Many people consider sleep as not only a necessity for the comfort of the body but rather a very beautiful recipe and useful for many problems, and we have noticed the validity of this saying after the spread of the Corona virus and the Forcing of some to work from home, and this provided an added comfort, albeit simple, because people no longer have to wake up early to prepare for going to work or taking transportation.
Regarding this, the sleep expert, researcher at Harvard University School of Medicine, Rebecca Robbins, said that an additional 20 minutes is "All it takes" to make a difference in human health, Noting that if we all increase our sleep for 20 minutes, it will be beneficial to our mood, health and productivity. We are more efficient and more able to do the job and provide a high-quality work product, when we have had a good rest. "
When comparing data collected between March 16 and April 3, from an application called "SleepScore", with pre-epidemic data, it turned out that people were sleeping too late at night, but they were waking up 23 minutes after their usual morning time.
The data showed that they gained about 7 additional minutes of sleep, and in addition, on average, people spent an additional 10 minutes in bed after waking up.
Rebecca Robbins also stressed the importance of sleeping longer, albeit for minutes, because it gives the body stronger immunity.
• It protects you from diseases
To demonstrate this, Robbins conducted research, a group of people who got 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night, and others who had fewer hours of sleep (up to 30 minutes less), exposed them to a rapidly spreading virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea.
She explained that when an individual sleeps for less than the recommended 7 hours, the risk of infection increases 4 times more than those who get enough sleep.
And she continued, "Isn't that interesting? Our experience used the same virus ... and in good rest, the risk of infection is greatly reduced."
• Corona face weapon
To that, the researcher stressed that "good sleep, along with maintaining social spacing and hand washing, is one of the best things we can do to stay healthy and prevent the epidemic (Covid-19)."
While not sleeping sufficiently does not affect humans in the short term only, as experimental studies conducted on animals have proven that it can have long-term effects on physical health.
She explained that sleeping enough hours also protects against problems of cognitive decline, such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
• Take a shower, read and relax
To get enough sleep, Robbins suggested applying a set of steps, the most important of which is to record the hours of sleep that an individual gets and record his feelings in the morning, to determine the number of hours of sleep sufficient to give him the ability to work and produce well during the day.
She also stressed the importance of creating a "night routine" that one can practice before bed, such as bathing with warm water or reading for 15 minutes, to prepare the body for entering the stage of relaxation and sleep.