Everything You Need to Know About Sleep and Your Health

When most people think about their health, they consider how they should eating and exercising. Some might even considering switching to a greener lifestyle in order improve health. However, while thinking about exercising and eating right, many people neglect another important aspect of their health: Sleep.

Indeed, health professionals and researchers are learning more and more about the effects of sleep on health, and this information is changing, a little, the way we think about sleep and its effects. However, from the brain, to the heart, to our own feelings of well-being, sleep has a very real effect. No matter your career or your salary, your sleep habits can affect your health. So, while diet and exercise are important to your health, don’t forget to make sure that you are getting a healthy amount of sleep as well.

Sleep and Your Brain

Your brain uses sleep to rest and rejuvenate. Scientific studies have found that, in some way that isn’t always completely explainable, the brain uses the down time of sleep to categorize the information it has learned during the day. Indeed, some studies even indicate that the brain is still aware of what is going on around it during sleep, still able to receive stimuli.

Additionally, those who do not get enough sleep may find themselves having more memory problems that those you do get enough sleep. Adequate sleep is essential if you want to keep your memory sharp, and be able to recall information when you want it. A healthy brain needs adequate sleep in order to function properly.

Sleep and Your Heart

Interestingly, sleep can also affect your heart’s health. Studies on the effects of sleep disorders and other sleep issues on the health of the heart are underway, and seem to indicate that certain sleep problems can affect the health of your heart. Sleep is important to helping your cardiovascular system function properly.

Researchers at Harvard report that poor sleep can increase your blood pressure, and increase your chances of heart attack. Sleep can even increase the instance of atherosclerosis — the build up of fatty substances in your arteries. On top of that, lack of sleep increases the proteins that reflect active inflammation, which can also cause heart problems. If you want better health, especially for your heart, it is vital to consider your sleep habits.

Sleep and Diabetes

Another interesting twist related to sleep is its connection to diabetes. A study by Columbia University found that sleep duration (getting inadequate sleep) can increase the chance that someone will develop diabetes. If you already have diabetes, you might find that sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, can actually complicate your diabetes care.

If you are at risk for diabetes due to your weight or diet, getting inadequate sleep may actually result in pushing you over the edge into having diabetes. If you already have diabetes, correctly caring for the condition might be affected by lack of sleep. Getting enough sleep, as part of a healthy lifestyle, can help you reduce the chances of diseases like diabetes.

Sleep and Weight

Your weight can also be impacted by your sleep habits. One Stanford study found that lack of sleep can cause hormonal changes that can result in weight gain. Not only can lack of sleep contribute to obesity (which comes with its own set of health problems), but obesity can contribute to lack of sleep. So it becomes a vicious cycle. On top of that, lack of sleep contributes to rises in a stress hormone called cortisol, something that is thought to be linked to cravings of “comfort” foods high in calories and carbs.

If you want to improve your health by losing weight, sleep can also be a factor. Indeed, getting the right amount of sleep can have an effect on your efforts to reach a healthy weight. Ghrelin is a hormone that can be disrupted by a lack of sleep, and this disruption can lead to higher feelings of hunger. Another hormone, leptin, is also affected by sleep. Increasing the amount of sleep you get can actually help you lose weight.

Sleep and Mood

Your mood can be affected by how much sleep you get. You probably already know that lack of sleep can result in feelings of lethargy throughout the day. But sleep can also affect your mood. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you are are more likely to have mood swings, and even increase your chances of developing depression.

Sleep can also help you reduce the amount of stress that you feel. Sleep helps you relax and recharge. Lack of sleep can lead to increased stress and anxiety. Those issues come with their own health problems, including higher blood pressure and can even contribute to heart attack and stroke.

Sleep Disorders

There are a number of sleep disorders that can contribute to a lack of sleep, and affect your health. There are some treatments for sleep disorders, such as synthesized melatonin, meant to help induce better sleep in the body.

However, one of the sleep disorders getting the most attention is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder in which the airway is closed off during sleep. This results in small episodes of wakefulness throughout the night. However, these brief episodes are often unnoticed by the affected, and he or she wakes in the morning, wondering why they feel tired and unrested. Sleep apnea, due to the fact that it contributes to less restful sleep, has been linked to heart disease, obesity, hypertension and memory function problems.

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

One of the questions many people ask is how much sleep they need. And, as with so many health questions, healthy sleep quantity depends on a number of factors, including your age and your individual needs. Also included is the quality of sleep that you get. Indeed, your quality of sleep can be just as important as how much sleep you are getting during different stages of development. You should note, though, that as you age, quantity actually does become more important than quality sleep.

Studies into the amount of sleep that we need show that most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night. You will need to consider your own needs individually, and try out different lengths of sleep in order to determine what is most likely to work for you in terms of healthy sleep.

Optimizing Your Sleep

It is possible to learn how to optimize your sleep. In order to reduce your chances of developing depression, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other health problems, it is vital that you get enough sleep. For those who are not senior citizens, it is also important to get enough quality sleep.

The following tips can help you improve your sleep:

• Reduce your caffeine.
• Have a relaxation routine prior to going to bed.
• Don’t use alcohol as a sleep aid.
• Get regular exercise (it’s best to do this at least three hours before bed).
• Eat healthier.
• If you nap, take no more than 15 to 20 minutes.
• Use the bed only for sleeping and sex.
• Try to set up a regular sleep schedule that includes bed times and wake times that are consistent.

If you are concerned that you have a sleeping disorder, you can make an appointment at a sleep center. These centers will monitor your sleep for two or three nights (or more) and try and determine the main cause of your difficulty in sleeping. This can be a helpful way to pinpoint your sleeping problems and work out a course of treatment that can help you get better sleep — and lead a healthier life.