Beauty Sleep... not just a myth!

A good night's sleep is a powerful 'drug'. If you fully understood what is accomplished when you sleep well at night, you will agree with me that nothing and nobody is worth your losing any sleep over.


Adequate sleep is one of the 8 Pillars of A Healthy Lifestyle.

So today I'll share with you the benefits of adequate sleep, then I'll give you some tips on 'sleep hygiene' - how to ensure you get the best possible sleep every night.

Benefits of A Good Night Sleep.

1. Reduced stress, greater ability to cope with daily stressors. Inadequate sleep causes you to secrete high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. If you habitually don't sleep enough, this constantly elevated level of cortisol could put you at risk of several health problems including depression, decreased bone mass, brain degeneration, diabetes and more.
   
   
2. Weight loss. Inadequate sleep messes with the balance of other hormones as well, including the hormones that control satiety and appetite. Studies have shown that if you consistently get less than 7 hours of sleep each night, because the signals from these hormones are disrupted, you find your appetite is out of whack, and you're unable to tell when you're full so you eat more and...you got it - pile on the weight!
   
   
3. Lowers your 'bad' cholesterol. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released during sleep, and one of its jobs is to lower the level of 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) in your body. Inadequate sleep disrupts this process and puts you at risk of accumulating LDL,  which is bad because of the next point...
   
   
4. Protects your heart. Adequate sleep is good for your heart. Raised levels of LDL, put you at risk of having heart attacks and strokes. So make sure you inlcude adequate sleep in your health arsenal if you wish to avoid these baddies. Inadequate sleep also can contribute to raised blood pressure, which is also bad for your heart.
   
   
5. Makes you smarter. Adequate sleep promotes mental acuity and improves your memory for reasons researchers are not fully sure of. One thing we do know, however, is that while you sleep, your brain is hard at work processing information, creating links and memories, storing stuff for future use and so forth. Inadequate sleep messes with this process.
   
   
6. May prevent cancer.  Especially breast and colon cancer. Studies suggest this may be due to the disruption in melatonin secretion which happens when you don't sleep in a dark enough environment. Melatonin secretion is reduced by exposure to light. Melatonin is your sleep hormone: it's released from about 9pm, and it makes you feel sleepy...it's secreted for the next 12 hours after that and by daytime its levels are barely detectable. Melatonin also plays a part in providing immunity, and is a powerful antioxidant (free radical destroyer). Some studies also suggest it inhibits cancer cell growth and can directly kill certain tumor types.
   
   
7. Anti-aging treatment. Disruption of the hormones secreted during sleep leads to an increase in oxidative damage caused by free radicals in the body. This oxidative damage is partly responsible for the visible signs of 'aging' you may be experiencing prematurely. So you see, beauty sleep does have scienctific merit!
   
   
8. Increased alertness. This is something you've probably experienced yourself, after a good nights sleep.
   
   
9. Body repair time. While you sleep, your body works to put your nutrients (hopefully you've provided it with healthy food during the day) to work, restoring and repairing tissues that have been damaged by ultraviolet exposure, stress, and other things that raise your free radical levels.
   
10. May reduce depression. Nuff said.
    

 Tips For A Good Night Sleep

1. Go to bed early, say around 10pm and aim for the amount of sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed and recharged the next morning. Our system does most of its recharging between 10pm and 2am. Most adults need between 6 & 9hours of sleep each night for optimal health. This varies though, from person to person - some people function well on more or less than that, and your current state of health affects how much sleep you should have eg during illness or early pregnancy you'd need a lot of sleep.
2. Maintain regular sleep and waking times.
3. Make your sleeping area (bedroom) as dark as possible. Get rid of as many light sources as possible, because even the standby lights from your electronic equipment cause you to secrete less melatonin.
4. Don't drink caffeine or do exercise just before you sleep.
5. No TV right before bed. Ideally there should not be a TV in your bedroom.
6. Exercise regularly, but your workout, if done later in the day, should be more than 3hours before sleep.
7. Munch an apple about 30 minutes before you sleep: it helps promote deep sleep by encouraging tryptophan, the sleep-inducing protein, to get through your blood-brain barrier.
8. Have your last meal 2-3hours before you sleep though.
9. Avoid alcohol just before bed as it disrupts with the phases of deep sleep during which your body does its healing and repair work.
10. Relax: a soothing bath, some soothing music, thinking calm thoughts...these all help too!

Here's hoping you sleep tight tonight! Please leave your thoughts and comments on this topic below.

About the Author:
Dr Kem Thompson is a General Practitioner, Author and Speaker. She specializes in Healthy Lifestyle medicine and is passionate about Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Success Principles and Women's issues.
Subscribe today to her no-nonsense FREE 'Health & Success Newsletter' to receive practical tips, techniques and strategies you can use NOW to improve your health and life. You will receive 2 thank-you gifts when you subscribe at http://www.doctorkem.com