The virtues of the biological function of sleep on our physical and mental health are numerous. Here are the main ones.
Sleeping well is essential for good health. Whether it is to regulate the metabolism, increase concentration, reduce stress, preserve the skin, the heart or even boost the libido, you will see how much your sleep is a precursor to your well-being. However, before listing its main benefits, what is sleep? Why do we sleep?
The biological function of sleep allows us to recover from physical, intellectual or even emotional fatigue. It allows the brain to assimilate, to sort the information accumulated during the day, to memorize and to see more clearly. Sleep allows the establishment and development of nervous circuits in the fetus and during the first months of a baby’s life. Likewise, it promotes the secretion of growth hormones, which is why it is bad to deprive a child or adolescent of sleep. Sleeping also contributes to healing, eases tension, allows you to let go and mark a break. In short, the virtues of sleep on health are numerous.
1) The heart rests, the brain cleans itself
Sleeping boosts your immune system and makes it more effective against seasonal viruses and surrounding microbes. It allows the heart to slow down and save itself, just as it promotes the cleansing of the brain which takes advantage of this time of rest to evacuate cellular waste. produced by neuronal activity during wakefulness.
A team from the University of Rochester (United States) explained in 2013 in the journal Science “that the brain has two distinct functioning states. It is either awake and alert or dormant and in cleaning mode. As he has only limited energy resources, he is forced to alternate between one and the other”. The brain pumps cerebrospinal fluid through the tissues and purifies it overnight. Waste them, are routed through the blood to the liver where they are eliminated.
2) Sleep contributes to learning and memorization
As explained by the pProfessor Robert Jaffard, neurobiologist, specializing in the study of memory, at the B2V Observatory of Memories, “Sleep prepares the brain to learn, to encode new information. Later, it will consolidate the memory of these learnings to make it a stable and lasting memory”. In addition, sleeping consolidates all our memories: “During light and then deep sleep which follows falling asleep, it is the declarative memory, made up of our memories and our knowledge, which is consolidated. During paradoxical sleep, later, it will be the procedural memory, that of our motor and perceptual skills.
3) Sleep for prettier skin
Dull complexion, bags under the eyes, dark circles, marked features… fatigue leaves traces! However, the skin regenerates during sleep. Ladan Mostaghimi, a specialist in skin and sleep disorders in the department of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin (USA), explains to Madame Figaro that sleep has “a significant effect on health and recovery from daily stressors on every organ, including the epidermis”.
She describes the process as follows:When we sleep, there is an increase in collagen synthesis and blood flow. Skin temperature, permeability, pH, and transepidermal water loss are different during sleep and insomnia. It’s the increased blood flow that helps you get a glowing complexion in the morning after a good night’s sleep.”
4) Stress, depression, anxiety
We mentioned it above: sleeping allows you to take a break, to calm down. During the night, the nervous system calms down, the mind rests and the body relieves itself of the waves of stress that it undergoes when it is awake. A good night’s sleep allows you to step back, see things more clearly, find new solutions and ease the tensions of the day before. Sleep is also valuable for relational and social life. It helps to make the right decisions.
Conversely, lack of sleep impairs judgment, logic, concentration, affects mood, promotes negative state of mind, depression and anxiety.
5) Sleep boosts libido
A study published in 2015 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine demonstrated that every minute of sleep is precious in women: sleeping an extra hour would increase their sexual desire by 14% the next day. Sleeping longer would also promote vaginal lubrication.
As you will have understood, sleep is essential to our physical and mental health. Combining a good sleep pattern, regular physical activity, good nutrition and not smoking will only improve your condition.
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