Did you know? August – Sleep

Sleep provides the brain with a cleaning system to purge all the toxins that build up during the day.
Consolidating memory, strengthening the important and discarding the ones that aren’t.
Deep sleep allows the body to release growth hormones, and proteins that assist with tissue repair.

Four stages:
- 2 stages of light – nonrestorative,
- 2 stages of deep “slow wave sleep” – Hormones are secreted, feeling refreshed in the morning
Sleep deprivation may cause you to act and think as though you are over the legal limit of alcohol consumption.
Sleep deprivation may cause:
- Tolerate significantly less pain
- Less concerned about losing money while gambling
- Decreased ability to recognizing people’s emotions
“Social Jetlag” following different sleep patterns on the weekends by staying out later and socializing.
Technology (any light emitting device) before bed may cause you to have difficulty falling asleep and spend less time in REM sleep. Possibly because the blue light suppresses the production of melatonin.
Parasomnias are disorders that cause people to do things while sleeping
- Sleep walking
- Sleep talking
- Sleep eating
Completing a routine every night before bed may help with falling asleep and staying asleep. Maintaining this routine will help you become relaxed and signal to your brain it is time to go to sleep. This is called Sleep Hygiene and could include:
- No phone use 30min before bed
- Taking a bath
- Reading a book
- Meditating