Everyone knows that sleep is an essential part of day-to-day life. Missing only a few hours of sleep on any given night can cause anger, tiredness, and irritability. But missing hours of sleep over the course of many nights can cause even more serious symptoms. If you’re looking to improve your health, ensuring that you get enough sleep each night is a great place to start.
Sleep’s Effects On Physical Health
Getting enough sleep at night gives your body plenty of energy during the day, but sleep deprivation affects so much more than just your energy level.
Sleep helps you feel better – If you sleep for a full eight hours (or more) each night, your body will run more smoothly from head to toe. Muscles and joints, in addition to the rest of your organs, will function at normal levels. This will give you the confidence to tackle all tasks throughout the day.
Sleep gives you balance – Keeping a normal sleep cycle helps your hormones to stay balanced. If you’re sleep deprived, these hormones can be thrown off. This is especially important when it comes to eating.
When the hormone that tells your brain if your body is full becomes unbalanced, your body craves filling foods like carbs and sugars. This can cause dramatic weight gain, in addition to other health problems. Your body’s natural release of insulin is disturbed when sleep deprived, which can increase your risk for diabetes. High blood pressure and heart disease are also risk factors of sleep deprivation.
Sleep gives you clarity – Have you ever felt dizzy or off balance after a poor night’s sleep? That’s because your body is trying to ration its remaining energy. Lack of sleep can throw you off balance and make you fall or stumble, causing injuries.
How To Improve Your Sleeping Habits
Fortunately, there are plenty of simple steps you can take to increase the amount of sleep you get.
Put down the phone – Cell phones, even when in so-called ‘night mode’, give off blue light. This blue light is what our bodies associate with the new light of the morning, which causes us to be more alert. Red light, the light we associate with afternoons and sundown, causes us to relax and become sleepy.
The blue light from your cell phone will trick your body into staying awake, so try to stay away from any electronic devices at least 30 minutes before your bedtime. This will get your body ready for sleep by the time you lay down.
Get into a routine – Our bodies run on cycles, routines, and rhythms. Sleep is no different. Try keeping to a strict sleep cycle to make your body feel more comfortable around bedtime. Go to bed and wake up around the same times each day so your body can grow accustomed to a normal, regular sleep cycle. Your hormones will begin to catch on and do their best to keep you in that routine.
Exercise – Regular exercise throughout the week does wonders for your body. It keeps your mind tuned, your body honed, and, most important of all, keeps you tired. Exercise can burn off the excess energy you’ve built up over the week through stress or anxiety, and it will ensure that your body needs a good night’s sleep the night of a workout. Your muscles will have time to rejuvenate and your body will be ready to tackle the next day.
Many of us have trouble sleeping, but by taking a few simple actions, you can beat those sleepless nights and get the well-deserved rest you need.
One of the most dangerous aspects of losing sleep is the risk of injury. You become tired, groggy, and weak, and your muscles will not want to move like they should. If you attempt to perform physical activity while sleep deprived, you could be putting yourself at risk. That’s where Airrosti comes in. Come into one of our many locations and our expert staff will pinpoint the root cause of your pain, take the time to explain your treatment, and get you back to doing what you love fast. So at the first sign of pain, make an appointment at Airrosti and see how we treat pain differently.
Read our medical disclaimer here.
