the great virtues of sleep

Sleeping well is essential for health. Whether it is to regulate the metabolism, increase concentration, decrease stress, preserve the skin, the heart or even boost libido, you will see how your sleep is a precursor to your well-being. Before listing its main benefits, however, what is sleep? Why do we sleep?

The biological function of sleep allows us to recover from physical, intellectual or even emotional fatigue. It allows the brain to assimilate, sort the information accumulated during the day, memorize and see more clearly. Sleep allows the establishment and development of nervous circuits in the fetus and during the first months of a baby’s life. Likewise, it promotes the secretion of growth hormones, which is why it is wrong to deprive a child or adolescent of sleep. Sleeping also contributes to healing, relieves tension, allows you to let go and pause. In short, the virtues of sleep on health are numerous.

1) The heart rests, the brain cleans itself

Sleeping boosts your immune system and makes it more effective against seasonal viruses and surrounding microbes. It allows the heart to slow down and save itself, just as it promotes brain cleaning which takes advantage of this rest time to evacuate cellular waste. produced by neural activity during wakefulness.

A team from the University of Rochester (United States) explained in 2013 in the review Science “that the brain has two separate operating states. He is either awake and alert, or sleeping and in cleaning mode. As he only has limited energy resources, he is forced to alternate between one and the other ”. The brain pumps cerebrospinal fluid through the tissues and purifies it overnight. Waste products are transported by blood to the liver where they are eliminated.

2) Sleep contributes to learning and memorization

As explained by pteacher Robert Jaffard, neurobiologist, specializing in the study of memory, at the B2V Observatory of Memories, “Sleep prepares the brain for learning, for encoding new information. Later, he will consolidate the memory of these learnings to make a stable and lasting memory ”. In addition, sleeping consolidates all our memories: “During the light and then deep sleep that follows falling asleep, it is the declarative memory, made up of our memories and our knowledge, which is consolidated. During REM sleep, later, it will be the procedural memory, that of our motor and perceptual skills. ”

3) Sleep for prettier skin

Dull complexion, bags under the eyes, dark circles, marked features … fatigue leaves traces! However, the skin regenerates during sleep. Ladan Mostaghimi, a specialist in skin and sleep disorders in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin (United States), explains to Madame Figaro that sleep has “a significant effect on health and the recovery of daily stressors on each organ, including the epidermis ”.

She describes the process as follows: “When we sleep, there is an increase in collagen synthesis and blood flow. Skin temperature, permeability, pH and transepidermal water loss are different during sleep and insomnia. It’s the increased blood flow that helps to have a glowing complexion in the morning after a good night’s sleep. “

4) Stress, depression, anxiety

We mentioned it above: sleeping allows you to pause, to calm down. During the night, the nervous system calms down, the mind rests and the body relieves itself of the waves of stress that it undergoes when awake. A good night’s sleep allows you to take a step back, to see more clearly, to find new solutions and to ease the tensions of the previous day. Sleep is also precious for relational and social life. It helps to make the right decisions.

Conversely, lack of sleep impairs judgment, logic, concentration, affects mood, promotes a negative state of mind, depression and anxiety.

5) Sleep boosts libido

A study published in 2015 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine has shown that every minute of sleep is precious for women: sleeping an extra hour would increase their sexual desire by 14% the next day. Sleeping longer would also promote vaginal lubrication.

As you can see, sleeping is essential to our physical and mental health. Combining a good sleep pattern, regular physical activity, good nutrition and not smoking will only improve your condition.

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