Sleep, Sweet Sleep

Most of us take our sleep for granted. But actually, what happens when we sleep is pretty amazing!

While we are asleep, the body:

• Gets rid of waste products
• Circulates minerals, vitamins, hormones
• Produces most of the infection-fighting substances that help you recover from illness and injury
• Produces natural human growth hormone (HGH) that maintains and repairs muscles

A good night's sleep is not a luxury: it is absolutely essential to our well-being, in every single area of our lives.

Anyone who has gone without a good night's sleep knows how it negatively affects the next day, from waking up tired to dragging tired all day. When we're younger, it doesn't seem to affect us that much. In reality, though, it still does - the effects will just take longer to show.

Lack of sleep increases incidences of all kinds of illness. A San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center study found that just one bad night of sleep deprivation can reduce the activity of immune cells, leaving us more susceptible to colds, infections and disease.

This is why we need to give ourselves extra rest and sleep when we are ill, so that the body can heal itself.

"Sleep deprivation has effects on the body much like stress, including weight gain, increased cortisol levels, distorted thyroid hormone levels, and elevations in glucose and insulin that increase the risk for insulin resistance and diabetes," says Robert Sach, Ph.D., of Oregon Health Science University in Portland.

A recent study from the University of Chicago reportedly shows that a sleep deprived body:

• Is less efficient at metabolizing sugar
• Has elevated glucose levels
• Can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity
• Tired people often turn to food as an aid for staying awake; therefore, sleep deprivation could be related to weight gain.

Sometimes, too, when we are really tired, we will eat, instead of recognizing that what we really need is sleep.

God designed our bodies to be active during the day, and to heal themselves when we sleep at night. When we follow His plan, thehealing takes place, and we have fresh energy in the morning. Too often, though, we ignore this basic principle and suffer the consequences.

We've all experienced an occasional sleepless night. But what do you do when it begins to happen on a regular basis? I'll write about that next time.

Phyllis Towse