Sleep: The One Thing You May Be Overlooking To A Healthier You!
With the catchphrase, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” being so popular among today’s generation, it’s no wonder why people are experiencing chronic fatigue and an increase in health problems that could lead to premature death (Cappuccio, D’Elia, Strazzullo, & Miller, 2010). And while you could be eating a well-balanced diet and getting the recommended weekly physical activity in, you could be overlooking something ESSENTIAL to the whole equation… SLEEP!!!!
Sleep Regulation
Sleep is regulated by the release of the hormone melatonin by the pineal gland, located in the brain’s two hemispheres. The basal forebrain reinforces sleep and wakefulness and with the help of adenosine, both support your sleep drive (NIH, 2019).
How Sleep is Affecting Your Health
Long term sleep deprivation can lead to a multitude of health problems that impact your Central Nervous System, Immune, Respiratory, Digestive, Cardiovascular, and Endocrine System (Biggers, 2019). A few examples are weight gain, hypertension, diabetes, depression, mood swings, trouble concentrating, and low libido. You’ll go through your day feeling tired, cranky, groggy, and irritable. Not only will your body go through PHYSICAL stress, but you’ll go through mental stress as well.
Tips for Sleeping
You should be getting at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night and should prioritize it in your daily routine! Regulation of your sleep cycle can be fixed with a few simple habits throughout your day such as:
• Cutting off caffeine at noon
• No phone or screens an hour before bed
• Trying to relax with reading, meditating, or journaling
• Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day
• No heavy meals 2 hours before bed
• And Melatonin Supplementation!!!
Melatonin Supplementation
I absolutely SWEAR by these supplements and can vouch that they even put my racing mind to bed! Not only will it help regulate your sleeping patterns, but melatonin supplementation has been shown to fight inflammation in the body caused by oxidative stress (Sánchez, Calpena, & Clares, 2015). A good nights rest should NEVER be overlooked!
Slow Melatonin Release option - 6mg of Melatonin, sustained releasing tablet.
Standard Melatonin option - 3 mg of Melatonin, ideal for jet lag and regulating sleep cycle.
Insomnitol - A melatonin blend with other fantastic sleep support nutrients, botanicals, and neurotransmitter precursors that promotes relaxation for your brain.
References:
Biggers, A. (2019). The effects of sleep deprivation on your body. Healthline [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#1
Brain basics: Understanding Sleep (2019). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep
Cappuccio, F. P., D’Elia, L., Strazzullo, P., Miller, M. A. (2010). Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analyseis of prospective studies. SLEEP 33(5), 585-592.
Sánchez, A., Calpena, A. C., Clares, B. (2015). Evaluating the oxidative stress in inflammation: Role of melatonin. International Journal of Molecular Science 16(8), 16981-17004. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms160816981