Do you catch enough shut-eye? Or are you more like the one in three Australians who aren’t getting quality sleep?
Scientists are still nutting out why we have actually evolved to need sleep. But one thing they all agree on is that our 40 winks is absolutely vital to a healthy, happy body. So, exactly what happens to us when we sleep?
1. Your blood pressure drops.
When you nod off, your body enters a state of total relaxation, causing your blood pressure to plummet. Studies have linked a lack of sleep to hypertension, which can wreak havoc on heart health.
2. Your hunger hormones are regulated.
Ever felt like eating everything in your path after a night spent tossing and turning? It’s not just you. Scientists reckon our hunger hormones go a little haywire when we don’t get enough sleep, causing us to opt for more calorie-dense, junky options.
3. You pump out growth hormone.
Your body does most of its home renos while you’re sleeping, pumping out the hormones essential for muscle and tissue development and repair.
4. Blood supply to your muscles increases.
Likewise, oxygenated blood flows more freely to where your body needs it most, ensuring everything is in working order. That’s why it’s particularly important to get plenty of rest if you’ve been sick or injured.
5. Your immune system recharges.
Catching adequate Zzzs also does wonders for your immunity, allowing all your pathogen-fighting soldiers to rest and reboot, ready for battle the next day.
Studies have shown a lack of sleep mirrors a stress response, kicking the immune system into overdrive and increasing inflammation throughout the body, which spells danger when prolonged.
6. Your brain reboots.
Sleep is the time your brain clears it’s trash folder, so to speak. The science is still very young, but some studies suggest sleep even clears brain of damaging molecules associated with neurodegeneration.
Your brain is also busy cementing and filing new information during dream time, resetting the connections that allow us to learn and adapt to the world around us. If that’s not a reason to go to bed a littler earlier tonight…!
[CTA] Are you surprised to learn what happens to us while we sleep?
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