3. Friday August 06, 2009



MOE: Don’t we all love it! I know I do. ^_^ It’s even better if we have the chance to sleep in late. But not many kanaka are fortunate enough with that luxury. With our high stressed, demanding, and growing lifestyles, the hours we moe decreases. And that can lead to not only mental and physical problems but can be also life threatening.

When we were in kula, we were always told to moe at least 8 hours, especially if we had to take tests the next morning. To be honest, I never understood why I couldn’t just stay up late and have my little fun before I went to bed. But thankfully, my makuahine always made sure I went to bed early. Because little did I know, the less moe we get, the more likely we will have problems the next day and if continued, the problems may unfortunately become permanent.

After some research, I have found the side effects of moe deprivation:

Physiological effects:
1. Dizziness
2. Nausea
3. Headaches
4. Hallucinations
5. Irritability
6. Stress levels increase
7. Memory lapses/loss
8. Temper tantrums (keiki)
9. Depression
10. Anxiety
11. Loss of focus

Physical effects:
1. Aching muscles
2. Possible cramps
3. Tremors
4. Yawning
5. Reduced growth
6. Drowsiness
7. Fatigue
8. Slows healing process
9. Poor quality of life

If moe deprivation is continued without help, then it may develop into chronic moe deprivation or moe disorder. If moe disorder occurs, then the risk of having heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and diabetes is increased. The reason for moe deprivation can be categorized into four different areas: lifestyle, health complications, medicinal side effects, and clinical disorder.

Studies have shown that moe deprivation is one of many causes for obesity. When we don’t get enough moe, it interrupts the balance of the hormones responsible for our appetite. The feeling of “fullness” we get after we eat is called the ghrelin, and the hormone for our appetite or hunger is called the leptin. When the balance between these two hormones is interrupted, leptin increases while ghrelin decreases. Causing us to become hungrier and never feeling “full”, this will lead to obesity. The association between moe deprivation and obesity is found mostly in young and middle-aged adults.

Other studies have also shown that moe deprivation links as a cause of diabetes. Moe deprivation affects the body to metabolize glucose that can lead to early-stage Diabetes Type 2.

We are often told to moe at least 6-8 hours at night. But in reality -- and according to science -- if you feel “bright eyed, bushy tail” during the day with only 5 hours of moe at night, then that is what you technically need. Every kino is unique from the other, so my hours of moe that I need differs from the hours of moe my makua needs.

Moe deprivation affects keiki and makua differently. While makua “slows down” during the day, keiki “revs up”. For first time makua mea keiki, this tip is very helpful for your keiki. It also affects their concentration needed for kula. Their grades will drop and their attention span will decrease. In order for our keiki to do their best in kula, they need to moe.

When we don’t get enough moe our immune system, ability to think, moderate emotions and handling of stress is affected. An increase of stress hormones reduces new cell production in adult brains. The levels of anxiety and depression are also increased, and are sometimes the cause of taking unnecessary risks. Moe deprivation has been the cause in many traffic accidents and death. It has been proven that staying awake for 24 hours will affect our hand-to-eye coordination that is similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1.

But there are solutions to moe deprivation.

1. Don’t drink alcohol and caffeinated drinks before the hours you go to bed.
2. Relax, unwind before you moe.
3. Improve your sleeping environment is necessary (i.e. wearing ear plugs, turn off lights)
4. Purposefully go to bed early.
5. Don’t have any distractions (i.e. TV, computer)
6. Research, get to know about it. Understand.
7. See a doctor if necessary.

Our mind and kino can only handle so much and needs rests from time to time. Just as that cell phone we carry with us everywhere, the battery needs to be charged. Even if you have a lot of tasks to be done and there aren’t enough hours in the day, your health is more important. We need to take care of ourselves in order to succeed as much as we want to in life. Moe is imperative in sustaining our health. If it wasn’t we wouldn’t need to moe, moe wouldn’t even exist. So please remember to relax and get some moe. Imua to a healthy and promising future!!