What's The Point of Sleeping?
The three pillars of a healthy life are good nutrition, regular exercise, and proper sleep. Nutrition and exercise are well known for the internal and external benefits if you are conscious of your health. Sleep, on the other hand, is something people overlook or disregard.
During sleep, vital processes happen within our bodies. Sleep is extremely a serious process enough for a sleep consultant to be a profession.
Researches about disorders of the sleep wake cycle, managing sleep disorders in the elderly and teens, and figuring out signs and symptoms of sleep disorders are prominent.
A sleep consultant is a medical professional who studies the effects and methods of sleep while helping people who struggle to sleep.
So, what's the point of sleeping? Here are 5 essential reasons why sleep is important.
Sleep Eliminates Toxins in our Brain
When you're awake, toxins are built and compiled within the brain because of how your body burns up energy.
As you go to sleep, toxins are flushed. The flow rate of your cerebrospinal fluid increases twenty times when you're asleep. Toxins, if not flushed, are harmful to your brain and body. This is why sleep is important.
New Learned Information is Integrated When You Sleep
Anything you learn today will be processed and stored by your brain once you're asleep.
If you have an upcoming test the next day, you need to sleep. Cramming won't be useful if you also pull an all-nighter because your brain won't integrate the information you tried to learn and the ones you previously learned.
The integration of past and new information happens during the Rapid Eye-Movement Sleep (REM), a stage associated with vivid dreams.
Sleep Prevents Physical Diseases
Not sleeping properly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Individuals who lack sleep, or who don't sleep at night over a 5-year period, as stated by Dr. Charles A. Czeisler, a sleep consultant, explained that there's a 300% chance of calcification build up in your coronary arteries.
Sleep also strengthens your immune system.
Lack of sleep may decrease your antibody responses into half. This makes you susceptible to immune diseases and can quickly get you sick.
Nutrition Is Affected By Lack of Sleep
Your body's metabolic system or your capacity to metabolize is affected by sleep. Sleep is linked with appetite.
If you're not sleeping, your body releases more hormones of ghrelin and fewer hormones called Leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that makes you more hungry, and Leptin is the hormone that makes you feel satisfied with what you ate, which decreases your appetite.
When you're on a diet and don't correctly sleep, 75% of the weight you lose won't be the fats in your body, but your lean body mass. Your lean body mass is part of your body's composition, which involves your organs' weight.
Lack of Sleep Lessens The Effect of Insulin
At the Brigham and Women's Hospital, a study was done to restrict test subjects from sleeping and shift the timing of when they sleep. After the 2-3 week study, they concluded that healthy individuals were classified in the pre-diabetic stage after the study.
Lack of sleep decreases the effect of insulin in your body. Insulin is a hormone in the pancreas that makes your body convert sugar into carbohydrates. If insulin isn't working, an increase in blood sugar levels and body weight happens.
Sleep regenerates the body and your brain. Sleep problems, if untreated, may result in sleeping disorders. Managing sleeping disorders in the elderly, adults, teens, and kids can be very tricky. It's essential to be aware of the signs and symptoms of sleep disorders so that you can manage it.
Related Article: How Do I Know If I Have A Sleeping Problem?
If you're having trouble sleeping, it's important to consult a medical professional. A mental health professional or a sleep consultant can help you with your sleep hygiene.
