Sleeping Beauties 1: Snoring & Lalanne’s La Pleureuse
Welcome to a new week here on DDoA! I hope you enjoyed last week’s LiTREEture feature. It made me think of how finite human life is, and brief as well. Often times, a tree can outlive a human.
So what do we do in our lifetime? We work, eat, play and sleep..Yes, we sleep, and we sleep a LOT! Can you guess how much of your lifetime is spent sleeping? 1/3. Read more on ASK So I thought, hmmm… if we do a lot of sleeping, then we might as well do it right…hahahahah!
Thus, the inpiration behind this week’s series on “Sleeping Beauties”. I bring you myths and facts about sleep from the National Sleep Foundation of America. They mention ten, thus I will present them to you a couple at a time. And everyday I will also feature a ‘sleeping beauty’ work of art.
How Sleep Works
-an introduction-
“There are many common myths about sleep. We hear them frequently, and may even experience them far too often. Sometimes they can be characterized as “old wives’ tales,” but there are other times the incorrect information can be serious and even dangerous. The National Sleep Foundation has compiled this list of common myths about sleep, and the facts that dispel them…” Read more
Myths & Facts About Sleep (PART 1 of 5)
Information from the National Sleep Foundation of America
Sleep Myth No.1 Snoring is a common problem, especially among men, but it isn’t harmful.
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Sleep Truth No.1 Although snoring may be harmless for most people, it can be a symptom of a life threatening sleep disorder called sleep apnea, especially if it is accompanied by severe daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea is characterized by pauses in breathing that prevent air from flowing into or out of a sleeping person’s airways. People with sleep apnea awaken frequently during the night gasping for breath. The breathing pauses reduce blood oxygen levels, can strain the heart and cardiovascular system, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Snoring on a frequent or regular basis has been directly associated with hypertension. Obesity and a large neck can contribute to sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be treated; men and women who snore loudly, especially if pauses in the snoring are noted, should consult a physician.
Watch this “Myths About Obstructive Sleep Apnea” video on HuffPost Healthy Living
Sleep Myth No.2 You can “cheat” on the amount of sleep you get.
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Sleep Truth No.2 Sleep experts say most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety. When we don’t get adequate sleep, we accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to “pay back” if it becomes too big. The resulting sleep deprivation has been linked to health problems such as obesity and high blood pressure, negative mood and behavior, decreased productivity, and safety issues in the home, on the job, and on the road.
Sleeping Beauty Feature 1
“La Pleureuse”
(The Mourner)
(The Mourner)
Artists: Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne
Location: Hakone Open Air Museum
Kanagawa Perfecture,Japan
The first sculpture I am sharing with you is the smiling and sleeping La Pleureuse figure with leaves adorning its head which I saw at the Hakone Open Air Museum. It was created using trani stone by French sculptors couple, Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne in 1986.
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“La Pleureuse”
Hakone Open Air Museum, Japan
Photo by P.Constancia
“It’s hard not to be captivated by this masterpiece due to its sheer size and presence. It’s a woman’s head with foliage as her hair, lying with her right cheek on the marbled fountain underneath. If you look closely, you can see clear tear marks streaming down her face and into the fountain. Very powerful image, and hard to forget!..” Read more on ireport.cnn I like the contrast of the cold marble and the living green foliage. These elements somehow capture what sleep is — it is a time of surrender (forget your cares of the day and surrender to a period of peace) and a time of healing (your body’s opportunity to repair and rejuvenate itself). |
Read this article: “Why Do We Sleep, Anyway?”on Harvard Med’s Healthy Sleep
DAILY DOSE OF ART 
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