How Sleep Impacts Physical and Mental Health
Sleep provides your body and brain with the opportunity to rest, repair, and regenerate in various ways. It also helps strengthen your immunity to fight off illness more effectively.
Sleep is divided into two phases, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Your brain and body respond differently during these stages, promoting memory consolidation, learning, and other essential processes.
Brain Function
Sleep is an integral component of human life. It regulates brain-activating hormones, helps you retain memories, and keeps stress levels at a manageable level.
It’s also a cleansing process that eliminates toxins that accumulate during the day, such as beta amyloid metabolites. These substances have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Sleep is essential for producing brain-stimulating hormones like serotonin and norepinephrine, which help you to remain emotionally stable and make informed decisions.
Research has indicated that lack of sleep can have detrimental effects on mental health in several ways. For instance, one study discovered that mice who were sleep-deprived developed more deposits of the protein beta amyloid in their brains compared to controls; this accumulation of toxic metabolites has been linked to memory and thinking problems as well as an increased risk for dementia.
Immune System
Sleep plays an essential role in strengthening the immune system by keeping bacteria, viruses and parasites at bay. It also encourages your body to produce protective substances like antibodies and cytokines – substances which fight off infections.
A 2009 study revealed that people who sleep less than 7 hours each night are three times more likely to get a cold. This may be because their immune systems are more active during rest, making them primed to fight germs more effectively.
Sleep and the immune system have a complex relationship, but it is believed to be essential for maintaining overall wellbeing. For those living with chronic illnesses, however, sleeping more may help alleviate symptoms as it decreases the chance of them worsening.
Recently, a study conducted on mice revealed that lack of sleep can alter the number and structure of immune cells. Researchers collected blood and cell samples from full-night sleepers and those who slept 90 minutes less per night for six weeks. The results revealed that those participants who slept less had altered DNA structures in their immune cells.
Respiratory System
Sleep is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing. Achieving adequate amounts of snooze each night helps strengthen the immune system, reduce stress levels and enhance memory recall.
The respiratory system consists of airways, lungs and blood vessels that carry oxygen to cells in your body. Additionally, it eliminates waste gases like carbon dioxide from your system.
The diaphragm, a large dome-shaped muscle under your lungs, helps you breathe. Not only that but other parts of the respiratory system also warm, humidify and filter airways to protect them from irritants while providing you with oxygen-rich airways.
The respiratory system is an essential organ of human life. It helps oxygenate cells and remove waste gases that could accumulate in your bloodstream if left unchecked.
Heart Health
Though many are aware that poor sleep is associated with high blood pressure and an increased risk for heart disease, it’s essential to comprehend how sleep affects physical wellbeing as well.
Sleeping enough is one of the best ways to reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke. According to the American Heart Association, it helps manage cholesterol and blood pressure levels – both critical elements in maintaining a healthy heart.
Sleep is also essential for mental health. Lack of shut-eye can cause stress, which in turn increases the likelihood of depression and other mental health conditions.
Maintaining a regular schedule is another essential element for good sleep. Aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
