Sleep in
IN PHOTO: A woman sleeps in an undated photo. Relatively healthy individuals who experience sleep disruptions at night appear to have an increased risk activity of factors associated with the development of a blood clot, also referred to as a thrombus. REUTERS/PRNEWSFOTO

More often than not, people tend to start their day as early as possible to be able to get the day’s work done fast. It is the custom: the ever reliable “the-early-bird-gets-the-worm” principle that pushes us to set our alarm clocks at 5:45 am every single day.

Whether it can be a midterm college exam, a big client presentation or a local television guesting, people think that waking up early is the way to go. This is because of the long-time notion that “early” is always better than “late”. While this conventional theory sounds like a legit premise for practical reasons, recent research found that sleeping can create better outcomes.

According to the Life Evolver, the “early bird” concept is a super-replicating belief that pertains to a “belief that has some property, which facilitates its own transmission, which makes it be held by an increasing number of minds.” This means that such beliefs are continuously gaining wavering reputation, despite the lack of evidence to its truthfulness of effectivity. Society deems a couple of super-replicating beliefs. Another example in relation to this topic, is the perception of sleep as a form of laziness.

Science now tells us that sleeping is OK and that it might be the one, good answer to a healthier and happier self. Here are four reasons to sleep and delay that alarm clock:

There is a recommended duration for adequate sleep

Yes, we know that doctors will initially recommend individuals to sleep adequately for an overall efficient performance throughout the day, but the question is, “how long is good enough?” According to Clare Kittredge of Everyday Health, men and women need at least eight hours of sleep daily.

Dr Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD said, “Sleep is important for mental function: alertness, memory consolidation, mood regulation and physical health.” With this, cutting down sleeping hours in lieu of waking up before sunrise is highly discouraged. Zee further notes that lack of sleep may result in physical constraints and health disorders, such as diabetes and obesity.

Consistency is key, not duration

While sleep duration is a valuable aspect of quality sleep, experts say we should also evaluate the consistency of our sleep patterns. According to Dr James B. Maas, author of Power Sleep, our mentality of “early to bed, early to rise” should be replaced with “consistently to bed, consistently to rise.” Maas said that the value of sleep consistency may even surpass that of sleep duration.

Sleeping in improves memory

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is the phase of deep sleep that is characterised by quick and random eye movements and muscle paralysis, while actively dreaming away. According to Mark Greer of the American Psychology Association, we can empower the brain through mere rest. He further notes, “REM sleep -- is a way for the brain to store new information into long-term memory.”

Sleeping in improves mood

People usually feel tired come afternoon, and Mike Kramer of Spark People has the probable answer why. He suggests that feeling tired at the middle of the day is direct result of an individual’s waking pattern.

While gulping on coffee to kickstart your early day can give you a boost, Kramer said that the energy is only short-lived, citing a research conducted at the Duke University Medical Centre. Kramer then suggests that in order for an individual avoid the adrenaline rush and subsequent, inevitable crash during the day, one must wake up naturally and not force oneself to get up just to get the work done.

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