Beauty sleep and your health

Every day is a great day to start improving your life, so why not start today?! With September being Self-Improvement Month, we thought it would be a good idea to look at how self improvement affects the body and more importantly how sleep ties into self improvement! It’s time for a positive change in your life that will make you happier and give you a better quality of life!

Self improvement is the quest to make ourselves better in every aspect of life. Self improvement is all on you! Your success, personal goals and overall health begins and ends with you. Concentrating on improving one area will make it easier to improve overall. Lets focus on sleep! One of the best changes you can make in your life is your sleeping habits.

First let’s talk about what happens to the body when you are sleep deprived. Did you know that more than a third of Americans are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis? I know I fall into that category a few too many nights a week. Balancing work, healthy eating, exercise and proper sleep can be exhausting but is worth all the effort and here is why. Little sleep dulls the activity in the brain’s frontal lobe, which is the locus of decision-making and impulse control, will make your brain make bad decisions because you do not have the mental clarity. It is almost a little like being drunk. Sleep deprivation also leads to deficits in cognitive function, whether it’s reaction time, decision-making, or memory. Poor sleep has been linked to greater risk of depression and anxiety, increased risk of heart disease and cancer, impaired memory, reduced immune system functioning, weight gain, and greater likelihood of accidents.

Now that that’s out of way, let’s talk about the positives! Here’s the run down on sleep. Sleep is important for pretty much every one of your physical systems. Sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle. It makes you feel better, benefits your heart, weight, mind, and so much more. Sleep is not downtime, sleep actually is fuel for your body.

Here are some reasons why sleep is so important to us!

Sleep boosts your mental health. It’s is the mind’s best friend. Everything stems off of your brain, from your happiness to how well you age. Many mental issues stem from lack of or problems with sleeping. To increase your mental with sleep, there is a couple changes that will help. Lifestyle changes you can make is limiting caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Alcohol depresses the nervous system but wears off quickly which is why you tend to wake up more often throughout the night after a night of drinking. Nicotine is a stimulant that speeds up the heart rate, which is not good for sleep either. As hard as it is to give up something completely, instead try avoiding these substances 6-8 hours before bedtime. Physical activity is good for both your body and your sleep cycle. Exercise will help you fall asleep faster, put you in a deep sleep for longer, and you will wake up less during the night. As good as exercise is for you, I wouldn’t suggest running a marathon right before bed. Maybe some light stretches to help you transition into sleep mode. Sleep hygiene is a variety of practices that help your sleep quality. A few practices include having a regular sleep-and-wake schedule, limit map time to 20 to 30 minutes, making the room dark and free of distractions. Put your phone down, nothing good ever happens after 2 am, or in our case 11 pm. This is where you need to focus on your sleep and only your sleep. Relaxation techniques will also help get your mind in the mood for sleep. Some of these techniques are meditation and deep breathing exercises. Go fill up the tub, throw a bath bomb in there and relax. This will actually have counter anxiety of racing thoughts.

Weight gain is a touchy topic, so obviously we’re gonna talk about it! The amount of sleep you get can actually put a damper on the number on the scale. A healthy body requires a healthy amount of sleep. It appears that a sleepy brain craves junk food, and with no impulse control, it is harder to say no to cravings. It’s like a negative domino effect that leads from one bad decision to another. Sleep also affects your metabolism. Too little sleep triggers a cortisol spike. This means that you are more apt to hang onto fat. If you have sleep deprivation, after just 4 days, your body’s ability to process insulin decreases. Insulin is important as it is a hormone needed to change sugar, sugar, starches, and other food into energy. With your body’s ability to process insulin decreases, diabetes could be in the future for you. In the end, too little sleep hampers your metabolism and contributes to weight gain. So the more you sleep, the more you have control of what you are putting into your body.

Sleep can also improve your memory. While you are sleeping, your mind is hard at work. Sleep is very important for many aspects of brain functions, such as cognition, concentration productivity, and performance. Sleep can maximize problem-solving skills, and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

Studies have shown that little sleep is linked with serious health problems like heart disease and heart attack. Now, I’m not saying that lack of sleep causes heart disease, it’s more of an increase of the risk factors. Basically, when you sleep, your blood pressure drops and it is important for your blood pressure to fall during the night. With little sleep, your blood pressure will not fall low enough which could lead to possible complications later on. We know that when our immune system is down, we typically get sick, but did you know that sleep could be the one affecting your immune system? Well I got some information for you. When you sleep, your immune system releases proteins which help promote sleep. These proteins actually stimulate and coordinate white blood cell activity which fights infections and inflammation. Lack of sleep can make you sick because of the reduced number of antibodies and killer cells in you.Even more reasons to catch some more ZzZzZ

So I don’t know about you, but it sounds like getting more sleep can really help our overall health. So let us all jump into bed, grab our cozy blankets and fluffy pillows and take better care of our heath! Sleepwell pillows fans!

 

93 Replies to “Beauty sleep and your health”

  1. I learned so much from your above article. It looks like I need to make a lot of changes in my life to get a lot healthier. Thanks for all the important info on lack of sleep.

  2. Oh wow I found out that sleep is fuel for your body and that without it it affects your heart, weight, mind, and so much more thanks for all the info!

  3. Well according to the chart I’m seriously lacking on my sleep at the most I may get 5 hours sleep, due to my fibromyalgia and the inability to get in a comfortable position and for it to stay comfortable. Still hoping the doctors can find a prescription I can take without the diverse side effects.

  4. I always wanted to know what the recommended amount of sleep needed. I don’t get enough sleep. I need to work on it.

  5. I have been trying to look at ways to improve my health overall. I know a good nights rest can actually help in the long run. This is very informative and I’ll be reading up more on your blogs!

  6. Sleep deprivation is one thing I really struggle with! This article is great! With 5 kids, its hard enough to get sleep. And having a pillow that is way way older than I am willing to admit (cough cough….like 13 years) i know that my sleep is beeing effected by having a bad pillow too.

  7. Great article! I found that listening to my body and going to sleep when I feel sleepy, instead of a time on the clock, helps me to get the sleep I need.

  8. I can always feel it the next day when I dont sleep good. I need atleast nine hours of sleep to be able to function the next day. Having a comfortable mattress, pillow, and comforter makes a huge difference.

  9. Awesome tips! I actually use a sleep mask and always make sure the room is cool and dark. At my age I am concerned with heart issues,,so learning how sleep affects my heart is enlightening. Thanks for writing this esp us older ladies,, 🙂

  10. I found the weight gain paragraph very interesting. I never knew some of the facts. I have very bad sleep habits and wake up alot throughout the night.

  11. I have always felt that when I am too tired, I eat worse foods. Never thought about the lack of impulse control when not getting enough sleep.

  12. It’s easy to be sleep deprived….with work, household stuff, homework, activities and worry! But, I really need to see if a better pillow will help!

  13. I’d love to try your pillows I’m lucky to ever get 5 hours per night and I’m sure it has lots to do with pain, stress and pillows and mattress! I’d love to try yours!! THank you for the chance.

  14. All of the above is so true! There is nothing like getting a good not night’s sleep and waking up feeling refreshed and ready for the day!

  15. going to try exercising before bed. I get about 7 hours but wake up many times and had no idea exercising before bed could help

  16. Even though I usually get at least 8 hours of sleep I still seemed to be tired! I made the decision to change my diet and get back to excercising. I have been sleeping much brtter and seem to have more energy throughout the day. A great pillow comes into play for getting a great nights sleep as well!

  17. For someone who has both an anxiety/panic condition and chronic nerve pain, I can tell you that good quality and quantity of sleep is such a key piece of staying healthy. Without that, all of the other pieces of in the health regime fall apart. I am always, always, always on the lookout for non-medicated methods to improve sleep and welcome new ideas/products.

  18. Thank you for sharing this very informative article. I had NO idea that not enough sleep could contribute to weight gain! Especially the junk food cravings! I work out, not as much as I used to, but I still do, and I noticed when I started working out, I slept better. Also, I got better bedding, and it made a HUGE difference! Having a quality pillow and bed is SO important to how you sleep! Getting good sleep is better than getting hours of restless sleep. I’m so glad y’all talked about that, too! Another suggestion I would make is essential oils. I have a diffuser in my bedroom, and I put lavender in at night, and I sleep so much better! I wake up feeling rested and ready to fight the day! Thanks for sharing this! Everything y’all said is so true and so important to your body!

  19. Being a new mom and already having a tough time getting sleep has really taken a toll on me. I honestly didn’t know how much sleep deprivation could effect your body and mind. I need to get me a new pillow and a new bed for sure ☺️☺️ Thanks for all this wonderful info!!

  20. I have an app that plays soothing music, that helps some, but putting the tv on a timer and a show with a droning voice helps me—yes, I know, no tv in the room

  21. I’m sure that I don’t get enough sleep. I’m not sure whether the problem is my mattress, my pillow or my schedule. I really need to work on getting more!

  22. Sleep is so important! It lowers my stress level and improves my energy and patience level during the day. Thanks for such an informative article. I had no idea how many adverse health effects lack of sleep had.

  23. I fall asleep but can’t stay asleep. I definitely need a new pillow. I feel drained, poor memory and low energy during the day. Lots of good tips for making a positive change in my life.

  24. I suffer from chronic pain and sleep is very important for my body to re-set its self. I need top of the line bedding to maintain good health.

  25. I wake up a lot from anxiety at night. As a mom of three it’s difficult to get the funds for a good pillow so thank you for the chance

  26. I know that getting a sufficient amount of sleep is necessary to my health. I also know that having a good, comfortable pillow and a soft, warm blanket are necessary for me to sleep well.

  27. I didn’t realize just how important sleep. I try to get enough sleep during the night, but sometimes I slack. Definitely need 8 hours though

  28. I know I am definitely sleep deprived. As hard as I try, I just can not seem to get enough sleep. I can be tired as can be and when my head hits that pillow, it starts racing thinking of all kinds of things. I have to just keep saying to myself, over and over, sleep, sleep, sleep. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t.

  29. I definitely need a new pillow are these pillows machine washable and dryer safe ? Thanks for the information I could use a better nights sleep

  30. I’d love to win one for my girl who turns 18 pn the 16th of this month, is an Honors Student, in AFJROTC, has taken a College level class each year and started her first job as a community leader for Organize Florida’s Disaster Relief Program…A GREAT kid who has been thru great struggles, including sleep, of late…lol. She lost her dad at 5 years old and 2 grandparents at 9 years old and nearly lost me( her mom) a few times. I’m disabled with multiple head, neck, back injuries. Limited income and two major hurricanes wiped us out years ago…she keeps right on trying and working VERY hard!Scored in the top 2% in all of America on her FCAT exams the year I was struck down by a car. It’s been a hell of a recovery and no compensations….our luck seems to finally be turning around for us…my main concerns is for her to get good sleep. Funny I happened upon this the day I got a new to us, bed, better chairs for posture… Here’s to hoping!

  31. Very informative blog! I didn’t realize how loss of sleep affects your metabolism & weight loss. Thank you!

  32. Oh wow Thank you for all the great information. I need longer sleep habits. Everyone needs to read this. Thank you

  33. This was very good information. I have been struggling with insomnia for a few months now. This definitely gave me some pointers and some insight on why good sleep is so important.

  34. This was a great read! I have 2 kids and it is nice to know the range they need (of which is shat they get!). I have problems with beinh overly tired during the day but maybe I can change that.

  35. I agree that sleep is very important for your health and well being. The body needs time to unwind and restart fresh. A pillow can improve the way you sleep. I like my pillows to be soft as clouds. A good pillow can put you right to sleep, and keep you asleep. So, everyone needs a good pillow to get that much needed rest!

  36. I agree that sleep is very important for your health and well being. The body needs time to unwind and restart fresh. A pillow can improve the way you sleep. I like my pillows to be soft as clouds. A good pillow can put you right to sleep, and keep you asleep. So, everyone needs a good pillow to get that much needed rest!

  37. That was Good info to read. Wish I could sleep better, I sleep about 2 to 3 hours then I am up for a couple hours then I sleep a couple more hours, which makes me always tired and wore out during the day.

  38. I had no IDEA that not getting enough sleep that it could cause: greater risk of depression and anxiety, increased risk of heart disease and cancer, impaired memory, reduced immune system functioning, weight gain, and greater likelihood of accidents. Thank you so very much for letting me know.

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