If sleep is not important to you, then check what significance it has in everyday life! And remember, not only quantity but also quality matters - you will not regret it.
In everyday life, you can meet many people for whom sleep is the most important thing. It could be said that they almost celebrate every moment they can devote to nighttime rest. Logically, who does not like to sleep, right?
All the same, there are people who downplay the role of sleep and its impact on the body. If you think it is better to stay up all night and work, or play on the computer a little longer, you are mistaken. Of course, sometimes there is no other option, but if you have a choice, do not hesitate - go to bed and let your body rest.
Sleep and the Circadian Rhythm
Sleep is an underrated factor, which, as it turns out, is one of the biggest mistakes. Especially if staying up all night happens quite often. To be honest, it is proper sleep of sufficient quality and duration that affects a huge number of mechanisms that determine mental well-being, energy for action, motivation, mental functions, health, or even immunity.
Not to mention that it can help with body shaping... Shift workers may have a big problem. Adjusting the circadian rhythm, with a sudden switch to night shifts, is quite a shock for the body.
It is worth noting that the circadian rhythm is closely linked to hormones. The key issue is the secretion of cortisol, the stress hormone. Naturally, its level is highest in the morning. However, if you leave aside situations that cause it to rise (e.g. the period after physical exertion), it would gradually decrease as the day goes on.
Mahammeda's work quite clearly shows that an elevated cortisol level is also associated with an increased risk of depressive states. It should also be mentioned that shift workers are in a group at risk of more frequent viral infections.
During nighttime rest, both physical and mental regeneration takes place. Therefore, it can safely be said that sleep can provide conditions for the body to function optimally. What is the use of energy if we feel sleepy and our motivation drops? And vice versa, what use is motivation if we have no strength to act, or are unable to focus?
The fact is that most people sleep too little for psycho-physical regeneration to proceed properly. According to the sources, an average of 7h (up to 9h) should be devoted to nighttime rest. In some circumstances, a nap is also advisable.
Interestingly, the times of going to bed and getting up are not insignificant either. This is especially true when it comes to adrenal renewal, which is most intense between 21:00 and 1:00. Believe me, downplaying this factor and bringing yourself to the point of adrenal fatigue will not do you any good...
Lack of Sleep Damages Health
Sleep matters, if only because it is a kind of regulator of hormonal and neural processes. In addition, taking care of it, in terms of both quantity and quality, not only improves concentration, but also has a positive effect on memory and energy balance the next day. It also improves tolerance to stress, which is one of the factors promoting the development of serious diseases.
Many people may be surprised, but sleep deficits negatively affect the body's blood sugar regulation. Studies confirm that lack of proper nighttime rest disrupts the course of physiological processes related to metabolic changes.
What's more, it is correlated with problems with glycaemia, including insulin sensitivity and diabetes. Stress itself and the hormone associated with it have a considerable share in the development of insulin resistance, from which it is only a short step to diabetes. Cortisol imbalances, high exposure to stress, and impaired insulin sensitivity are also not beneficial for our figure.
Sleep deficits are associated with elevated levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone), which stimulates appetite. Everything is fine when ghrelin remains in balance with the opposite hormone, leptin (the satiety hormone). Otherwise, this leads to increased food intake and, consequently, energy intake. We then deal with persistent hunger.
An imbalance between hormones that to some extent determine body weight does not bode well. Especially since we are additionally dealing with fluctuations in blood sugar levels, insulin spikes, and reduced sensitivity to this hormone.
All of this leads to excessive storage of body fat and obesity, which has long been regarded as one of the diseases of modern civilization.
Arlet Nedeltcheva's studies confirm that people who do not get enough sleep consume larger amounts of food, snack more, and as a result gain weight faster and show considerable difficulty getting rid of stored fat. Obesity, in turn, is one of the factors promoting, among other things, the development of cardiovascular diseases.
People who do not get enough sleep also more often deal with chronic inflammation. Interestingly, inflammation of this type is not considered exceptionally dangerous, compared with, for example, acute inflammation. All the same, it can last for a very long time, during which there is increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha.
The fact is that chronic inflammation increases the risk of many diseases, such as insulin resistance, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, the aforementioned cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer. In addition, it accelerates cellular aging processes.
Long and Deep Sleep, and Immunity
It has been proven that proper sleep supports maintaining the balance between cortisol and melatonin (the sleep hormone). If there are indications for it, you can use
supplements.
Melatonin coordinates our internal biological clock. This hormone is able to control inflammatory responses and stimulate immune processes, also in conditions that impair immune function (e.g. when taking immunosuppressive agents). It also limits an excessive immune response in autoimmune diseases.
According to studies, proper sleep affects the number of immune cells, has an immunoregulatory effect, and significantly reduces susceptibility to viral infections. In addition, it affects GH levels, and this hormone has functions that stimulate the immune system.
In summary, the importance of sleep
Proper sleep (adequate quantity and quality):
- helps with body shaping,
- reduces the risk of many diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,
- helps keep inflammation in check,
- increases tolerance to stress,
- reduces the risk of obesity,
- boosts immunity and lowers susceptibility to infections,
- reduces the risk of depressive states,
- promotes better concentration and ensures the optimal course of thought processes,
- regenerates the body and mind,
- promotes better insulin sensitivity, the body's energy metabolism, and sugar metabolism.
