Sweet dreams

We spend about one-third of our time on earth asleep, yet we still undervalue the importance of sleep.

Sleep has a vital role in good health and wellbeing throughout your day, how you feel during the day is a reflection of what happens while you are sleeping at night. During sleep, the body is working on maintaining your physical health and healthy brain function.

Sleep loss and sleep disorders are some of the most common yet frequently overlooked and treatable health problems. The loss of sleep has been associated with various health consequences such as increased risk for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attacks, and stroke.

When the body is not given the adequate amount of sleep needed to ensure physical and mental health, the risk for chronic health problems increases. Thus having a proper sleep routine is of essential need for a healthy lifestyle and healthy body.

Chronic poor sleep may lead to the following health problems:

High blood pressure and heart rate

During a sleep cycle, the body will regulate your blood pressure and heart rate according to the needs of the body. During your sleep cycle, your heart rate and blood pressure will drop giving the heart a slight break from the usual workload.

Poor sleep or wakefulness during the night can lead to spikes in heart rate and blood pressure which ultimately in the long-term can cause high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and strokes.

Poor memory, concentration, and performance

Sleep is directly linked to the brain's ability to memorize, remember, and recall information. During sleep, your brain forms connections and processes information to help you remember and recall.

Poor sleep will cause poor memory processing and formation as well as lower alertness, concentration, and creativity.

Mood changes and depression

Sleep deprivation can make you moody, emotional, and quick-tempered. Chronic sleep deprivation can affect your mood and lead to anxiety or depression.

Weakened immune system

Sleep helps the body repair, regenerate, and recover. Deep sleep is essential for the body to strengthen the immune system. Thus, poor sleep can lower your immunity and lead to more frequent infections and illness.

Risk for diabetes, weight gain, and obesity

Poor sleep influences multiple hormones in the body responsible for the control of hunger, storage, and usage of food in the body, such as insulin. Poor sleep can thus lead to increased sugar levels and risk for diabetes as well as weight gain and the possibility of obesity.

Hormone imbalances

During the sleep cycle, the body makes and produces multiple hormones. Nearly all hormones get released in the body according to the circadian rhythm (sleep cycle).

Chronically disrupted sleep cycles can lead to imbalances in hormone secretions, thus leaving the door open for other health-related issues to establish themselves.

The Hormone secreted	Function of hormone	What poor sleep causes
Melatonin	Get secreted once darkness sets in, leading up to sleep, and will lower again when it is time to wake up. Helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.	insomnia struggles to fall asleep disrupted sleep cycle
Cortisol	Cortisol (known as stress hormone) secretions rise rapidly from the middle of the night and peak during the morning hours. Cortisol peaks sets of all other hormones to be released.	high cortisol levels in the morning
Estrogen, Progesterone	Estrogen and progesterone play a part in maintaining reproductive health.	imbalance between estrogen and progesterone
Thyroid hormones	Plays a role in metabolism	slow metabolism
Hunger hormones	Regulates metabolism, level of hunger, etc.	insulin resistance weight gain increased hunger obesity
Growth hormone	Plays a vital role in protein synthesis and production, muscle development, metabolism, and immunity. Growth hormones play a big role in the development of children as well.	lower growth hormone levels slow recovery from injuries weight gain lower immunity

How to improve sleep:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

2. Get some exercise every day.

3. Go outside and get natural sunlight.

4. Avoid nicotine and caffeine.

5. Don't take naps after mid-afternoon.

6. Limit electronics before bed.

7. Create a good sleeping environment.

How much sleep do we need:

Newborns (0-3 months)	14-17 hours
Infants (4-12 months)	12-16 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years)	11-14 hours
Preschool (3-5 years)	10-13 hours
School-age (6-12 years)	9-12 hours
Teen (13-18 years)	8-10 hours
Adult (18-60 years)	7+ hours
Adult (61-64 years)	7-9 hours
Adult (65+ years)	7-8 hours

Sleep is of utmost importance to maintain a healthy body and mind. A lack of sleep, Even in the slightest does have an impact on your day-to-day life and eventually on your health over a long period.

To ensure a healthy lifestyle, body, and mind build a good and healthy sleep routine from now on and ensure your mind and body are in tip-top shape every day.

Sweet dreams.