A psychologist, Dr. Charles Ogo, has reiterated the need to have enough good sleep, emphasising that those who do tend to live happier and healthier.
The psychologist, who is also a Marriage Counsellor, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said good amount of sleep was needed to improve mental health, happiness and overall well-being of individuals.
According to him, a good level of sleep will help to reduce stress and promote mental and physical health.
He added that “sleep is needed to let the body rest and recuperate everyday because the body works a lot, even as we sleep.
“A hardworking individual, most times, sees the need not to sleep much because he feels he needs the time to work and achieve much more with limited time.
“However, it is always necessary to rest the body so that the mind can relax and be sharper when awake.
“Not only does sleep rests the mind and promotes good mental health, it also allows the body to strengthen its immune system, needed to fight diseases and prevent illnesses.”
Ogo also said that happiness and well-being of individuals could be determined by how well they slept.
“Many people who do not have rest of mind or are worried about things, tend to sleep less.
“Such people find themselves having short sleep and waking up regularly through the night and this is basically due to the mind working constantly.
“Such situations normally lead to poor mental health situations like depression. This is because the mind is overworked and our mind controls our emotions.
“Having the mind joggle all kinds of issues such as family problems, finances, business, relationships and more, makes it restless, causing poor sleep.”
He, however, said that activities such as physical exercises and meditation could help in relaxing the mind and make individual sleep better.
(NAN)
