Don't sell yourself short when it comes to sleep
We have so many demands on our time - jobs, family, errands - not to mention finding some time to relax. To fit everything in, we often sacrifice sleep. But sleep affects both mental and physical health, and it's extremely vital to your wellbeing. Of course, sleep helps you feel rested each day, but while you're sleeping, your brain and body don't just shut down. Internal organs and processes are still hard at work throughout the night as sleep continues to service all aspects of our body, like energy balance and intellectual function while we're in slumber.
When you're tired, you can't function at your best. Sleep helps you think more clearly, have quicker reflexes and focus better. Therefore, better-rested people operate on a more efficient level than those who don't get sufficient sleep. Tired people tend to be less productive at work and are at a much higher risk for traffic accidents. Lack of sleep also influences your mood, which can affect how you interact with others. Over time, a sleep deficit can even put you at greater risk for developing depression.
But sleep isn't just essential for the brain. In actuality, it affects nearly every tissue in our bodies as well as growth and stress hormones, our immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
Research shows that lack of sleep increases the risk for obesity, heart disease and infections. Throughout the night, your heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure rise and fall - a process that may be important for cardiovascular health. Your body releases hormones during sleep that help repair cells and control the body's use of energy. These hormone changes can affect your body weight.
A good night's sleep consists of four to five sleep cycles. Each cycle includes periods of deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, when we dream. Although personal needs vary, on average, adults need seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Babies typically sleep about 16 hours a day and young children need at least 10 hours of sleep, while teenagers should get at least nine hours. To attain the maximum restorative benefits of sleep, getting a full night of quality sleep is important.
As people get older, they may not get enough sleep because of illness, medications or sleep disorders. By some estimates, about 70 million Americans of all ages suffer from chronic sleep problems. The two most common sleep disorders are insomnia and sleep apnea. People with insomnia have trouble falling or staying asleep. Anxiety about falling asleep often makes the condition worse. Most of us have occasional insomnia, but chronic insomnia - lasting at least three nights per week for more than a month - can trigger serious daytime problems such as exhaustion, irritability and difficulty concentrating.
Good sleep is critical to your health. To make each day a safe, productive one, take steps to make sure you regularly get a good night's sleep. Keep this in mind every night before going to sleep. If your life and your sleep are interrupted by a muscle strain, ligament sprain, joint problem or movement disorder, always remember to see a physical therapist first and fast, if you happen to experience any aches or pains in your joints or muscles during the day.
Give us a call at Pinnacle Physical Therapy if you have any questions. Post Falls (208) 777-4242 or Coeur d'Alene (208) 665-2000.
- Pinnacle Physical Therapy