We've all been told that sleep is important and that we need to get a certain amount of hours a night depending on our age, but do you know why these things are so important to us and our health? The following points will help educate you on why sleep is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle.
1. Sleep Keeps your Heart Healthy
As we sleep our blood pressure and cholesterol levels drop in order for our body to begin to recover from the day that has just been, as the body repairs itself and recovers it is also allowing your heart to rest at a lower beats per minute (BPM) range. Without this our heart will constantly be under stress and complications such as heart attacks and strokes have an increased risk of occurring. So, by getting our 7-9 hours of sleep a night our body can recover and our heart can be relieved of its stress and lower the risk of heart attacks/strokes.
2. Sleep Decreases Stress
When your body is sleep deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body's functions are put on high alert, which causes high blood pressure and the production of stress hormones, such as cortisol. High blood pressure increases your risk for heart attack and stroke, and the stress hormones make it harder to fall asleep. To help improve your sleep and maximise the time while asleep try a night time meditation to calm the mind or reducing your caffeine intake 6 hours prior to sleep.
4. Sleep reduces pain sensitivity
Studies have shown that when a person gets 6 or less hours of sleep a night their body is 60% more susceptible to pain for the following 24 hours, this is due to the body not being able to completely recover during its sleep cycles and so your nerves become even more sensitive to pain, the best way to ensure this doesn't happen is to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
5. Sleep Aids in Weight Loss
Researchers have found that people who sleep fewer than 7 hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It is thought that a lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, which regulate appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep. If you want to maintain or lose weight, don't forget that getting adequate sleep on a regular basis is a huge part of the equation.
In summary, sleep is an often overlooked component of a healthy lifestyle as it helps keep the heart healthy, decrease stress levels, reduce pain and can also assist in weight loss and weight maintenance. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the team and we will be happy to help you anyway we can.
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