Getting enough rest builds your T-cells, and limits inflammation.
Sleep can be hard to come by. If you lie in bed awake at night wondering where the day has gone, take a deep breath: you are not alone. A Gallup poll done in 2013 found about 40% of Americans were getting less than the ideal amount of sleep per night (at least 7 hours). With life being what it is these days, it seems likely the state of our rest could now be even worse. So many people are now working from home, schooling from home, and caring for others without normal support networks in place that a lot more grunt work is now falling on fewer people.
The ironic thing is, however, now more than ever is when we really need to be getting our best rest. Sleep is crucial to memory formation, but also to having a strong immune system. In fact, according to some experts, a good night’s sleep could be the most important thing you give yourself, daily.
The Benefits of Sleep
Your deepest sleep allows new information sitting in your brain’s hippocampus to be moved to a better, longer-term storage file. This sits in your brain’s cortex. Sleep also allows you to better control your feelings of anxiety. Have you ever felt short tempered on a few hours of sleep? That’s because your stress is harder to handle when you miss out on these precious hours.
Possibly even more important during a pandemic is the opportunity sleep provides for you to build your immune system. When you sleep, your body produces T-cells as well as cytokines.
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Both of these are integral to fighting off infections and inflammation in your body. According to Matthew Walker, a sleep expert from UC Berkeley, sleep is your life support system. In fact, not getting enough sleep can limit your intelligence, increase your chances of developing cancer and having a heart attack, disrupt your sex hormones, lead you towards dementia and premature aging, and even make your testicles smaller, if you’re a man. Scary stuff. But what if all that dreaming is too hard to come by?
Tips for Getting More Sleep
Many experts agree on some of the basics when it comes to consistently getting a good night’s sleep. Don’t nap during the day. Refrain from ingesting too many cups of coffee and too much alcohol. Also make sure you get enough exercise. Change up your environment (get outside), and reserve your bedroom for sleep, (don’t work there if you can help it). It can also help to stay away from screens like your phone or TV in the time leading up to bed time. Consider eating your meals at regular intervals each day. Your meals are connected to your circadian rhythms, or your sleep/wake cycle. Keeping things consistent can help your body produce the insulin and melatonin you need at the most needed times. (You need more insulin during the day when you are eating, and more melatonin at night, when it’s time to sleep).
Still stuck? Click here to read more and rest up.
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