Historically, ‘sleep’ was assumed to be a time when the body is inactive. However, it’s now understood that what happens while we sleep is the complete opposite of inactive. Sleep is a very important time for recovery, and without sleep we couldn’t function.
Just like breathing, sleep is a necessity. Our body carries out many essential activities while we sleep: our muscles relax, heart rate & breathing are at their slowest, tissues repair, and there is growth and cell regeneration. In addition the immune system is restored and strengthened and hormones, the body’s complex communication system, are regulated. In turn, this controls our appetite, growth, metabolism, muscle development
Whilst we sleep, our brain is busy too, strengthening and reorganising memories, as well as processing emotional details to help us be creative.
On top of all of that, sleep also impacts our mood, and our relationships.
It hopefully won’t now surprise you to know that the quality and quantity of our sleep impacts every physiological function in the body. The evidence is incredibly complex and includes knotty interactions between hormonal, neurological and immunological systems. Whilst we don’t need to understand the tricky bits, we do need to know that sleep is at the very route of our health. Find out how you can improve your sleep.