A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~ Irish Proverb
How Sleep Affects Your Health
I love sleep. I love to go to bed and fantasize and dream. That alone just makes me happy and affects my healthy positively. But there are other things that sleep does for your health besides work your imagination and allow you to dream about - well, you wildest dreams.
A healthy amount of sleep in a 24 hour period is necessary for building new cells, repairing damaged ones and replenishing cellular energy levels. I'm always amazed to hear people who say they only sleep about five or six hours a night. While society may have headed that way it's not natural and it's not healthy.
My friend has a good saying that you go to bed when it gets dark and get up when it's light out. She says it's natural and I like that concept. I never wake up before the light.
So many people are not getting enough sleep and then going off to work for the day among many other activities they will probably do. When you are deprived of the right amount of sleep you can make your brain work at a lesser capacity then it should be at, lower your energy levels, and increase bad temper and hopelessness.
A lack of sleep can also make people more accident prone because their brain is not working at full capability. So you are not only taking a risk with your health but you are also taking a risk with your life and the lives of others when you are sleep deprived.
A lack of sleep can cause hormone imbalances which is an invitation for disease.
Have you heard of a hormone called cortisol? It increases in the brain of person with a lack of sleep. High cortisol levels can harm cells in your brain that control the learning and memory.
If you are over tired and get that spaced out or forgetful feeling then you may be literally suffering a small form of brain damage.
Two other hormones are normally produced during sleep and decrease if you are under rested.
One is the human growth hormone which helps to rebuild tissue. The other is prolactin which governs the immune system. Proper amount of sleep help you keep these critical hormones balanced properly.
Sleep also serves to replenish energy. While asleep, the body creates large amounts of adenosine triphosphate, a high energy compound that our cells need to run properly.
So you can see that a good amount of sleep is very important to your health. Don't think of it as time you could be doing something else but as time that your body needs to do what it needs to do. A time to repair yourself and help keep everything running smoothly.
To learn more about sleep and your health visit http://www.thehealthyvegetarian.net/Sleep-and-Health for informative videos that will have you saying "Yawn!".
Manifest Connection
