Scientists increasingly mention sleep as an essential component of a healthy life, along with a varied diet and physical activity. Modern people begin to appreciate the value of night regeneration only when we start to lack sleep - we sleep less and worse than our ancestors 1 . The reason may be ubiquitous stress and the 24/7 use of digital devices (but not only that). Sleep is as important to our body as breathing , with the difference that we feel the lack of air immediately, and the lack of sleep has side effects in the longer term. Here are the reasons why sleep is strategic for our health.
Scientists have discovered that during a night's rest, the work of some elements of our immune system speeds up. For example, there is increased production of inflammation-related cytokines 2 . In this way , the body fights infections at night and repairs damage, heals wounds, etc. A good night's sleep also increases the immunity acquired through vaccination 3, 4 . Regardless of whether a person is sick at a given moment, night regeneration improves his immunological memory.
Too little sleep is one of the key factors in the development of obesity. Scientific research shows that people who get little sleep tend to gain weight 5 . This applies to both adults and children 6 . When we lack sleep, the hormones responsible for the feeling of hunger and satiety (leptin and ghrelin) do not function properly7 . After a sleepless night, we also have less strength and motivation to move.
During the deep sleep phase, the amount of glucose molecules in the blood and insulin levels decrease. This time is necessary for the body to reset its insulin sensitivity mechanism. Even if a healthy person sleeps only 4 hours instead of 8 for 6 nights in a row, his or her body can become pre-diabetic 8 . People who sleep less than 6 hours every day are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes 9, 10 .
Lack of sleep or not enough sleep causes the body to secrete more of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone increases the heart rate. The longer it is secreted, the longer our heart does additional work. During sleep, our heart rate slows down, our blood pressure drops, and our blood vessels have the opportunity to rest a little 11 . By playing (or working) at night instead of sleeping, we strain the heart and increase the risk of a heart attack 12 .
Getting enough sleep is important for many brain functions. When we sleep, new neural connections are formed. The brain processes all the information we come into contact with during the day. It is also a time to clean up the toxins accumulated in the brain 13 . Lack of sleep, we start to have problems with memory and learning, we start making decisions with greater difficulty 14 . Just one sleepless night is enough to cause problems with concentrating 15 . American researchers also claim that drivers who sleep less than 8 hours a night are twice as likely to have car accidents16 . They have poorer concentration on the road.
Every athlete knows how important regeneration is, especially at night. Even if you're not a professional, sleep can significantly impact your performance, especially if you train in endurance sports. Lack of sleep deprives you of energy and motivation, and, quite simply, time to rebuild your muscles . It also increases reaction time. However, well-rested athletes consistently show better sports results 17 .
It's not just that, sleep-deprived, we don't have the humor or strength to maintain a conversation with others. Researchers have discovered 18 that sleep deprivation literally changes our brain. It weakens the activity of neurons in those areas that are responsible for involvement in social life. Sleep-deprived people are more hostile towards strangers and less willing to get to know them. If you want to ruin your relationship with your surroundings, just don't get enough sleep on a regular basis.
Contrary to appearances, sex does not have to be mutually exclusive with sleeping. Getting enough sleep has a huge impact on libido and the level of sex hormones, and also on fertility and the quality of sexual life, say scientists. For young men aged 19, 1 week of insufficient sleep (5 hours a day) is enough for their testosterone levels to drop by 10-15%! In women, sleep regulates desire. Studies have shown that each additional hour of sleep at night increases the level of sexual arousal by 14% .
Mental illnesses are closely related to sleep disorders. 90% of people suffering from depression also report problems with sleep 21 . In turn, people with sleep disorders who have not yet been diagnosed with depression have a greater risk of developing it 22 . The relationship is two-way and for now, scientists cannot say which came first - sleep problems or mental disorders.
American scientists have calculated that to feel happier, you simply need to sleep 60-90 minutes longer at night 23 . It is the most universal medicine, improving physical and mental health, as well as emotional state. It gives a lot of pleasure and has no side effects, but despite this it is regularly neglected by modern man. And the less we sleep, the higher our stress level 24 . Lack of sleep is itself a stressor, it leads to the secretion of the above-mentioned hormone cortisol, which in excess overloads our body's strength.
Bibliography: Leech J. “10 Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Important.” Healthline.com, February 24, 2020 Irwin MR, “Sleep and inflammation: partners in sickness and in health.” Nat Rev Immunol. 2019 Besedovsky L., Lange T., Born J., “Sleep and immune function.” Pflugers Arch. 2012 Zimmermann P., Curtis N., “Factors That Influence the Immune Response to Vaccination.” Clin Microbiol Rev. 2019 Patel SR, “Short Sleep Duration and Weight Gain: A Systematic Review.” Obesities. A Research Journal, September 6, 2012 Cappuccio FP, Taggart FM, “Kandala NB, et al. Meta-analysis of short sleep duration and obesity in children and adults. Sleep. 2008 Taheri S., Lin L., Austin D., “Young T, Mignot E. Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index.” PLoS Med. 2004 Spiegel K., Leproult R., Van Cauter E. “Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function.” Lancet. 1999 Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Newman AB, et al., “Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance.” Arch Intern Med. 2005 Cappuccio F..P, D'Elia L., Strazzullo P., Miller MA, “Quantity and quality of sleep and incidence of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Diabetes Care. 2010 Ellis RR “Surprising Reasons to Get More Sleep.” WebMD, June 12, 2021 Cappuccio FP, Cooper D., D'Elia L., Strazzullo P., Miller MA, “Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.” Eur Heart J. 2011 “Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep”, National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke, accessed December 27, 2021. Pacheco D., “Memory and Sleep”. Sleep Foundation, November 13, 2020 Miller SG, “How a Sleepless Night Affects Your Ability to Focus.” Livescience.com, April 4, 2016 “Acute Sleep Deprivation and Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash Involvement”, AAAFoundation.org, 2016. Fry A. “Sleep, Athletic Performance, and Recovery.” Sleep Foundation, June 24, 2021 Anwar Y., “How poor sleep can ruin your social life.” University of California, August 22, 2018 Leproult R., Van Cauter E., “Effect of 1 week of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men.” CAVITY. 2011 “Sufficient Sleep Improves Libido in Women,” Advanced Sleep Medicine Services, sleepdr.com, accessed December 27, 2021. Tsuno N., Besset A., Ritchie K., “Sleep and depression”. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005 Hayley AC, Williams LJ, Venugopal K., Kennedy GA, Berk M., Pasco JA, “The relationships between insomnia, sleep apnoea and depression: findings from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005-2008.” Aust NZJ Psychiatry. 2015 “More sleep would make us happier, healthier and safer”, American Psychological Association, 2014. “Stressed out without enough sleep”, American Psychological Association, 2013.
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Napisała: Hanna Borowska
Editor, journalist, science writer, certified nutrition consultant. Motherhood made her interest in health issues change the direction of her professional path. She has completed several trainings and courses in Poland and abroad in the field of dietetics, functional medicine and aromatherapy. She is passionate about the unexplored power of the human microbiome. She graduated with honors from the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science at the University of Warsaw. For many years associated with Euroradio.fm.
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