Sleep: A Time for Healing
Sleep deficiency affects the health of your body and mind in ways you would not expect.
Studies conclude that consistent lack of sleep is due to illnesses including colds, the flu, diabetes, hear disease, mental health, and obesity. It is common to wonder if getting sufficient amounts of sleep keep you from sickness. The answer to this frequent thought is yes; sleep does help protect you from sickness.
Sleep is a time of repair for your body. During sleep your hormones and immune system act differently as they aim towards recovering your body. With a weak immune system your cells are unable to be repaired and your body inefficiently fights illness.
Colds and the flu, heart disease, diabetes, brain function and mental health, and obesity are all impaired by lack of sleep. At least seven hours of sleep a night may improve these illnesses.
Let’s take the common cold or flu for example. When you are sleep deprived your body calls for more energy. This worn out feeling is a hint that your body is at risk to face illness. Lack of sleep only makes your illness worse and your body weaker. Since your body is in need of energy, in need of sleep, it becomes less sufficient at fighting off the disease. Your body’s slow response makes it difficult to act proficiently toward the vaccine that would adequately build up antibodies to fight off the disease.
Insufficient sleep also links to heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes. Without a good amount of sleep your cardiovascular system responds with inflammation in the blood vessels and arteries. This unrelieved inflammation puts your body at risk.
When you are deprived of sleep your body is working at a slower rate. Lack of sleep causes your body to develop unhealthy ways. The main problem in type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. Not enough sleep leads to your body not making proper use of insulin, a sugar-processing hormone. This issue is similar to the insulin resistance of diabetes.
Studies have found some important things about sleep. Did you know that decreased hours of sleep for six consecutive nights healthy men showed impaired glucose acceptance ? Another study we reviewed indicated that individuals in their late 20s and early 30s who slept less than six and a half hours per night had the same insulin activity of someone above the ago of 60.
Sleep deprivation affects simple day-to-day tasks as well. Driving, for example, is greatly affected by lack of sleep. One who is acting under only a few hours of sleep is inept to good judgment. You may think you are driving safely and your performance at work is well, but you are most likely incorrect.
Not getting enough sleep puts you at risk of obesity. It has been studied over the past decade that there is a link between sleep deprivation and obesity for both adults and children. One study showed that people who slept five hours a night were 73% more likely to become obese when compared to individuals getting seven to nine hours of sleep. Childhood obesity is especially related to lack of sleep.
With lack of sleep comes hormonal imbalances that cause your body to become unstable. Hormonal imbalance can also cause hot flashes and night sweats
which we all know can interfere with sleep as well. This instability leads to your body to become weak and to ultimately not have the strength to perform to the best of its ability.
There is a way to solve this unwanted problem, get a good night sleep. A sufficient amount of sleep gives the body time to heal and repair, allowing you to be healthy.
