Are you trying to find a better way to sleep? In this blog article, we’ll discuss the science behind getting enough sleep and how it affects our physical and mental health.
Research by the staff of SweetIslandDreams.com has shown that your mental and physical health is affected by the quantity and quality of your sleep.
It can affect your mood, energy levels, and immune system and even increase the risk of chronic diseases. So, to begin with, let us first understand the science behind sleeping.
Science Behind Sleeping – Keynote upfront!
When we talk about sleep, it’s not just about closing your eyes and lying down. It’s also among the major activities that we do each day. On average, a human spends 36% of their life sleeping.
When you are asleep, your body temperature lowers, and your heart rate slows. Next, your respiration starts slowing down. So when everything starts relaxing, your body’s energy consumption lowers when you sleep.
Are there any Stages of Sleep?
There’re a few stages of sleep that we will explore in this section of the article.
As you know, Sleep is a natural state of rest for your body and mind. The entire body and mind can rejuvenate or recharge during this state. There’re two major types of sleep which are as follows:
- Non-REM (rapid eye movement)
- REM
non-REM (rapid eye movement)
In this type of sleep, our bodies are in a state of relaxation. In this state, our breathing and heart slow down. As the body progresses in this state, it slowly starts to repair and restore itself.
In this type, you usually experience 3 stages. In the first stage, you doze off, and your body progresses to stage 2. In stage 2, our body further slows down its activity. But in this stage, you can get awakened easily.
In stage 3 of non-REM, your body muscles relax even further, and the brain starts to slow its activity even more. This type of sleep is vital for the body’s healing process and can improve memory and thinking.
REM
During REM, our brain is said to be more active; this is the state where we experience dreams. It’s when the brain activity picks up. Most body parts except the eyes and breathing muscles experience temporary paralysis.
The REM state is believed to improve the body’s cognitive functions. Though experts believe that both sleep types have their impact on our bodies, they both play a crucial role in a healthy sleep cycle that delivers quality sleep.
Impact of Sleep on our Physical Health
This section will look at how you can get enough sleep and boost your body’s physical health after learning the science of sleep.
Sound sleep gives you plenty of benefits and significantly impacts your physical health. In contrast, poor sleep quality can increase the risk of various health-related problems. Following are some of the significant impacts of sleep on our physical health.
Impact of Sleeping on the Immune System
So, your immune system is directly impacted by how well you sleep. Our bodies prefer to manufacture the protein cytokines, which fight stress, inflammation, and infection when we sleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep, your body won’t be able to generate enough of this protein. It will increase your chances of illnesses and infections.
Impact of Sleeping on Cardiovascular Health
Maintaining our cardiovascular health is another significant effect of quality sleep on our bodies.
Hence, both your blood pressure and heart rate drop as you sleep. Your heart and blood vessels can relax and heal as a result. On the contrary, you risk developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and a stroke if you don’t sleep enough.
Impact of Sleeping on Weight Management
Not having proper sleep can disrupt the hormones that regulate our appetite. It can make you feel hungry and even crave unhealthy foods, which can increase weight and result in obesity.
Impact of Sleeping on Hormone Regulation
So when you sleep, various hormonal activities occur, like controlling your metabolism, growth, and stress response. But lack of sleep impacts these and disrupts the balance of these hormones, which can further lead to health problems.
Impact of Sleep on our Mental Health
Now we will have a look at how quality sleep can have an impact on your Mental health.
Impact of Sleep on Cognitive Function
It would help to have a proper sleep cycle to maintain your cognitive function. On the other hand, lack of sleep can hamper cognitive function and make it harder to concentrate or remember information. That’s because it directly impacts your memory, learning, and decision-making.
Impact of Sleep on Mood
If you experience a lack of sleep daily, you will find that your mood will frequently keep on changing. And if this continues for a more extended period, you can even increase the risk of developing a mood disorder.
Impact of Sleep on developing Mental Health Disorders
If you lack sleep, your chances of suffering from mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and others increase. You can even experience conditions such as insomnia and sleep apnea.
Impact of Sleep on our Emotional Behavior
Sleep is essential for controlling our emotions. Your brain processes and controls emotions while you sleep, making it simpler to handle stress and mood. In contrast, sleep deprivation might result in more severe and frequent mood changes.
Conclusion – Importance of Sleep in our daily Routine
Given its benefits, how can we prioritize sleep in our daily schedules? We may benefit from pleasant and revitalizing sleep by prioritizing it and forming appropriate sleep habits, resulting in a happier and healthier life.
Healthy sleep practices include following a regular sleep schedule, having a consistent bedtime routine, avoiding stimulating activities right before bed, and establishing a calming sleeping environment.
