When you’re in a rush to meet work, school, family, or household responsibilities, do you cut back on your sleep thinking it won’t be a problem?
Like many people, you might think that sleep is merely a “down
time” when the brain shuts off and the body rests. Not true!
Sleep is critical to your health and boasts numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits that are essential for leading a balanced and fulfilling life.
Sleep is a natural, recurring state of rest and reduced consciousness that all living beings, including humans, experience. It is an essential biological process that is crucial for overall health and well-being.
Sleep was long considered just a block of time when your brain and body shut down.
It is now known that sleep has several distinct stages that cycle throughout the night in predictable patterns. Your brain and body functions stay active throughout sleep, but different things happen during each stage.
When you sleep you cycle through two phases, rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. The cycle starts over every 80 to 100 minutes. Usually there are four to six cycles per night. You may wake up briefly between cycles.
Non-REM sleep has 3 stages:
Stage 1. This stage is the transition between wakefulness and sleep.
Stage 2. When you reach stage 2, you are asleep.
Stage 3. Stage 3 is called deep sleep or slow-wave sleep, after a particular pattern that appears in measurements of brain activity. You typically spend more time in this stage early in the night.
NREM sleep is associated with physical restoration, memory consolidation, and the release of growth hormone for tissue repair, growth, and youthfulness.
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep:
During REM sleep, your eyes twitch and your brain is active. Brain activity measured during REM sleep is like your brain’s activity during waking hours.
Dreaming usually happens during REM sleep. Your muscles become limp to prevent you from acting out your dreams. You usually have more REM sleep later in the night.
REM sleep is linked to emotional processing, memory consolidation, and creativity.
Sleep is regulated by a complex interplay of biological factors. These include the circadian rhythm, which is the body’s internal clock that aligns with the 24-hour day-night cycle.
Light and darkness, along with other external cues, help regulate the sleep-wake cycle. This causes you to naturally feel the most tired between midnight and 7 am. and again in the afternoon between 1 pm. and 4 pm.
Sleep isn’t just some neutral function your body carries out. It has profound significance to your health and wellness.
During sleep, cells repair and regenerate, muscles rebuild, and the immune system strengthens. Deep sleep phases are particularly vital for these reparative functions.
Insufficient sleep, on the other hand, can weaken the immune system making you more susceptible to illness.
While we sleep, our brains process and store information acquired throughout the day, allowing us to retain essential knowledge and improve overall learning capabilities.
Lack of sleep can impair concentration, focus, and decision-making skills, leading to lower productivity and higher risk of accidents.
Sufficient rest helps regulate mood and emotions by supporting the brain’s emotional processing center.
Sleep deprivation can contribute to irritability, mood swings, and heightened stress levels, increasing the risk of anxiety, depression, and even pain sensation.
Sleep and metabolism are naturally connected. The hormones that regulate hunger – ghrelin and leptin – are influenced by sleep duration and quality.
Insufficient sleep disrupts this balance, leading to an increased appetite, particularly for high-calorie and unhealthy foods. Over time, this can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
During sleep, blood pressure and heart rate decrease, giving your heart a much-needed break.
Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to elevated blood pressure and increased stress on the heart, raising the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions.
When we rest, our bodies produce less stress hormones, such as cortisol, and release more relaxing neurotransmitters, such as serotonin.
These mechanisms help individuals cope with daily stressors and regulate emotional responses.
Conversely, insufficient sleep amplifies stress levels and makes it harder to handle challenging situations.
For athletes and fitness enthusiasts, sleep is a critical component of achieving peak performance. During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone which aids in muscle repair and recovery.
A well-rested body is more alert, coordinated, and focused, leading to better athletic performance and reduced risk of injuries.
Proper rest allows the body to repair DNA damage and combat oxidative stress, both of which contribute to aging at the cellular level.
Consistently obtaining adequate sleep may play a significant role in promoting longevity and overall health span.
Sleep needs vary from person to person, and they change
throughout the life cycle. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night.
Newborns, on the other hand, sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day. Children in preschool sleep between 11 and 12 hours a day.
School-aged children and teens need at least 10 hours a day.
There is no better example of optimal wellness than to be in harmony with your deepest function… sleep.
Sweet Dreams…
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