Sleep Is Your Superpower

What if I told you that the cure for almost everything that ails you was as simple as climbing into bed at night? Well, it is!

Consistent, high-quality sleep supports every organ, eases mood disorders and anxiety, regulates appetite, protects against cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other chronic disease; and improves focus whether you’re at work or behind the wheel. Unfortunately, while good sleep is essential, it is also something many of us have trouble accessing, whether due to insomnia, shift work, or staying up too late working or scrolling on our phones.

If you’re someone who finds good sleep to be elusive, you’re in the right place. Read on to learn more about why you might be having trouble sleeping, why quality rest is so important, and how we can work together to reset your body to catch those zzz’s it so desperately needs.

Why Is Sleep So Elusive?

For something so necessary, it might seem crazy that sleep can be so difficult to access. According to the CDC, approximately one in three Americans don’t get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, and about 30 million American adults struggle with insomnia, a condition marked by the inability to fall or stay asleep for at least three consecutive nights. Insomnia can be occasional or chronic and brought on by a variety of factors defined by the “3P Model:” Predisposing, Precipitating, and Perpetuating.

·      Predisposing Factors: These are influences that existed before insomnia started and include (but aren’t limited to): a family history of sleep or psychiatric disorders, chronic pain, history of depression or trauma, shift work, and/or a tendency to worry.

·      Precipitating Factors: These are potential triggers for insomnia episodes and can include things like new medications, work stress, childbirth, perimenopause, life stressors such as moving, divorce, financial concerns, or a death in the family.

·      Perpetuating Factors: These are things you may have tried to cope with poor sleep, but are actually worsening insomnia, such as napping, caffeine use, types and amounts of food eaten, timing of food, drinking alcohol to sleep, use of electronics at night, using the weekend to “catch up” on sleep, etc.

Insomnia isn’t the only culprit for poor sleep. Undiagnosed/untreated sleep apnea can greatly impact the quality of your sleep, even if you’re getting the recommended hours. Doctors estimate that a whopping 80 percent of American adults with obstructive sleep apnea are undiagnosed.

Many of us also don’t prioritize sleep, choosing instead to watch one more episode, read one more chapter, or send one more email. And even if we head to bed with the best of intentions, our modern world messes with our natural rhythms. The human body is designed to wake with the sun and sleep when it’s dark, but with artificial light available at the flick of a switch—and constant blue-light exposure from our devices—it’s difficult for our brains to fall into their natural sleep-wake rhythms.

How Your Body Benefits from Sleep

There may be a lot working against us when it comes to getting rest, but here’s why it’s so important for our overall health and wellbeing:  

1.     It ushers in the brain’s cleanup crew. When you clock out for the night, your brain’s glymphatic system clocks in. The glymphatic system flushes out the natural waste byproducts that accumulate during the day, and it’s ten times more active during deep sleep. This is especially important because it clears out beta-amyloid; a build-up of this protein is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Research shows that consistent, quality rest allows for a “clean” brain, which means we perform our best at work or school. Rest also allows our brains to consolidate memories, improve concentration and focus, and supports the amygdala, which is responsible for emotional regulation.

2.     It bolsters our “immunity army.” Sleep is key to both acute and chronic illness prevention. Not only does deep sleep promote the immune memory necessary for remembering and identifying potential health threats, but it gives the immune system a chance to combat chronic low-grade inflammation. While you rest, your body releases cytokines to fight infection and reduce inflammation, promotes T-cell production, and boosts natural killer cell activity which identifies and eliminates tumor cells and pathogens. Studies show that people who consistently get less than seven hours of sleep are three times as likely to develop the common cold, and those who work night shifts have an increased risk of several types of cancer.

3.     It regulates our appetite. Ever find yourself ravenous—or craving junk food—after a night of poor sleep? There’s a reason for that. Sleep regulates two important appetite hormones—leptin (the satiety hormone) and ghrelin (the hunger hormone). When you don’t sleep, leptin plummets and ghrelin spikes, making your brain beg for high-calorie, sugar-laden fuel to keep you going. When you’re chronically sleep-deprived, this cycle makes weight management a real struggle.

4.     It physically restores the body. Like the brain, the rest of the body repairs itself while we sleep. Our body releases the bulk of its growth hormone while we rest which is essential to repairing tissues and building muscle after a workout. Our cardiovascular system gets a much-needed break, too, as blood pressure drops and heart rate slows, thus reducing the risk of heart disease. Untreated sleep apnea can increase your risk of heart disease, as oxygen deprivation and blood pressure spikes put a significant strain on your cardiovascular system.

5.     It keeps you on the sunny side of life. Quality sleep does a lot for your emotional state. REM sleep, when we dream, is when our brains process emotional experiences, allowing us to better cope with stress and be less reactive. Sleep also regulates serotonin and dopamine, which help stabilize your mood. As such, people with insomnia have a higher risk of depression and anxiety, with research suggesting more sleep can alleviate symptoms.

I Can Help You Sleep Better

Now that you know why you might be struggling with sleep—and why it’s so important to get it back on track—don’t let another restless night go by.

Contact me today to learn how we can get you sleeping better by determining your unique set of “P-factors” as well as create a holistic plan to address the nutrition and lifestyle factors necessary in regulating your body and brain for optimal rest.