5 Pillars of Health: Sleep 1

Sleep is one the 5 pillars of health, but most people don’t get enough of it especially in their adult lives. Throughout developed nations, most adults currently sleep in a monophasic pattern—that is, we try to take a long, single bout of slumber at night, the average duration of which is now less than seven hours.

Everyone knows sleep is important and that you need roughly 7-8hours for a good night sleep. It is gateway for recovery and resetting your body to function properly for the next day. Not enough sleep you feel tired and groggy, but why? A recent study published in October 2013 found out that on a molecular level, sleep is designed to cleanse the brain. They summarized that “the restorative nature of sleep appears to be the result of active clearance of the by-products of neural activity that accumulate during wakefulness”. Therefore it removes potential harmful toxins in and around the brain, including the fluid around the brain called CSF (cerebrospinal fluid). Hence this is a reason why you feel groggy with lack of sleep, as there is an over accumulation of these neuro-toxins within the brain and CSF!

Throughout developed nations, most adults currently sleep in a monophasic pattern—that is, we try to take a long, single bout of slumber at night, the average duration of which is now less than seven hours. From this remarkable study is this fact: when we are cleaved from the innate practice of biphasic sleep, our lives are shortened. It is perhaps unsurprising that in the small enclaves of Greece where siestas still remain intact, such as the island of Ikaria, men are nearly four times as likely to reach the age of ninety as American male.

The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life span. Here’s 10 benefits of getting 7-9 hours of sleep a day:

1. 1. Improved Mood
   2. Improved Energy Levels
   3. Healthy Heart
   4. Regulated blood sugars
   5. Improved mental function
   6. Improved immune system
   7. Athletic performance
   8. Reduced stress
   9. Maintaining healthy weight
   10. Improved memory

Sleep is the most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.