What is relaxing, energizing, repairing, synthesizing, and ridding body of garbage all at the same time? If you guessed sleep, you were quick.
If you are a person who does not want to miss a beat, or who wants to know everything, or who just wants to keep doing and learning, it is difficult to prioritize sleep. To these people, sleep seems like a waste of time. It seems time could be better utilized.
However, if a person wants to have evidence-based information about the importance of sleep, there is plenty of truth in the fact that we need sleep to recover from the day’s stimulation. It is a time to allow the brain to categorize, and to also rid itself of unnecessary information. It is a time for the hormones to rebalance. It is a time to go into Delta state so problems can be solved, and brain waves can be slowed. Sleep is related to good digestion and balance of the autonomic nervous system. Sleep repairs.
Lack of sleep can cause diseases, and neurological attacks on the body. Lack of sleep can be a contributing factor to Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, gastrointestinal diseases and degenerative diseases. When the brain lymphatic system does not have time to work, the diseases activate. However, if given ample time for the brain to sleep, the garbage can be taken from the brain through the lymphatic drainage system. This is thought to prevent dementia.
Sleep can help prevent memory loss and allows time for the brain to categorize subconsciously so the memory actually becomes more acute. Brain fog can be a sign of both lack of sleep and clogged lymphatic system or endocrine system imbalance. Lack of sleep can decrease a person’s performance at work or tasks, it can cause a person to lack good judgement. It can cause a person to be irritable or angry. It can also increase a person’s risk for parasitic, viral and bacterial infections. Tiny protozoa that live inside our bodies can trigger fatigue syndromes, Epstein-Barr virus, grinding teeth and more. These protozoa are more active in people during full moons which activate women’s PMS symptoms. When these tiny creatures are in balance in our bodies, we can again sleep better and recover from discomforts and diseases. Sleep again, can calm the body so it can repair any mood swings or disorientation or poor judgement.
How much sleep is needed? If a person is sick, they will need more sleep. If a person has deprived themselves of adequate sleep in the nighttime, that person will need more sleep to make up for the lack along the way. A normal, healthy person generally needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night to allow the brain to store information and to better problem solve the next day.
What if you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep and you still don’t feel rested? Then you need to find out why. Check if it is dark in your sleeping area at night. Be certain the blue lights and computers and phone lights are turned off because these stop the production of the body’s melatonin. Darken the room with curtains that block streetlights or neighbor lights. Then, if you can, turn off your wi-fi to prevent those electrical frequencies from affecting your relaxation as well. Some people may need an eye mask to block the non-beneficial lights at night. Other things to check are your foods that you eat, and the timing of your habits. The body is tuned to a circadian rhythm. When we don’t understand it, we may be stretching our bodies to do things at times that actually harm us.
Sleep is also very important for Postpartum mothers…after giving birth. Lack of sleep can cause more pain, more wound discomfort, less lactation which could cause mom to cease breastfeeding and even influence continued uterine contractions. Men in the woman’s life, give the woman time to heal, and help her out so she can sleep, even while nursing the baby. The more rest a postpartum mommy gets, the quicker her recovery and the better effect in her long-term transition to menopause.
Know that if you are feeling out of balance in some way, do check your sleep patterns. Readjusting a few areas of life, getting the darkness at night and the light during the daytime may be the single most effective solution to your health challenges.
Sources: The Circadian Code by Satchin Panda, PhD,
Dr. Michael Breus interviews in 2016 (Sleep Summit)
Comments