Keep The Doctor Away With The Good Night Sleep
It is officially that time of the year when we need to be cautious about the flu in the air. Many people who are extremely sensitive and catch flu very easily. Even when they make sure that they get their room or even the entire house disinfected.
There is one very tiny thing which many people miss out and are not even aware of. You would be surprised to know that not sleeping well deeply affects the immune system, metabolism, reflexes and many other natural processes inside the body. Sleeping well is essential not just for the season of flu, but it should be done throughout the year.
Your body’s immune system gets stronger with this very simple yet very effective habit. A healthy immune system allows you to freely enjoy and do the things that you cherish and that too without an age bar. Even if you have crossed your 70’s and have a strong immune system, you can even expect your body to allow you to do a hardcore workout on a daily basis and for this, all you need to do is, get ample sleep.
Here are some examples and theories which tell us how sleep is so important for a healthy immune system
1. Lack of sleep affects your immune system.
The immune system has multiple processes, and thus it is very complex. There are various cells present in our body, and the white blood cells are responsible for fighting the diseases or keeping the immunity strong. Another type of the white blood cells are T-cells which are mostly focused on destroying the viruses and the bacteria.
The scientists have found through research and study that if you are not sleeping well, the amount of the T-cells can tremendously decrease. With the lack of T-cells, the defence mechanism of the body slows down, and the flu and other viruses can easily infect you.
When you are not getting enough sleep that your body needs, the inflammatory cytokines which are another kind of cells in our body, start increasing.
Although the increase of these cells leads to damage of tissues to a certain level only, it does enough damage which adds to the lack of T-cells and then makes the body very weak and it is eventually succumbed by the flu and other diseases.
2. Lack of sleep can also reduce the response to the fever
Surely nobody likes to have a fever as it a very miserable and uncomfortable feeling, but what we do not know is that fever is also a trick played by the immune system. The extra heat of the body during a fever kills the germs and viruses infecting the body.
When you have a fever, you must have noticed that while you are asleep, your body temperature is higher. This shows that while your body is in the rest mode, the immunity will be stronger. The body takes the advantage of being in no motion, and the disease-fighting cells will get more charged up to fight the against the infection.
When you are not well, it becomes more important to get a sound sleep. This helps your body to get well faster and become strong to fight against any other infections.
3. Extra sleep will not help your immune system
If you are taking the right amount of rest (nine to ten hours of sleep for kids and teens, and seven to eight hours for the grown-ups), you can expect to have a healthy immune system.
Just like all other good habits, an excess of sleep is also not so good. You also need to have healthy habits along with sound sleep. Like working late night and then sleeping till afternoon can also be bad for you. Best thing is to sleep early, have your meals at routine intervals, and also give some workout to your body.
Sometimes it is even your mattress which you should consider replacing if you are not able to sleep for at least 7 hours in one stretch. An uncomfortable mattress can give you a body ache and a bad posture in the long run. If you need help in finding the right mattress for yourself, do consider having a word with your friends at Beds4U. At Beds4U we can assure you that you will be able to find the right mattress for a comfortable sleep. Stop by today to find the perfect mattress for you!
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
-
83% Yes
-
14.4% No
-
2.6% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
THE ORNAMENTAL BRICK COTTAGE (corner Trafalgar & Manukau)
Corner called Robin's Corner after grocers shop there.
Passengers on all types of conveyances, Horse drawn bus from the late 1870's, then Electric trams from 1903 to 1956, and Diesel and Trolley buses from 1956, down to the present day, evinced an absorbing interest in the brick cottage which stood in Trafalgar Street, adjacent to Manukau Road, Onehunga.
The neat appearance, clean and wholesome, looking as though it was hosed down every day of its existence, was the subject of much speculation of latter day viewers. There were to be found in the ranks of the historians of Onehunga, some who said that the pretty little cottage had been built by a New Zealand Royal Fencible in the 1847-56 period. Others, however, considered it was erected by a discharged Fencible in the 1860s. Some said it was erected by the Government for the senior-sergeant of Fencibles stationed in Onehunga.
All conjectures of the would-be-pundits led to a private investigator delving into the old records to answer an inquiry directly submitted to the Onehunga Borough Council by an Arts Diploma holder of the Elam School of Arts. The Town Clerk, the late Mr. Norman L. Norman ascertained from a reliable source that the brick cottage stood on a part allotment of land which belonged to John Beattie, a Fencible, ex¬ Royal Marines, who came to New Zealand with the Fifth Division of pensioners on the troopship "Berhampore" arriving at Auckland on June, 16th, 1849. The original grant of a contracted area of land, something greater than one acre, situated at the corner of Manukau Road and Trafalgar Street, was issued to John Beattie in 1856. The corner, thereafter, was known as Beattie's Corner, and retained this appellation until Mr. J. Robins built his store in the late 1880's on a site opposite to John Beattie's acre, when the name was Robin's corner, supplanting Beattie's Corner.
The purchaser of the section on which the cottage stood was Thomas Henry Massey, believed to be a Midlander from England. Massey was noted for his flair for artistic construction in brick and it is said that he was responsible for the design of the facades of the Branches erected by the Auckland Savings Bank in Newmarket and Onehunga in 1885.
The house in Trafalgar street, with a chimney at either end, its slate roof and white stone ornamental facings, was an object of interest to local residents and horse drawn bus passengers as well, while it was being erected.
The bricks were made at Avondale to Massey's specifications, and any that did not measure up to the standard required by the builder were rejected.
The actual year in which the cottage was built is not recorded in archives of the Borough Council. But two residents who were asked about 30 years ago, (1934) to fix a year which would be approximately correct, said that the cottage was occupied by Thomas Massey in 1878.
The edifice being finished off at the present moment is a bit different from what was originally there as described above.