Sleep and How It Helps Heal the Body
by Mark WaltersSleep is the easiest thing to take for granted nowadays. With the need to take on two or more jobs a day continuously increasing, sleep is something that what most people consider as the least of their priorities. It's either people have too much to do that they can't afford to sleep or they have already gotten used to being awake for extended periods of time that have difficulty sleeping already.
What a lot of people are taking for granted is the fact that sleep is an essential part of their daily lives. It is during sleep that people can rest and leave the problems and worries behind. But the most important thing that people need to understand is that while they rest in sleep, they heal themselves – body and mind.
As we work through the day, our cells get worn out and degraded. It is during sleep that cellular repair and renewal takes place. Most of this healing is because of the hormones produced during sleep. It is during deep sleep that growth hormone production is pumped up to its peak.
Growth hormones help quicken the pace of nutrient and amino acid absorption in our cells. But aside from that, growth hormones also help stimulate the bone marrow to produce more macrophages and dendritic cells that boost up the body's immune system.
Aside from growth hormones, a hormone called melatonin is also produced. Often called the sleep hormone, this helps inhibit the growth of tumorous cells, prevents viral infections, and stimulates the immune system. To add more beneficial properties of melatonin, it increases the antibodies found in your saliva and has antioxidant properties of its own. Melatonin is also helpful in improving the quality a person gets.
With all the hustling and bustling you subject yourself to everyday; the last thing you'd want to be is sick. What better way to make sure that you don't get sick than to make sure you get enough rest? It is, after all, your body's time to refresh itself for the day ahead.