signals to raise body
temperature and produce cortisol. The SCN
also responds to light
by decreasing melatonin secretion, which is
associated with sleep
onset. Melatonin production then increases
during the night and
stays elevated throughout the night, promoting sleep. Thus, it is
important to pay attention to our biological
clock and not disrupt
the sleep-awake cycle.
The
recommended
amount of hours for
a person to sleep is
between 7 to 8 hours.
If you sleep less than
7 hours per day, this
could be cause for concern. Everybody knows
that a bad night sleep
can make people tired
but today the scientific
community has demonstrated that lack of
sleep can also increase
the pre disposition to
metabolic
diseases
such as obesity and
diabetes. The average
17
amount of sleep has
declined by 1.5 hours
over the past century together with an
important increase in
obesity.
In 1999, a study from
Eve Van Cauter from the
University of Chicago
has changed the idea