Have you ever thought about the difference between the sleep you get and the rest you take? The two are different, and this post dissects and underlines a few of the differences between sleep and rest. Read on to find out how your zzz’s differ from your ahh’s.
A lion showing us how contagious yawning is. | (1ZOOM.ME, n.d.)
Dear Patient Reader,
According to the Oxford dictionary, sleep is defined as the state of a body in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes are closed, the postural muscles (the muscles of the body that support the skeleton and maintain balance[1]) are relaxed, and where our consciousness is slowly drifting away. It’s a time when we lack awareness, while our brain continues to churn. In fact, sleep is one of the times our brain is the most active.
Take a nap, to doze off, siesta, feeling drowsy, are few of the many adjectives that describe the act of feeling sleep or sleeping itself. It shows us just how essential feeling sleepy is. Sleep as a noun, is also the gummy secretion we get in the corners of our eyes after sleep. We literally do “rub the sleep from our eyes”.
While sleep and passive physical rest are just as important, sleep has the upper hand. Sleep is restorative. Working on the immune system, your metabolism, to your memory, sleep is restorative and vital to the proper and better functioning of our mind and body. Also, sleep is when our muscles repair damage (and regular wear and tear) from throughout the day.[2] Plus, “brain-imaging studies have shown that a good night’s sleep helps our brain regulate mood and cope with whatever the next day brings.”[3]
“Physiologically sleep is defined as a state our bodies enter into during which brain wave activity changes and our nervous system is less reactive to external stimuli ([for example, our consciousness temporarily leaves us). Our sleep is not constant throughout the night. We cycle through four distinct sleep stages multiple times.[4] In the words of Sara C. Medick, “Our sleep, both at night and in naps, is made up of approximately 90 minute sleep cycles with four stages each. A nap, too, can last anywhere from five minutes to three hours, so it can include full sleep cycles or just a few stages.”[5]
The 4 Stages of zzZ’s
Stage 1: Awake sleep
As you fall asleep, you enter Stage 1.
Stage 2: Light sleep
Stage 2 comes next. [Here], body temperature drops, muscles relax, and breathing and heart rate become more regular.
Stage 3: Deep sleep
Stage 3, slow-wave sleep (SWS) is the time when what we learnt earlier in the day gets better stamped into our memory. During Stage 3, multiple brain areas work together to transfer information from short-term memory storage to long-term memory storage, stabilising and strengthening long-term memory. Stage 3 is when your deepest sleep occurs, and is the most difficult to wake up from.
Stage 4: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
You [then] enter REM sleep. In REM, the brain becomes more active, more like your brain activity while awake. This is also the dream-stage of sleep. The end of REM signals the completion of a sleep cycle.
So, what about getting in our zzz’s and our ahh’s?
Our circadian rhythm works around the hour. Our biological clock regulates the cycle of circadian rhythms.[6] This is the human sleep-wake cycle, that is synchronised with solar time.[7] In accordance with the hours of sunlight, the sleep or rest we get contains more deep sleep as a day progresses towards evening and night. However, with night shifts and international working hours, the body adjusts itself accordingly.
While the number of hours of sleep required to function on a daily basis is different to each one of us, rest is unique to individuals, and their needs and lifestyle. Rest is defined as ‘to cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover strength.’ The extent of how physically rested you feel after a nap depends on the phases of sleep it included. Or, take a power nap for example. It is intended to revitalise you after 10 to 20 minutes of sleep/rest. Ideally speaking, you have now become Speedy Gonzales, and will now shoot through everything you have to do.”
Individuals can wake up after eight hours of sleep feeling tired. Sleep is great, but rest, and the quality of sleep, is equally as important. That’s where rest steps in.
Rest has its various types, which you could benefit from being aware of.
The 7 Types of aah’s
1. Physical rest
Which can be passive or active.[8]
2. Mental rest
Focusing on turning off frequent thoughts that create stress.
3. Sensory rest
Which can be “doing something as simple as closing your eyes for a minute in the middle of the day. Intentional moments of sensory deprivation can begin to undo the damage inflicted by an over-stimulating/screen time world.”[9]
4. Creative rest
To allow yourself to be emotionally-moved by instances or activities which inspire you and bring you contentment. These still majorly stand as outdoor, nature activities and immersing oneself in the visual arts, the performing arts, and music.
5. Emotional rest
To have the time and space to express your feelings, which also calls for not lying about, suppressing, or pushing back feelings that are hard to acknowledge.
6. Social rest
Having the ability to differentiate between relationships which invigorate us from the ones that exhaust us. This requires the support of others and personal presence of mind.
7. Spiritual rest
The ability to connect beyond the physical and mental and feel a deep sense of belonging, love, acceptance, and purpose.
Therefore, the old adage, “Get a good night’s sleep” isn’t entirely accurate neither relevant to our day and age. With a faster lifestyle which demands productivity, individuals are left chronically tired.[10] However, the true power of rest[11] counters a rest deficit. Rest which can be in the form of a hobby, or simply not doing anything.
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Reference
[1] Workplace. 2018. “Postural Muscles.” Workplace. https://www.workplacetesting.com/definition/1564/postural-muscles-javascriptvoid0#:~:text=The%20postural%20muscles%20are%20the,body%20are%20important%20postural%20muscles.
[2] DiGiulio, Sarah. 2017. “What Happens in Your Body and Brain While You Sleep.” Better. https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-happens-your-body-brain-while-you-sleep-ncna805276.
[3] "Ibid." [2]
[4] "Ibid." [2]
[5] Mednick, Sarah C. n.d. “How long should your naps be?” TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/sara_c_mednick_how_long_should_your_naps_be/transcript?language=en.
[6] National Institute of General Medical Sciences. 2021. “National Institute of General Medical Sciences.” Circadian Rhythms. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx#:~:text=Biological%20clocks%20are%20organisms'%20natural,and%20organ%20contains%20biological%20clocks.
[7] Wikipedia. 2021. “Circadian clock.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_clock#:~:text=A%20circadian%20clock%2C%20or%20circadian,the%20earth's%20current%20solar%20day).
[8] Dalton-Smith MD, Saundra. 2021. “The 7 types of rest that every person needs.” TED Ideas. https://ideas.ted.com/the-7-types-of-rest-that-every-person-needs/.
[9] "Ibid." [8]
[10] "Ibid." [8]
[11] "Ibid." [8]
Image
1ZOOM.ME. n.d. “Big cats Lions Tongue Yawn Animals photo.” 1ZOOM.ME. https://www.1zoom.me/en/wallpaper/269442/z378.9/.
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