Sleep Is What Gives Us Strength

 lack of sleep: weak immunity

What is lack of sleep: Amount of sleep a person needed

 A person who doesn’t get enough quality sleep is suffering from lack of sleep. The right amount of sleep can vary from person to person, but it is recommended by various experts that an adult should get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. With quantity of sleeps a person should get quality of sleep. If a person has low quality of sleep, they feel tired the next day, regardless of how many hours they slept. Low quality sleeps may involve waking often during the night, breathing difficulties, an environment that is too hot, cold or noisy, an uncomfortable bed. 

What studies says about sleep deprivation

Thousands of  experts and studies have time to time warn you that sleep deprivation makes an individual more prone to  diseases such as diabetes, heart disorders, hypertension, and eye-related disorders, among others. But you should know that lack of sleep can directly impact your immune system, making you more likely to fall sick.

 Our body releases important proteins called cytokines, some of which play a role in promoting sleep. Certain other cytokines increase in number when you are under stress, or suffering from an infection or inflammation. Lack of sleep affects the production of these cytokines in addition to affecting the release of infection-fighting antibodies  which results in low immunity.

Besides making you more prone to illnesses, sleep deprivation also affects how fast you recover from an illness. Besides, lack of sleep over an extended period of time increases your risk of other diseases including diabetes, obesity and heart and blood vessel disease,

that sleep and immunity are directly connected. When there’s a lack of sleep, the oxidants in our body will increase and the immunity will come down. When we sleep, there will be less sympathetic activity in the body which, in turn, is linked to better  heart health. Our immunity also remains in control. Studies in animals have shown that if they are woken up constantly they succumb to illness. “lack of sleep can reduce your immunity”. This is because sleep exerts an immune-supportive function, promoting host defense against infection and inflammatory insults

Signs of Sleep deprivation

A person who is getting low quality and inadequate sleep may experience

1.     Fatigue

2.     Irritability

3.     Difficulty focusing and remembering

4.     Mood changes

Effects on the body

1.    Weak Immune System

Sleep deprivation may reduce your immunity power. A person become more prone to infections, which may take longer to resolve.

2.    Obesity: Weight gain

Sleep control the hormones that control the feelings of hunger and fullness. Sleep deprivation can affect that hormones which control the feeling of hunger and fullness. It also can trigger the release of insulin. Changes to sleep can cause increased fat storage, changes in body weight, and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

3.   Hormone levels

Insufficient sleep can affect hormone production, including the production of growth hormones and testosterone. It also causes the body to release additional stress hormones.

4.    The Brain: May affects Intelligence

Sleep deprivation affects the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for reasoning, and the amygdala, which is responsible for emotion. A lack of sleep can affect brain such a way a person finds difficulty on focusing and remembering. It also makes it hard for a person to form a new memory, which can affect learning.

                            5.Fertility

Low quality of sleep may affect the production of hormones that boost fertility.

Signs that sleep deprivation is affecting your immunity

If you wondering whether lack of proper sleep is harming your immune function, look out for these signs

! Body pain

! Increase in sugar level
! increase blood pressure

Increased irritability, high blood pressure, increased daytime sleepiness frequent infections, cardiac illness are a few of the multitude of problems that occur due to lack of adequate sleep.

Conversely, those with compromised immune function may experience trouble falling asleep, experts said. “Compromised immunity will affect sleep as it disturbs the sleep pattern. Excessive daytime sleepiness.

 Can comprised immunity affect your sleep?

due to early fatigue and decrease night sleep some people can feel  persistent ailments like body ache, fever, cough etc.

Compromised immunity with frequent infections can fragment sleep owing to fever, discomfort, dehydration.

 

What can you do?

Simply put, sleep adequately! “While more sleep is not always better, adults need seven to eight of good sleep each night for optimal performance. Teenagers must get nine to 10 hours of sleep and school-going children may need 10 or more hours of sleep.

Though there are no fixed hours for each individual, six hours of sleep is enough for better health.

There are certain other acts you can follow for better sleep management

(i)               Expose yourself to natural light

(ii)             Get regular exercise, engage in any type of physical activity

(iii)          Avoid caffeine before sleeping hours

(iv)           Avoid alcohol before bed

(v)              Avoid using electronics such as mobile phones, laptops, video games before bed

(vi)           Make a clean and comfortable bed for yourself

(vii)         Create calming bedtime environment

(viii)      Follow a consistent sleep schedule.

  Food to eat for better sleep

There are several foods and drinks may help. This is because they contain sleep-regulating hormones and brain chemicals, such as melatonin and serotonin. Some foods and drinks contain high amounts of specific antioxidants and nutrients, such as magnesium and melatonin, that are known to enhance sleep by helping you fall asleep faster or stay asleep longer. Here are some foods you can eat to improve sleep quality.

(i)              Dairy products

Dairy products such as a glass of milk, cottage cheese, and plain yogurt are known sources of tryptophan. Milk has been shown to improve the sleep-in older adults, especially when paired with light exercise.

(ii)           Banana

Banana peels contain tryptophan and the fruit itself is a modest source of magnesium. Both of these properties may help you get a good night sleep’

(iii)        Oatmeal

Similar to rice, oatmeal is a high carbs with a bit more fiber and has been reported to induce drowsiness when consumed before bed. Additionally, oats are a known source of melatonin.