Ukulala—Ngaba Kuyimfuneko Okanye Yinkcitha-xesha?

KWABANYE ABANTU, ukulala yinkcitha-xesha. Bakhetha ukuzixakekisa ngomsebenzi nolonwabo, baze balale kuphela xa bediniwe. Ukanti kwelinye icala, abantu abadla ngokuphuthelwa banokwenza nantoni na ukuze bafumane ubuthongo obumnandi.

Kutheni kunzima kwabanye abantu ukuba buhle ubuthongo, ngoxa kukho abantu abaxolele ukwenza nantoni na ukuze bangalali? Ngaba sifanele sigqale ukulala njengento eyimfuneko okanye eyinkcitha-xesha? Ukuze siphendule le mibuzo, sifanele sazi ukuba kwenzeka ntoni kuthi xa silele.

Ummangaliso Wokulala

Eneneni ayaziwa eyona nto ibangela ukuba umntu ozele aze alale. Noko ke, abaphandi bafumanise ukuba ukulala kulawulwa yinkqubo entsonkothileyo yokusebenza kwengqondo.

Njengoko sikhula, iyatshintsha indlela esilala ngayo. Usana lulala izihlandlo eziliqela ngosuku yaye zithi zakudityaniswa ezo zihlandlo, zenze iiyure ezili-18. Iingcali ngoko kwenzekayo emntwini xa elele zithi nangona abanye abantu abadala belala iiyure ezintathu kuphela ngosuku ukuze babe balele ngokwaneleyo, abanye kufuneka balale iiyure ezilishumi.

Uphando lwakutshanje lubonisa ukuba ngenxa yokuba ingqondo yethu isebenza ngeendlela ezahlukahlukeneyo, kolunye ulutsha kunzima ukuvuka kusasa. Inkqubo yokusebenza kwengqondo iyatshintsha xa sifikisa nto leyo ebangela ukuba ulutsha oluninzi lufune ukulala ebusuku kakhulu luze luvuke emini. Le yinto eqhelekileyo yaye ngokuthe ngcembe iyaphela xa umntu sele eza kugqiba iminyaka yeshumi elivisayo.

Ukusebenza kwengqondo kulawulwa yincindi yamadlala, yaye indlela olusebenza ngayo uninzi lwala madlala sele isaziwa ngoku. Elinye lawo yi-melatonin, idlala ekucingelwa ukuba lenza umntu ozele. Imelatonin iveliswa ebuchotsheni yaye ezinye izazinzulu zikholelwa ukuba yenza ukuba umzimba utyhafe aze umntu ozele. Njengoko ubuchopho buvelisa imelatonin, ubushushu bomzimba buyehla yaye liba lincinane igazi eliya ebuchotsheni uze umzimba ube tyokololo. Kwenzeka ntoni emntwini xa elele?

‘Esona Sondlo Somzimba’

Malunga neeyure ezimbini emva kokuba silele, siqalisa ukuqhwanya-qhwanyaza. Emva kokufumanisa oku, izazinzulu zathi mabini amanqanaba okulala: kukho inqanaba elibizwa ngokuba yi-REM [rapid eye movement (ukuqhwanya-qhwanyaza)] nelibizwa ngokuba yi-non-REM. I-non-REM inokwahlulwa-hlulwa ibe ngamanqanaba amane. Xa umntu ekobentlombe, uba kwi-REM izihlandlo eziliqela aphinde abe kwi-non-REM.

Umntu uphupha kakhulu xa ekwi-REM. Ngeli xesha umzimba uphumla ngokwaneleyo nto leyo ebangela ukuba umntu avuke ehlaziyekile. Ukongezelela koko, abanye abaphandi bakholelwa ukuba ngeli xesha, inkcazelo entsha ibetheleleka ngakumbi engqondweni.

Xa umntu ekobentlombe (inqanaba lesi-3 nele-4 le-non-REM), iblood pressure yakhe iyehla ize nentliziyo yakhe ibethe kancinane nto leyo ebangela ukuba imithambo yakhe iphumle yaye oku kunciphisa amathuba okuhlaselwa sisifo sentliziyo. Ukongezelela, idlala lokukhula liveliswa ngakumbi xa umntu ekwi-non-REM, kolunye ulutsha idlala lokukhula liveliswa ngokuphindwe izihlandlo ezingama-50 ebusuku kunasemini.

Kwakhona, kubonakala ngathi ukulala kuyayichaphazela indlela esitya ngayo. Izazinzulu zifumanise ukuba wayechanile uShakespeare xa esithi ukulala “sesona sondlo somzimba.” Xa umntu engalali ngokwaneleyo, ingqondo icinga ukuba akatyi ngokwaneleyo. Xa silele, amadlala avelisa ileptin eninzi yaye leli dlala elibangela ukuba sizive sihluthi. Xa singalali ngokwaneleyo, imizimba yethu ivelisa ileptin encinane yaye loo nto ibangela ukuba sifune iicarbohydrate ezingakumbi. Ngoko ukungalali ngokwaneleyo kubangela ukuba sitye iicarbohydrate ezininzi, nto leyo enokubangela ukuba sityebe ngokugqithiseleyo.—Bona ibhokisi ethi “Ukuthi Ngqwa Emva Kwemini,” kwiphepha 13.

Ukulala Kusenza Sihlale Sisempilweni

Kodwa akuphelelanga apho. Xa silele, kuba lula ukuba imizimba yethu ibulale amadlala abangela ukuba saluphale nanokwenza ukuba sibe nomhlaza. Kuhlolisiso lwakutshanje olwenziwa yi-University of Chicago, kwayalelwa abafana abali-11 ukuba balale iiyure ezine kuphela ngosuku, kangangeentsuku ezintandathu. Ekupheleni kweli xesha, iiseli zabo zazisebenza ngathi zezomntu oneminyaka engama-60 ubudala yaye umlinganiselo weinsulin egazini labo wawulingana nowomntu onesifo seswekile! Kwakhona, ukungalali ngokwaneleyo kubangela ukuba yehle imveliso yeeseli ezimhlophe neyedlala icortisol nto leyo enokubangela ukuba sasulelwe lula zizifo size sibe nesifo sentliziyo.

Ngokungathandabuzekiyo, ukulala kusenza sihlale sisempilweni emzimbeni nasengqondweni. Ngokutsho komphengululi uWilliam Dement, owaseka iziko lokuqala lokuphanda ngoko kwenzekayo emntwini xa elele kwiYunivesithi yaseStanford eUnited States, “ukulala yenye yezinto ezinokubangela ukuba siphile ixesha elide.” UDeborah Suchecki, umphengululi kwiziko eliphanda ngoko kwenzekayo emntwini xa elele eSão Paulo, eBrazil uthi: “Ukuba abantu bebenokuyazi into eyenzeka kumzimba womntu ongalali ngokwaneleyo, bebeya kucingisisa nzulu ngengcamango yokuba ukulala yinkcitha-xesha yaye kokwamavila.”—Bona ibhokisi engasentla.

Kodwa ngaba ukulala kuyahlaziya? Kutheni abanye abantu belala ubusuku bonke kodwa bavuke bengahlaziyekanga? Inqaku elilandelayo liza kukunceda uqonde izizathu zokuba abanye abantu baphuthelwe lize likucacisele ngoko unokukwenza ukuze uphucule indlela olala ngayo.

[Ibhokisi/Umfanekiso okwiphepha 13]

IMIPHUMO YOKUNGALALI NGOKWANELEYO

IMIPHUMO EBONAKALA NGOKUKHAWULEZA

◼ Ukozela

◼ Ukusuka uqumbe ngaphandle kwesizathu

◼ Ukulibala izinto ezisandul’ ukwenzeka

◼ Ukungakwazi ukusebenzisa ubuchule, ukucwangcisa izinto nokusebenza

◼ Ukungakwazi ukunikela ingqalelo

IMIPHUMO EBONAKALA EMVA KWEXESHA ELIDE

◼ Ukutyeba ngokugqithiseleyo

◼ Ukwaluphala ngaphambi kwexesha

◼ Ukuhlala udiniwe

◼ Ukwasulelwa lula zizifo, isifo seswekile, isifo sentliziyo nokukhathazwa sisisu

◼ Ukulibala

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 13]

UKUTHI NGQWA EMVA KWEMINI

Ngaba ukhe wozele kakhulu emva kwesidlo sasemini? Loo nto isenokungabi ngumqondiso wokuba akulali ngokwaneleyo. Ukozela emva kwemini yinto eqhelekileyo kuba ngelo xesha liyehla iqondo lobushushu bomzimba. Ngaphezu koko, izazinzulu zifumanise ukuba ingqondo yethu ivelisa iprotini ebizwa ngokuba yihypocretin okanye iorexin eyenza ukuba sihlale sidlamkile. Ihypocretin idibana njani nokutya?

Xa sisitya, imizimba yethu ivelisa ileptin eyenza sizive sihluthi. Kodwa ileptin yenza ukuba ingqondo yethu ivelise ihypocretin encinane. Ngamany’ amazwi, xa kukho ileptin eninzi engqondweni, iba ncinane kakhulu ihypocretin yaye loo nto ibangela ukuba sozele. Mhlawumbi yiloo nto ebangela ukuba kwamanye amazwe abantu bakhethe ukuthi ngqwa emva kwesidlo sasemini.

[Igrafu ekwiphepha 12]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

AMANQANABA OKULALA

Igrafu eyenziwe lula

Amanqanaba Okulala

Xa umntu ehleli

I-REM

I-Non-REM

Xa elele 1

2

3

Xa ekobentlombe 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Iiyure Zokulala