If you’ve ever experienced lack of sleep, you’ll appreciate the difference it makes to your energy levels, focus, mood… it’s a long list of detrimental side effects. And, let’s face it, almost everyone has gone through it at least once. Sleep deprivation is typically a symptom of another issue, and the range of issues it could be related to is vast. This is from situational, such as having a newborn child, to physical issues such as chronic pain and then the myriad of mentally taxing issues that can affect it: stress, anxiety and depression to name a few. Often, the symptom of no sleep can perpetuate and worsen the issue that caused the sleep problems in the first place. So, yes, we know sleep is important, but why is it such an important element to almost all aspects of overall physical and mental health and wellbeing?
How sleep heals the body for better health
When we sleep, while it makes us feel rested, our bodies don’t stop working. Instead, it uses the time to repair and restore. During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, hormones are released by the pineal (for melatonin, to keep you in a deeper state of sleep) and pituitary gland (for growth hormones) to repair body tissue, cardiovascular function, regulate blood pressure and breathing, and strengthen the immune system response and appetite. Conversely, the lack of REM sleep degenerates these functions and the body experiences an inability to grow, repair and heal, and the onset of disease and health ailments (from mild to chronic) is at greater risk of developing.
When well rested, your body continues to heal through waking hours, too. Instead of surviving in a state of deficit, stealing from your energy sources just to sluggishly get through the day, it is able to function as intended. When you aren’t well rested, and relying on borrowed energy, this is when you become ‘rundown’ – quite literally, you are running out of backup energy resources and will eventually find yourself experiencing responses such as anxiety, depression, panic and illness. Find out how much sleep you should be having.
How sleep repairs the brain
Speaking of anxiety, depression and panic… when we sleep well, the physically exhaustive path to mental health ailments is at far less risk of eventuating. This is not to say that a good night’s sleep is a silver bullet for chronic or genetic mental health issues, but the act of sleeping does work to help repair the parts of the brain that can make these ailments significantly worse.
Similarly to your body, during REM sleep, your brain goes into superpower mode, accelerating its activity (demonstrated in the measure of peaked brain wave bursts during sleep), and you will generally experience vivid dreams in this period.
Sleep rejuvenates neurotransmitters to organise the brain’s neural networks that strengthen memory, mental alertness and the ability to engage in comprehensive, problem solving thinking.
The mental and physical connection to sleep, and its ability to strengthen both, makes it one of the most influential and vital elements to any treatment plan for ailments. It’s our own inbuilt healing mechanism that is equally our hardest working asset, and our most fragile for risk of malfunctioning. If you are having trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep, talk to us today about pathways to reach a better, more restful and consistent sleep pattern. Your overall health may depend on it.
