The health benefits of sleep, and why it's so important.
Around 27% of adults in the US struggle to fall asleep at night which leads to fatigue in the day.
Because of the busy lifestyles we live nowadays,
people tend to put off sleep because it is inconvenient.
However sleep plays many vital functions in the body which are essential for your health.
In today's video we will explore the 12 important benefits of sleep
and some tips on how to sleep better at night.
1. Anti-Aging When we sleep at night,
our brain releases a hormone called melatonin. This is a powerful antioxidant
which helps to slow down the aging process and fight against oxidation in the body.
2. Skin Quality You will often notice
people who sleep poorly have a puffy face, with dark circles under the eyes.
This is inflammation, and can be easily fixed by going to bed an extra hour early each night.
3. Mental Health Getting lots of restorative
sleep also improves mental health to fight against anxiety and depression. By restoring your natural
sleep/wake cycles, a neurotransmitter called serotonin helps to improve you happiness and mood.
4. Stress Many people suffer with chronic stress.
Over time this can have a very negative effect on the body,
such as the breakdown of muscle and brain fog. Getting at least 8 hours of sleep
each day helps to reduce the stress hormone called cortisol, back into its natural range.
5. Muscle Growth
By keeping cortisol in check, sleeping also helps to protect you against muscle loss
which is common as we get older. Sleeping for at least 8-9 hours is also crucial if you are
looking to grow larger muscles and increase muscle mass. As we enter deep sleep, the pineal gland
in the brain releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which helps protein synthesis for gaining muscle.
6. Immunity When your body gets the sleep it needs, your
immune cells and proteins get the rest they need to fight off viruses, colds and flu infections.
Sleep also causes the body to release hormones that slow breathing, and relax
other muscles in the body. This helps to reduce inflammation and assist with healing the body.
7. Weight Loss If you are following a
weight loss diet plan, you will most definitely need to get more sleep.
Our bodies burn the most calories during REM sleep. Getting an extra nap where
possible will also help to reduce ghrelin the body, a hormone that makes you hungry.
8. Heart Health When you sleep,
there are less demands made on your heart. The blood pressure will drop and your heart
is able to take a break and restore itself. Sleep also keeps cortisol levels managed,
the stress hormone which makes your heart work harder.
9. Safety CAR Studies show that you are twice as likely to
get into a car accident when you only get between 6-7 hours of sleep compared to a full eight hours.
When you have less sleep, your reaction time slows down because the brain is not fully rested.
10. Physical Performance Exercise Performance Those who take part in competitive sports
need to get more sleep to restore their bodies between activities.
Sleep helps to improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time and muscle recovery.
11. Memory As we sleep our brains enter
a state of restoration and balance, which allows it to recharge and reset from the previous day.
Getting at least 8 hours of sleep can improve recall, memory and concentration levels. This
is very important for learning new skills and absorbing information.
12. Hormone Balance Finally, sleep is also
essential for balancing many different hormones in the body that we have not mentioned in today's
video. By improving sleep, the pituitary gland in the brain, also known as the "master gland" helps
to control the entire endocrine system to balance your hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
As you can see, sleep is absolutely essential for a healthy functioning body.
Sleeping less than 7-8 hours per night is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke,
anxiety, and many other chronic diseases.
If you struggle to fall asleep at night, we recommend avoiding caffeinated drinks after 12pm.
Coffee, tea and soda drinks are the main culprits and are rich in caffeine.
Body Clock This stimulant
affects your sleep/wake cycles and spikes the cortisol hormone when consumed in excess.
Long walks in nature also help to calm the adrenal glands and
stabilise your hormones for a deeper and more restorative night's sleep.
You should also try to keep sugar out of the diet as much as possible,
as this affects the blood sugars. You may wake up in the night,
because your blood sugars have dropped causing your body to require more carbohydrates.
Eating more healthy fats such as avocado, coconut oil and grass
fed butter can help you to keep your blood sugars stable for a peaceful night's sleep.
In our next video we will discuss a list of natural remedies for sleeping at night.
We also have lots of other material covering the topic of sleep.
To learn more about this, please select our "Sleep" playlist at the end, or below the video.
Thank you very much for listening, a like is always appreciated and remember to subscribe
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