benefits of sleep-related stories
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: 5 Important Reasons To Get Enough Sleep
Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!Slipping off to the Land of Nod does more than just rest the weary brain and your tired toes. In this article from The Dallas Morning News, Dr. Nilesh Davé, medical director of the Sleep and Breathing Disorders Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center, offers five reasons why we should make every effort to get the best sleep possible every night.
- Fitness and Sleep. Stanford Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory found in a 2008 study that swimmers who obtained additional hours of sleep (beyond their normal amount) actually became better athletes. Swim time, reaction time, turn time and kick strokes all improved. Studies in other sports support the same findings. However, studies published in Runner's World link on-going sleep deprivation to a decrease in athletic performance.
- Growth and Sleep. Sleep is prime time for certain essential hormones to release into the body, including those necessary for growth. Cortisol is one hormone that peaks around 4 a.m., but if we do not get enough sleep our body produces too much cortisol. This leads to higher blood pressure, an increase in blood sugar, as well as an increase in appetite. When we are sleep deprived, leptin -- a hormone that tells the brain when we are full -- does not sufficiently produce; and therefore, our body thinks it is still hungry when in actuality it has had plenty of food.
- Memory and Sleep. Remember pulling all-nighters in college cramming for an exam? You would ace the exam but not remember anything the next day. That is because sleep is essential for long-term memory recall.
- Driving and Sleep. A 2006 study by the National Sleep Foundation and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute revealed the following alarming statistic: 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some sort of "driver inattention." According to the study, most drivers claimed lack of sleep as the culprit. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 200,000 sleep-related car accidents occur each year with as many as 1,500 fatal injuries.
- Mood and Sleep. It is no secret that well-rested people are happier people. We all feel crabby when we do not get enough sleep. Rest can work wonders on our mood, and therefore all aspects of our lives.
The Daily Turn On! Stress & Sleep
Life is too short not to be fully "turned on." The Daily Turn On! energizes all aspects of "you." Every Monday The Daily Turn On! with That's Fit Life Fit expert Laura Lewis will provide you with ideas and tips to awaken your mind, your body and your life as you journey through each day of the week! Check in each Monday to get your tip for Turning On every day of your life.There is no doubt our economy is experiencing some form of a recession. While I am certainly not an economist, just about everyone I know is experiencing some form of a financial squeeze. With 62,000 Americans losing their job in June alone, and the cost of price ever increasing, chances are you may be feeling a little stressed out too. Stress management is one of the most important aspects of living a healthy and fit life. There are many things we can't control -- the economy, war, politics and all the domino effects they have on our lives. But there are things we can control such as our responses to external stimuli and how much we sleep. When life gets stressful, making sure to catch plenty of ZZZs becomes increasingly important.
Benefits of Sleep
- Sleeping at least eight solid hours can reduce blood pressure and the elevated levels of stress hormones caused by external factors. Stress increases the body's natural rate of aging and degeneration of organs, cells and other body parts. Sleep helps to reverse these effects and encourages a state of relaxation.
- Our bodies shift into repair mode while we sleep generating extra protein molecules that mend the body at a cellular level. Stress, pollutants, infection, sun exposure and other forms of cellular damage is repaired during our REM sleep.
- Our cardiovascular system takes a "beating" when life gets stressful. Sleep helps to reduce the levels of stress and inflammation in the body. Inflammation in the cardio system can lead to heart disease. Sleep allows the cardiovascular system time to heal itself while also keeping blood pressure and cholesterol levels lower.
- Sleep also assists in regulating the hormones that affect and control our appetite. When we do not get enough sleep, our normal hormone balances are interrupted and our appetite increases. Our bodies begin to crave high-calorie foods in order to maintain sufficient energy. Sleeping well is one of the first steps towards eating well.
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: 10 Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep
Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!The old adage, You snooze, you lose, could not be further from the truth. In order to be healthy and happy individuals, we must get adequate sleep. Check out the top ten reasons for getting a full and restful night sleep.
10 Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep
10 Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep
- Heart Health. A lack of sleep is associated with high cholesterol, as well as high blood pressure -- risk factors for heart disease and stroke. For optimal health, get seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
- Cancel Out Cancer. Melatonin -- the sleep hormone -- is generated by a lack of light. People who stay up late in the night actually are not able to catch up on adequate sleep during the daylight hours. But melatonin is not just the sleep hormone. It also appears to suppress the growth of cancerous tumors. If you must stay up late, take measures to make sure no light is able to seep into your bedroom during the day in order to maximize your body's melatonin production.
- X-Out Stress. When we are sleep deprived, our bodies respond with an increased production of the stress hormone cortisol. This increased cortisol production causes an increase in blood pressure, raising the risk for heart attacks and strokes. And, the more stressed we become, the more difficult it becomes to get a good night's sleep. Check out these relaxation techniques, as well as stress reduction techniques for sleep.
- Eliminate Inflammation. Cortisol is like the boogie man of hormones. The more stressed we come, the more cortisol we manufacture, the more inflammation we develop internally. Inflammation is the cause of multiple disorders that causes physical deterioration of the body as we age.
- Alertness and Mental Agility. For those of us who are conscious of always getting a good night's sleep, we know how great we feel when well rested. We feel energized, relaxed and more confident. One of the best ways to slow down on caffeine addiction is to get a good night's sleep!
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: Get Your ZZZZs
Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!Did you know ... If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, you are not alone. More than 100 million Americans have occasional sleep problems, and one in six are known to have chronic sleep loss--a leading contributor to health problems.
A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger health concern is chronic sleep loss. Sleep is essential to a healthy body and life.
Five great reasons to get your ZZZZs:
- Learning & Memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation.
- Metabolism & Weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates and by altering hormones that impact our appetite.
- Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness.
- Cardiovascular Health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels and irregular heartbeat.
- Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body's killer cells. Keeping proper sleep habits may also assist in preventing cancer.
