Sleep plays a crucial role in keeping the body healthy and for it to function properly. Here are the top 7 reasons how sleep can affect your overall health and wellness.
It Is Good For The Heart
Did you know that the majority of strokes and heart attacks occur during the wee morning hours? Sleep affects how our body interacts with our blood vessels. Inadequate amount of sleep is the result of high cholesterol and increased blood pressure – both of which are risk factors of stroke and heart disease.
Prevent Cancer With Sleep
Fact: People who work during graveyard shifts are at risk of developing colon and breast cancer. Different researches have been conducted on this and it has been found out that when your body is exposed to light, the secretion of melatonin is decreased. In simple terms, the hormone that is responsible for regulating your sleep-wake patterns is your melatonin.
When it’s dark, your body secretes melatonin, which is also the one responsible for signaling your body that it’s time to go to bed. It has also been found out that melatonin is known to stop and fight cancer and even helps suppress the growth of tumors. Make sure that you keep your bedroom dim or dark, without electronics so that your body can produce melatonin as you sleep.
Sleep Helps Fight Stress
Aside from the environmental factors, your body goes into a state of stress when it hasn’t received adequate rest. This means that when you’ve only slept for a couple of hours per night, your body’s functions are automatically put on high alert. This means that your heart works double-time, which may cause high blood pressure, and when this happens, stress hormones are produced.
When you have high blood pressure, you’re at risk of experiencing heart attacks. Also, if your stress hormone levels are high, going to sleep is a little bit more difficult. To lower down those stress hormones, look for different relaxation techniques that could help you wind down and help you get to bed faster.
Reduce Body Inflammation With Sleep
This still has something to do with your stress-hormones. If these levels are high, your body’s inflammation levels are raised. This then results in heart-related diseases, diabetes, and even cancer. It has been found out that body inflammation is one of the most common causes why our body tends to deteriorate as we get older.
Sleep Increases Your Alertness Level
With enough deep sleep, your body will feel more alert and recharged the following day. If you’re active for that day, it doesn’t just make one happy, but it also increases your chances of getting better quality sleep for that night too. If you wake up feeling energized, use that energy to be active – get out in the sun, exercise, explore the world. You’ll notice that your energy levels are much better during the day and that you’ll be able to sleep peacefully at night.
It Significantly Improves Your Memory
Researchers still cannot find an actual link between sleep and drink, but it has been found out through these studies that sleep is a crucial part of the brain’s functions called memory consolidation. As you sleep, your body’s organs start to relax and rest, but the brain doesn’t stop. At this stage, it’s busy organizing your thoughts, building memories and links. And with proper sleep, you’ll notice that you’ll be able to remember things faster and process things easily.
Lose Weight As You Sleep
Yes – it’s true! Studies have found out that people who get less than 7 hours of sleep per night are most likely to be obese or overweight. This is probably because of the lack of sleep causes hormonal imbalances that affect the appetite. These hormones are the leptin and ghrelin – both of which are known for regulating the appetite, and when your body lacks sleep, these hormones are disrupted. If you want to maintain your current weight or lose a little bit more, make sure that you’re getting enough hours of sleep every night.
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