Why Sleep is Key to Optimising Health

When most people think about their health, nutrition and exercise are often at the top of the list, however it’s good quality sleep that is absolutely essential for optimizing health and no amount of healthy food or exercise can compensate for inadequate z’s.

So why is sleep so important? Sleep is where all the magic happens. It is a time for growth and repair, healing, and detoxification. Sleep supports immune health, metabolism, mood, and memory and without adequate sleep, good nutrition and exercise tend to suffer as we make poorer food choices, lose motivation, and have difficulty maintaining a good mood.

Trying to lose weight? Watching calories and following an eating plan but not sleeping well?

Research has shown that poor sleep dysregulates hormones, increasing ghrelin the hunger hormone, reducing leptin the hormone that signals the brain when you are satiated and lowers insulin release leading to weight gain, promoting insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes susceptibility. 

It’s no surprise either that when we are sick our bodies yearn for sleep, as cytokines (cell signalling molecules) that regulate the immune system are released when we sleep, lack of sleep hinders their release and therefore increases our susceptibility to illness.

It doesn’t stop there either as lack of sleep impacts every body system in several ways including reducing testosterone levels in men leading to lowered libido.

Its not only the quantity of sleep that matters either however as quality has an even larger bearing on the physiological benefits induced by sleep.

So, what can you do to increase both the quality and quantity of your sleep? Practicing good sleep hygiene is essential.

There are several things that you can do, the following tips are a good place to start 

  • Turn off all electrical devices 45mins – 1hr before sleep

  • Make sure room is well ventilated and the temperature is neither too cold nor hot

  • Avoid coffee late in the day

  • Try some meditation or night yoga before bed to help your body relax

To learn more about how to increase your sleep quality and determine if there are any other factors that may be affecting your ability to get a good night rest, make an appointment and we can work on a personalized plan to help increase your z’s and support your well-being.


 
Ash Hendriks