The Sleep Anthology Series
A few posts detailing the benefits of sleep and why we should be getting more of it.
Note: Cover image is obviously of Dr. Seuss’ book, but I thought it to be fitting given the context.
This series is very short- only two posts so far. However, I think it’s something extremely important given our current circumstances.
Sleep is one thing we are all likely to have forsaken in recent years, whether due to hectic schedules or exposure to light that makes it difficult to fall asleep. Given how much Melatonin supplementation has increased over the years there’s no doubt that Americans are striving to get more sleep.
Sleep is vital to our health. When we were young we may have been told that sleep is when we grow, however we tend to forget that it’s when we sleep that we may heal. Indeed, there is likely to be an evolutionary association between sleep and our body using that time to recuperate and recover from an arduous day full of stress or physical fatigue.
Because of this, I thought it was important to start looking at things that could help in the fight against COVID that does not necessarily relate to taking vaccines, medications, or any supplements, and returning to basic principles of living that has kept our species going for hundreds and thousands of years.
I. The Importance of Sleep
At the time, these series of posts were intended to focus on immune health in relation to the given lifestyle factor. This post provides a brief overview of the detriments of less sleep, but it goes into a bit of detail into the relationship between sleep and our immune system. One fascinating finding takes a look at the innate immune system and sleep, which suggests that certain cytokines that we release are associated with sleepiness, with the assumption that putting us into a state of sleep may allow other biochemical processes to occur such as fevers. This allows our bodies to transfer over energy costs that we may expend while active and shuffle them to other processes while we sleep. In essence, it is when we sleep we heal.
II. Getting Better Sleep
This post is a very relevant one. We can’t give reasons for people to sleep more without explaining what factors are leading us to stay awake. Here, I provide some explanations for our inability to sleep, such as artificial light exposure, light at night (LAN) and even possibly lack of daily sunlight exposure throwing our circadian rhythms off. I also provide some examples of things one can do in order to promote better sleep including Melatonin supplementation, exercise, and other compounds.
In figuring out ways we can help ourselves against COVID while also improving our own overall health, we should not overlook some of the key factors that have contributed to our species survival. We should take a look at basic principles and how our current lifestyle may alter the way we live- much to our detriment. So keep in mind how much sleep you are getting and whether there are things you can do to get better sleep.
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