If you feel groggy after tossing and turning all night then you wont be surprised to learn that your brain suffers when you cant sleep well The level of rest your body is able to achieve affects nearly every aspect of your life from personal and family productivity to work performance When chronic fatigue or brain fog prevents you from managing your responsibilities and obligations you negatively impact overall organizational development because youre unable to overcome stress and make quality decisions Here are some of the ways your body and brain keep working while you snooze
You Strengthen Your Brains Plasticity
When you sleep your brain is trying to remember anything and everything Your ability to learn and grow depends on your brain adapting to inputs and processing information which happens during sleep When you cant rest you cant sort through the data youve gained meaning you wont be able to recall or remember important events or materials You may think pulling an all nighter is the best way to ace an exam but truthfully sleep is what cements the knowledge in your mind
Your Brain Moves Through Sleep Stages
You dont really notice but you actually go through several stages of sleep after your head hits the pillow During Non REM which happens right after dozing off your brain produces alpha theta and delta waves that help you progress through your light and deep sleep cycles
You Process Information and Memories From the Day Before
Non REM sleep is followed by rapid eye movement or REM sleep where most of your dreams occur You should be experiencing five or six REM cycles each night in 90 minute increments Your brain becomes more active allowing you to organize and commit to memory everything you experienced the previous day While dreaming can occur during both Non REM and REM sleep the latter is where you experience odd creative and unrealistic dreams like nightmares
Your Body Temperature Drops
When you sleep your brain takes over and your body relaxes When your nervous system deactivates your blood pressure drops and breathing slows causing your core temperature to decrease This process is linked to cardiovascular function and helps to sustain heart health over your lifespan When your body reactivates your temp rises acting as a natural signal that its time to wake up and get moving Therefore if you have trouble falling asleep you can signal to your body that its bedtime by cracking a window turning down the heat or using a fan beside the bed
Your Muscles Become Paralyzed
The reason you dont move much throughout the night is that you physically cant It would be very dangerous if you were to physically act out your dreams in an unconscious state Therefore during sleep the frontal cortex of your brain shuts down causing the muscles in your body to experience neurological paralysis This is completely normal but when this process is disrupted or damaged a condition can occur where you wake up unable to move called sleep paralysis
Your Cells and Systems Regenerate
During deep sleep your body repairs damaged tissues and muscles either from normal wear and tear or more extreme physical exertion Youre also able to produce hormones that stimulate the growth and regeneration of cells If you are not able to achieve six to eight hours of sleep per night then your brain wont have time to start the repair process Therefore inadequate sleep can lead to rapid early aging or degenerative disease Along with diet and regular exercise sleep is an essential contributor to optimal fitness both for athletes and average Joes alike
Your Immune System Goes to War
Wheres the one place you want to be when you feel sick Bed right Theres an important reason why Sleep is essential to immune functioning and your body needs this downtime to build defenses and fight infections While youre unconscious your immune system produces cytokines that your body needs to battle harmful agents and promote wellness Medical research shows that people with poor quality sleep are more vulnerable to illnesses and have more difficulty with recovery than healthy individuals
Your Brain Fights Off Depression
Effective sleep helps to balance the neurotransmitters in your brain that regulate your mood When your dopamine serotonin and norepinephrine levels are out of order because you arent getting adequate rest you can experience greater irritability stress anxiety and depression which further negatively impact your overall health Its a vicious cyclewhen you cant sleep you feel anxious and when youre anxious you have difficulty sleeping
Your Skin Cells Rejuvenate
Its not just your brain bones and internal organs that benefit from a good nights sleep Your skin cells have their own circadian cycles and skin health is directly impacted by the number of hours you snooze each night Quality sleep boosts elasticity and hydration as well as blood flow to the skin Sleep deprivation leads to painful conditions in the dermis and epidermis including acne rosacea and psoriasis Dermatologists also recommend a healthy sleep routine to help fight signs of skin aging
You Make the Hormones That Keep You Healthy
While youre off in dreamland your glands work hard to produce and secrete hormones that regulate your sleep cycles helping you to fall asleep and wake up when appropriate Melatonin is the sleep hormone It lets you know its bedtime by making you feel tired and its production relies on your circadian rhythm Levels of cortisol your stress hormone typically drop when youre falling asleep and then rise again when you wake
Additionally your body produces an anti diuretic allowing you to stay asleep through the night without having to disrupt your cycle for the purpose of urination Of course when disordered sleep or other medical conditions are at play frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom or bed wetting can occur resulting in poor rest quality
To give your body its best chance make sleep a top priority in your life You may have many high expectations to meet throughout your week but the best way to accomplish anything is to approach it from a strong and healthy stance Give your brain and body the care they deserve so they can keep you performing at an optimal level
Sometimes we change our sleep habits and still dont get the quality sleep our body and brain craves and needs If nothing is improving your sleep problems you may have sleep apnea Take our insomnia quiz or contact the Alaska Sleep Clinic today
907 770 9104
