When we sleep, we don’t know what
happens in our body, we just sleep...!
Here is what it is..........
Not only humans, but all mammals, birds
and reptiles sleep; however, the duration for which they sleep, varies greatly.
Without it, Rats on whom the experiment was done died in just 2-3 weeks without
sleep: the same amount of time they can survive without food..! Interesting
enough....that means, we need sleep as much as we require eating.
Main things that gets done in sleep are muscle
repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and
appetite. Moreover, sleep affects the way we look, feel and perform on a
daily basis, and can have a major impact on our overall quality of life.
Cytokines – the protein that helps
fight infection and inflammation are both produced and released during shut-eye,
which means that lack of it can decrease body’s ability to keep the person
hale. Apart from that more number of white blood cells is released during sleep
that will help to fight bacteria and viruses, which are hindering the healing
process. That means not only immunity increases, but also healing process
speeds up. If during a busy workweek,
one cannot sleep for recommended hours, he should try taking a nap or two to
make up for it that will decrease the stress and will help alleviate
the immune inactivity due to less than recommended slumber.
Ghrelin- the hunger hormone’s level
decreases because the body requires less energy during shut-eye. As a result of
it, individual feel less hungry during the day; which will help cure the issue
of overeating as a result of more ghrelin and hence obesity. Those who lack
sleep tend to overeat and are more likely to be overweight, concluded a recent
study.
Growth hormone (GH)- a protein hormone
secreted by the pituitary gland situated in the brain, level spikes.
Researchers have shown that as much as 75% of the GH gets released in deep
sleep-stage 3. Especially children in whom the growth is of utmost importance
should sleep uninterruptedly and quietly. Less of it can hinder the growth
process in them.
Energy conservation- body preserves the
energy during slumber that will help individual to start his following day
rejuvenated and energetic. As the metabolism slows down, our energy gets
steered to other things like healing, strengthening the memory and decreasing
inflammation.
Autophagy- a metabolic process of the
body to clear unwanted, dysfunctional intracellular debris and wastes; also
called self-eating, is fastened in REM sleep. Self-eating is beneficial in
order to remove toxic neural proteins from cells that cause neurodegenerative
disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Also, it promotes regeneration.
Shut-eye also plays a huge role in
preventing and treating deadly diseases like Cancer.
Anti aging- prevention of the appearance
of old age. During slumber, blood flow of the epidermis- upper layer of the
skin increases, which will help regenerate the collagen and heal itself from
the damage done via UV radiation. Lack of sleep for extended period of time can
lead to wrinkles on the face.
Alertness increases if a person enjoys recommended period of shut-eye regularly.
According to a research studies, acute sleep loss and circadian misalignment
as a result of it, increases sleepiness at the work which can, sometimes,
result in accidents also as in case of drivers and factory workers.
Fun Fact: In 8 hours of sleep,
there are 3-5 periods in which we can dream.
Sleep for at least 7-8 hours per night to grab all the above listed
merits......the best thing about it........it’s free.....!!