The most natural way to renew and restore your body and mind is by getting a good night's sleep.
Although you may feel like your body is shutting down when you crawl into bed, sleep is actually a time when your body gets busy restoring and repairing different functions. Sleep is also the prime time for the body to get its hormones back to a healthy level. It is not surprising therefore that getting proper sleep following surgery is an important part of the healing process.
While you’re sleeping, your body is still working hard to keep you healthy. Keep reading to learn about the surprising things that happen while you’re floating off to dreamland.
Your immune system kicks into high gear when you’re getting those zzz’s.
Research suggests that the immune system increases the production of certain proteins that fight disease during sleep. So if you’re starting to get sick, call it an early night and your body will thank you.
Brain activity in the cortex drops by about 40 percent in the first phases of sleep.
During the later stages of the night, brain activity increases.
During REM sleep, your muscles “are relaxed to a point of virtual paralysis.”
But while your body is still, this is when your most vivid dreams occur.
Sleep is prime time for energy conservation, repair, and growth.
Your adrenaline levels drop, and the human growth hormone is produced, which helps grow and maintain your muscles and tissue.
Your body temperature falls.
While you sleep, your body temperature drops, along with certain hormones like adrenaline. This makes it easier to sleep deeply and gives your body a chance to rebuild.
“Beauty sleep” is actually a real thing.
Your skin rebuilds itself more quickly while you sleep, which can help with tissue repair and cell growth.
Your throat muscles relax—which can also cause snoring.
As you fall asleep, the relaxation of your throat muscles causes the throat to get narrower with each inhale. For some people, this can lead to snoring or even sleep apnea.
Turns out there’s a reason your mouth is dry in the morning.
Salivary flow is reduced during sleep, which makes sense since most of us don’t sleep-eat.
Sleep gives your muscles much-needed R&R.
Keeping your body still gives your muscles a chance to repair themselves, but studies suggest that you don’t need to necessarily be asleep to trigger muscle rebuilding.
Your heartbeat slows down while you sleep.
The heart rate decreases by between 10 and 30 beats per minute during sleep, which makes your blood pressure go down and keeps you relaxed.
The digestive system slows down, too.
This is why they tell you not to eat right before sleeping—the digestive system gets slower while you rest, so your food isn’t immediately converted into energy.
Your appetite hormones are regulated.
Your sleeping body suppresses ghrelin (a hunger hormone) and stimulates leptin (a hormone that controls your appetite).
Sleeping may help you ace that test.
An all-nighter might not be the best bet before your big test—sleeping may be related to creating brain pathways for memory and learning.
It’s good for your mind, too.
Sleeping allows not just your body but also your mind to rest, giving you the energy you’ll need to get through the day. You’ll be sharper and better prepared to make tough decisions.
Stress hormone levels are different while you’re sleeping.
Scientists say that this can help alleviate inflammation, which is linked to diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.
Sleep can get you going in more ways than one.
According to WebMD, “a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that women who slept better also had more sexual desire.”
Your skincare products may be more effective.
Since blood flow to the skin increases at night, any creams or lotions you use will be absorbed more quickly. Plus, if you use over-the-counter retinol, it will be more effective if it’s not exposed to sunlight.
It lowers your stress levels.
Sleeping more helps you manage stress, and if you’ve got a stress-induced condition like acne or eczema, shuteye can be super beneficial.
The kidney function slows down while you’re sleeping.
That’s why you (hopefully) don’t have to get up and pee a million times a night.
Your skin’s oil production slows down.
Sebum (aka oil) excretion is at its lowest while you sleep, so slather on the moisturizer to make up for the water loss.
LAST WORD.
The fact is, sleep is super important. When you’re getting in eight hours a night, you’re helping your body stay in the best possible condition, inside and out. The next time you find yourself staring at your phone at 3 a.m., give yourself a break and get some shuteye.
Stop depriving yourself of sleep, just because you want to make ends meet, or you want to finish a movie series! We can’t cheat nature; we pay for sleep deprivation, sooner or later. Our need for sleep differs with our age: while an adult may require 7-8 hours of sleep, a new-born may need 17-18 hours of sleep in a day. Siestas are also beneficial. However, for adults, too much sleep, like too much of every other thing, is not good!
Keep a regular sleep schedule — have a “sleeping time” and a “waking up time”. Avoid coffee and exercise before going to bed. It’s best if you can wake up without the help of an alarm or any disturbance.
If you are having problems sleeping, see a doctor, because sleep is so important it is impossible to live an optimum life without it. Obey nature, and you will be grateful you did!
How was your night?