Body Mind Soul

Hafsa Waseela is in the medical field pursuing her studies to reach her ultimate vocation in becoming a Lecturer specialising in Oncology and Cancer. She is also an artist, poet and is an active member of a number of Dawah organisations, community associations and charities in the UK and abroad.

- Hafsa Waseela

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) emphasised on the importance of looking after our bodies.

Narrated by Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As (may Allah be pleased with him):

In order to understand how important sleep is, we need to understand what it is and how it works! Many people think sleep is a passive, dormant part of our day-to-day lives. Our brains are functioning actively, whilst we are asleep. In addition, sleep influences our physical and mental health in many aspects.

In our body, we have some chemicals called neurotransmitters that act on different types of nerve cells in the brain. We even have nerve cells in our brainstem that connects the brain with the spinal cord. These nerve cells make neurotransmitters, such as noradrenaline and serotonin; their role is to keep some areas of the brain active, whilst awake.

However, the other nerve cells in the base of the brain function to signal to “switch off” the neurotransmitters that keep us awake, whilst we are asleep. Studies have shown that a chemical called adenosine accumulates in our blood, whilst we are awake and this causes drowsiness. When we are asleep, this chemical gradually breaks down.