads to taking away time for rest and sleep to perform other functions. A body can take that for a while, but not for long. Depriving the body of rest, especially sleep, will deprive the body the time to repair itself.
“Everything from blood vessels to the immune system uses sleep as a time for repair. There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed,” Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado, said.
There’s another misunderstanding about sleep – that one can “catch up” on sleep and its benefits over the weekend. Researchers at the National Institute on Health in the US are finding that this largely isn’t the case.
“If you have one bad night’s sleep and take a nap, or sleep longer the next night, that can benefit you. But if you have a week’s worth of getting too little sleep, the weekend isn’t sufficient for you to catch up. That’s not a healthy behavior.”
Another misunderstanding about sleep is that the older you get, the less sleep you need. Results of the same study said this isn’t true. “Older adults still need the same amount. But sleep quality can get worse as you age.” Several studies say “most adults need seven or more hours of good-quality sleep on a regular schedule each night.” Good-quality sleep gives the well-rested feeling when you wake up.
Aside from sleep, a rest day should also have time for exercise and leisure activities. Taking a walk is the easiest way to exercise and can become a leisure activity with family. Health experts have pushed the value of putting in at least a 30-minute walk in one’s daily schedule, to benefit one’s physical and mental health. A good walk enhances mood.
A rest day for the body can also be a rest day from electronic gadgets and from social media. Putting gadgets aside for a day, or only for a few hours, can benefit relationships among family members and friends. As a sign in a restaurant said: “No Wi-Fi here. Talk to each other.”
Today, think of how you will spend your next rest day.
