How Sleep Helps to Renew Your Mind and Body
I have long told my patients that getting consistent, restful sleep every night is one of the best ways to improve their health. In fact, research now suggests that weight gain can be tied to poor sleep. Research shows that depriving people of sleep for one night creates pronounced changes in the way their brains responded to high-calorie junk foods. On days when the subjects did not get good sleep, unhealthy, dehydrating and fattening foods like potato chips and candies stimulated stronger responses in a part of the brain that helps govern the motivation to eat. The sleep deprived subjects also experienced a sharp reduction in activity in the frontal cortex, the part of the brain where consequences are weighed and rational decisions are made.
The bottom-line: A sleep-deprived brain not only responds more strongly to junk food, but also has less ability to resist the temptation.
This interesting connection between sleep loss and unhealthy eating habits adds to a huge volume of studies indicating that people are more likely to have health problems ranging from high blood pressure to obesity when they do not get adequate sleep—and that the less sleep they get, the more profound the negative consequences.
It has, in fact, become increasingly clear from medical literature that every tissue in the body benefits from sleep. This means sleep is one of the most effective things people can do every day to restore brain and body health.
Since sleep is a major factor in improving and maintaining health and wellness, I recommend the following “sleep hygiene” tips to my patients to help them get a good night’s sleep:
Turn off the TV and other electronics one hour prior to going to sleep
Do not sleep with your cell phone or computer in your room
Take a warm bath or a hot shower prior to going to bed
Listen to calming, soothing music to help put you to sleep
Write down three things that were part of your day for which you are grateful
Article by Howard Murad, M.D., FAAD, a world renowned skincare expert and founder of the Inclusive Health movement. Click here to learn more about Dr. Murad.
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