In 2016 the CDC reported that more than a third of Americans were not getting enough sleep. We tend to be overstimulated and under-rested. Sleep is a needed aspect of rebuilding, repairing, and healing. Without sleep, we can not do the proper cleaning up and repair we need to keep our bodies healthy. The less we sleep the more damage is done to our brains and also lessen our life span. Lack of sleep can also play a role in weight due to it impacting our hormones released to tell you are hungry or full.
What causes us to not be able to sleep? There can be many factors that impact if we sleep well or not. Melatonin production is regulated by calcium availability, which is also controlled by the parathyroid, fats can also impact the availability of your calcium. If you are having hormone issues, issues with thyroid or adrenal this can send you on a roller coaster ride, which is hard to get off of and calm the body. Our brain's capability to shut off is controlled by amino acids and minerals.
There are small things we can do to help us to have better sleep. I highly recommend following Matt Walkers, he is an expert in sleep, he has written several books and podcasts. Sleep can create a huge impact on your health, and ability to perform basic tasks. We can lay down close our eyes and do what appears to be sleeping for 8 hours, yet not hit all phases of sleep that are needed lacking quality sleep. Factors that impact our sleep lights stopping us from producing our melatonin, temperature we need to drop in temperature for good sleep just to name a few. Things we do before bed can impact how the body can relax or stimulate us. Eating too close to bed can stimulate the pancreas causing restless sleep. Alcohol and marijuana both seem like they are helping us sleep but are actually keeping us from different levels of sleep.
Things we can do to promote good sleep, dimming lights, using night shift on phones, turn the TV off, keep things dark, keep the area cool. Doing the same routine helps the body to sleep and wake up well. Hot bath to help the body drop the heat to help you to sleep. Limiting caffeine, caffeine can keep in your system for 10-12 hours. I urge you to put some effort into your sleep quality this is a large part of health and wellness. Here is a podcast deep diving into your sleep with Matthew Walker.
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