Sleep Duration is Important to Your Longevity!
We are all trying to move ahead in today’s fast paced world, looking for more work hours, and taking on second jobs just to keep up. Society pressures us into stressful lifestyles that don’t leave a lot of time for us to rest. Sleep is something most of us don’t really think about. We just go to bed and sleep as much as we can for the next day. This can actually be harming our bodies. Sleep is the body’s natural restoration period, the time when it rejuvenates and repairs itself. Lack of sleep (Sleep deprivation) diminishes our cellular energy by not allowing any downtime for the body to recuperate.
According to recent scientific research, “People who get less than six hours sleep per night have an increased risk of dying prematurely.” The findings of the study were published in the Sleep Journal.
Lack of sleep has been shown to affect the body’s immune function, hormone secretion, and physical and mental stamina. Scientists have performed sleep studies and determined that losing sleep can also cause weight gain. Decreased sleep creates a spike in ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, and a reduction in leptin, which signals satiety. This makes your body think it is hungry when it actually just needs more sleep.
The effects of losing sleep on our bodily systems leads to increased stress. This added stress over time causes our body’s to work harder and our cells to burn out faster, resulting in earlier mortality. At the same time, stress can affect our health and our sleep in diverse ways. It is important to create a relaxation time before going to bed so your body and mind can wind down. Laying down fully relaxed will help you fall asleep faster as well as relieve your mind of extra worry that may cause you to have bad dreams or abnormal sleep cycles.
Although Lack of Sleep is a semi-voluntary action by most people, others suffer from certain sleeping disorders that make it nearly impossible for them to get the recommended amount of sleep they need. Sleeping disorders such as Insomnia cause difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep through the night. Sleep apnea causes disturbed sleep where your mind thinks it’s asleep and your body generates stress signals and difficulty breathing which wakes you up all night long. Narcolepsy can cause excessive sleep at random intervals. This does not allow your body to fully rest as it is confused with sleep cycles and wake cycles.
There are many natural products that can help with the effects sleep disorders. Valerian root can help your body relax and become more susceptible to sleep. Melatonin can help your mind become calm and stop racing thoughts that can cause sleep terrors and unwanted sleep stress. So if you have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep you may want to try a natural sleep aid before getting on prescription sleep medicines that can have adverse side effects.
American Nutrition offers High Quality Natural Sleep Aids to Support Healthy Sleep Duration.
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