Fatigue, Rest And Sleep: Meaning, Importance And Guidelines For Rest And Sleep

Health is an overall state of well-being. Good health depends on many conditions such as good feeding habits, hygiene, safety practices, exercises, rest and sleep. As individuals work and exercise, they get tired. This means that they become fatigued and need rest and sleep.
Fatigue
Fatigue is tiredness. It results in reduced performance of work.
Causes Of Fatigue
It could be caused by:
1. Too much exercise or an over-work of oneself.
2. Illness.
3. Tiredness.
4. Hunger or lack of food.
5. Sadness or unhappiness, anxiety or fear or worry.
6. Dislike for the task in hand.
7. A combination of some of the factors above.
Treatment Of Fatigue
The following are some treatments for fatigue:
1. Take plenty of rest.
2. Eat balanced meals, at least three times daily.
3. Have regular meal times.
4. Avoid over working yourself.
5. Try to stop work before you become too tired.
6. Seek medical treatment whenever you are sick.
7. Whenever you are worried or sad over a personal problem, try to discuss it with your parents, siblings, (brothers and sisters), a good friend or your teacher.
8. Avoid anxiety as much as possible.
Effects Of Fatigue
The following are some of the effects of fatigue:
1. It prevents a person from doing work.
2. It causes unhappiness, irritation and unfriendliness.
3. It makes one feel dull and sluggish. A fatigued person wants to lie down.
Ways Of Preventing Fatigue
1. Avoid doing many tasks all at the same time.
2. Plan your work properly.
3. Use the correct tools for a given work.
4. Alternate tasks that require much energy with those that require less energy. For instance, after doing some gardening (which requires much energy), you then iron few dresses (which requires less energy).
5. Break a big task into smaller tasks and do them in bits.
6. Use the best method for every task.
7. Use the best posture for a given task or work.
8. The work height should be suitable for the worker so as to avoid too much bending or stretching. Too much bending or stretching can cause fatigue.
9. Fix very short rest periods into your work plan. For instance when ironing many articles, you can take 5 minutes break from time to time within the ironing period.
10. Maintain good health and healthy practices.
11. Develop liking for the task you are performing.
12. Quit or stop the work or task before you get tired.
Meaning Of Rest And Sleep
Rest
Rest is the act of relaxing either by sitting or lying down. During rest, the mind and muscles are relaxed but you are still awake and aware or conscious of what is happening around you. You can, for instance, still hear sounds.
Sleep
Sleep is a complete or deeper form of rest. During sleep, you become unaware or unconscious of what is happening around you. At the same time, the body and brain get complete rest.
Importance Of Rest And Sleep
The body needs rest and sleep for the following reasons:
During rest and sleep:
1. The body relaxes.
2. Energy is built up for a future use.
3. Broken body tissues can be repaired and made ready for further activities.
4. Muscles relax, the heart beats more slowly and breathing becomes shallow.
5. Rest is the cure for fatigue or tiredness or fatigue.
6. The night sleep is nature’s way of restoring the energy and rebuilding the body tissues which were used during the day.
7. Getting enough rest and sleep makes you look and feel better.
8. It also gives you the energy you need during the day.
9. When people do not sleep, their ability to concentrate reduces and their physical coordination suffers.
Guidelines For Rest And Sleep
The following guidelines are important for proper rest and sleep:
1. Loosen all tight clothing when you are resting or sleeping.
2. Rest after meals.
3. Rest after strenuous activities or exercises.
4. Rest after school before playing or doing household work.
5. When lying down do not curl up into a ball to sleep. Try to lie long or straight.
6. Maintain good sleeping posture.
7. Go to bed early so as to wake up fresh and ready for the next day’s work.
8. Ensure that your bedroom is well-ventilated.
9. Your bed and mattress should be smooth, firm, comfortable and clean.
10. Your sleeping garments should be loose and soft.