How Sleep Actually Makes You Healthier (It's Not Just About Resting)
When we talk about sleep, many of us think about how much we got (or didn’t get). But sleep isn’t just about resting; it’s a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. While you’re sleeping, your body is busy doing some heavy lifting—consolidating memories, processing information, and repairing and healing your body.
Getting enough rest isn’t just a matter of avoiding feeling tired, it’s an important part of keeping your body and mind healthy for the long haul. In this article, we’ll talk about:
How sleep helps you learn
How sleep improves your memory
How sleep aids in healing and physical health
Sleep and Information Processing
Have you ever thought about how much information your brain takes in during the day? In our modern world, an average person takes in about 74 gigabytes of information—the equivalent of 16 full-length movies—which it then sets aside to be processed later. And when does that processing happen? You guessed it: while you sleep.
Sleep gives your brain the time it needs to process all that information and stimuli received during the day. Then, it starts forming new pathways, which helps you learn new concepts and retain the information you've learned. When you don't get enough sleep, your ability to process new information decreases as well as your overall cognitive function.
So, if you’re thinking about staying up late to cram in some extra study time before a test or important meeting, try reviewing the information and getting a good night’s sleep instead. While you sleep, your brain will process the information and help you better retain and remember what you’ve learned.
Sleep and Memory
Take a minute to think back to the last movie you watched. How much do you remember of it? Now think about the 74 gigabytes—aka 16 movies worth—of information that your brain receives every day. If you’re wondering how we are able to remember anything with that much input, the answer is sleep.
Sleep and memory are closely linked. When we sleep, our brains consolidate memories and make sense of what happened during the day. There are four stages of sleep: REM and 3 stages of non-REM (NREM) sleep, which cycle throughout the night. Memory consolidation happens during multiple stages of sleep, so it's important to get rest long enough to ensure your brain has time to do all the consolidating it needs.
Getting good sleep can have long-term effects on your memory as well. While you sleep, your body clears out toxins, such as beta-amyloid, a protein that clumps together into plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Recent research into this connection suggests that getting enough rest can reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease, and maybe even reduce symptoms in people with the diagnosis.
Sleep and Healing
Obviously sleep is a powerful tool in staying healthy, but you might be surprised to learn that sleep is also the time when most of your body’s healing happens.
Have you ever wondered why you need more sleep when you’re sick? During sleep, your immune system kicks into overdrive and focuses its energy on fighting off any bacteria or viruses that might have been acquired during the day. So, when you’re sick or coming down with something, your body needs more time to fight off illness and get you back to feeling good.
During the deeper stages of sleep, your muscles also relax and become more pliable, helping them rest and recover from daily activities. A growth hormone is released during this period of sleep to boost muscle mass and repair cells and tissues in your body and brain. Your bones aren’t exempt either, and use this time to rebuild themselves and repair any micro-damage done during the day, which often happens during walking, running, or jumping.
What happens when you don't get enough sleep?
Now that we know the science, you might be wondering what this looks like on a daily basis. Not getting enough sleep can have serious consequences--and it's not just about the obvious effect of feeling tired. When your brain and body are deprived of the rest they need, all the important functions of sleep aren’t able to be completed, resulting in difficulty with:
Decision Making
Problem Solving
Emotional Control
Coping with Change
Depression
A lack of sleep can also bring on more serious problems because your immune system can’t do its job well. You’re more likely to get sick and have more difficulty fighting off infection. And chronic sleep deprivation increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease.
Studies have shown that being tired can be dangerous in other ways too. Exhaustion can lead to an increase in risky behaviors and thoughts of self-harm. And driving while tired is just as bad as driving after drinking—it causes thousands of accidents every year!
Why you can't sleep
What if you’ve tried to improve your sleep and get the recommended amounts, but you just can’t sleep? Identifying the underlying cause of your insomnia is the first step to sleeping and feeling better.
Interestingly, the most common causes of chronic insomnia are emotional or psychological, such as anxiety, stress and depression. Other causes include:
Anger
Worry
Grief
Trauma
Bipolar Disorder
Physical Discomfort
Restless Legs
If there are no obvious emotional or psychological stressors, you may be out of sync with your body’s natural sleep rhythm (circadian rhythm). In ideal circumstances, your body releases two hormones that create this rhythm: cortisol, which wakes you up, and melatonin, which calms your body and helps you sleep. There are many reasons that this cycle can be disrupted, but activities such as daytime naps and nighttime technology usage are common culprits.
In fact, with an increasing array of technologies available to us 24 hours a day, we have more opportunity than ever to become sleep deprived. The blue light emitted by electronic devices has been shown to interfere with melatonin production and disrupt circadian rhythms, which can lead to insomnia and other sleep disorders.
Finally, medical conditions like sleep apnea, a condition where you stop breathing for short periods of time while sleeping, can cause sleep disruptions. If you suspect something more serious may be happening, be sure to check in with a doctor or medical professional to find out more.
Tips to improve your sleep
If you’re having trouble sleeping, hope is not lost! Here are some helpful tips you can start today to get your body back on track:
Treat any physical or emotional causes of poor sleep. Many of these sleep disturbances can be addressed using gentle homeopathic remedies, rather than reaching for powerful sleep aids that can have uncomfortable side effects.
Start your day off with natural sunlight or bright light first thing in the morning, and be sure to get plenty of it throughout the day. This jumpstarts your cortisol and can help get your circadian rhythm back on track. It also improves your daytime energy and helps you fall asleep faster and sleep better at night.
Stick to consistent sleep and wake times. This is another action that helps maintain your circadian rhythm and get your cortisol and melatonin levels where they should be.
Avoid caffeine in the 6-8 hours before bedtime. Caffeine stimulates the nervous system and makes it difficult for your brain and body to wind down at the end of the night. These items include Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew; tea, coffee, lattes, and chocolate; coffee- or espresso-containing ice creams or desserts.
Optimize your sleep environment. Aim for a clean, enjoyable, quiet, and relaxing sleeping space. In addition, use white noise (from a fan, air purifier, or noise machine), hang light-blocking or blackout curtains, minimize artificial lights in your bedroom, and try to keep it between 65 and 70 degrees.
Prevent technology from disrupting your sleep by reducing blue light exposure in the evenings. Choose warm-colored lights for lamps and nightlights, instead of cool white lights. Avoid looking at screens at least two hours before bedtime (including your phone), or use blue light glasses or an app that filters the blue light if you must use electronics.
Create an evening routine that supports sleep
An easy way to improve your sleep is to create an evening routine that supports it. Our brains love routines, and a bedtime routine is a great way to help your body prepare for rest. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, and what works for you will differ from someone else.
Successful bedtime routines typically include a change in atmosphere. This could mean moving into your bedroom, or it could mean switching from overhead lights to lamps and playing calm music. Here’s a list of other ideas you can incorporate into your routine:
A relaxing massage
An evening bath with epsom salts and lavender oil
Misting your pillow with lavender water
Drinking a calming tea, such as chamomile
Reading a book
Meditating, deep breathing, or visualization practices
Journaling
Gentle evening yoga routines or stretching
Don’t be afraid of some trial and error, the key is to create something that feels right for you and makes sense with your lifestyle. Try different things until you find one or two activities that really help put your mind at ease during those last moments before falling asleep. And most importantly, plan to start your routine about 30 minutes prior to bedtime and be consistent. It can take time for your body and mind to adjust.
What happens when you do get enough sleep
Before we wrap up, let’s take a short look at the ways your health can improve when you prioritize sleep.
You get sick less often and you recover from illness and injury faster.
You improve your mood and reduce your stress levels.
You have a better memory and are able to think more clearly throughout the day.
You maintain a healthier weight by regulating your appetite hormones (like leptin and ghrelin).
You feel more alert and energetic, which means better performance at work and school.
You reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.
And so much more! Sleep is a crucial part of maintaining good health. There are many reasons why we don't get enough shut-eye, but the more we understand about how sleep works and what it does for our bodies and minds, the better equipped we'll be to make smarter decisions about how much rest we need.
If you are struggling with sleep and would like help, book a free discovery call with me to chat about working with me to support better sleep for your unique situation.
Sources
Sleep: What It Is, Why It’s Important by Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/12148-sleep-basics
Lack of Sleep and Alzheimer’s Risk by Sharon Goldman
https://comprehensivesleepcare.com/2022/04/18/lack-of-sleep-and-alzheimers-risk.
How Sleep Works by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Too Much Information by Frontiers for Young Minds
https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2017.00023#