Taking your beauty sleep seriously – the best decision for your health! OR Short term and long term sleep deprivation and how they affect the body.

• Geplaatst op 19 September 2016
• 0

It is common knowledge one should sleep at least 8 hours a day. However, if you have ever walked the narrow path between a career, a personal and a social life, you probably know it is a tough rule to follow.

A pressing issue at work, a good party, or simply binge watching TV will keep you up one night. And whenever you fall off the track, you immediately feel the impact of sleep deprivation. You already know some of the symptoms.

Have you ever noticed…

…when you are sleep deprived you gain weight?

Sleep deprivation affects your metabolism and eating habits in multiple ways:
• First, after just a few hours less sleep than usual we are more likely to make spontaneous (and poor) decisions - for our meals including. Meaning we are more likely to purchase foods high in fat and fast carbohydrates and in big quantities.
• Second, after just one night without sleep the levels of ghrelin, (a hormone affecting hunger) increase. Which means we stuff our body with needless calories.
• Last but not least, some studies suggest even short term deviation from our optimal sleep regime affects the speed at which our bodies deal with glucose. Which means the extra calories are not absorbed immediately, but turn into energy reserves. Yes, that means fat.

…when you are sleep deprived your allergies are getting worse?

Finnish scientists performed an experiment, limiting the test group’s sleep to just 4 hours per night for five days – one business week. They discovered sleep deprivation unnecessarily alerts the immune system, letting allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases in general, attack the body stronger than usual.

…when you are sleep deprived you seem to look older the very next day? 

Not just ‘look’ older! Missing out on sleep may lead to premature aging. A mere one night of incomplete sleep in older adults increases the speed of biological aging – it leads to gene expression patterns indicating hindering the cell cycle progress and promoting senescence.

…when you are sleep deprived you are not a fun company?

Scientists have examined the activity of the temporal lobe – the brain region responsible for processing language - in both well rested and sleep deprived individuals. The temporal lobe is virtually shut down when you have not slept enough, limiting your ability to communicate.

…when you are sleep deprived you make poor decisions?

While studying the link between sleeplessness and psychoses, psychologists have discovered an interesting link. Patients missing out on their sleep are less sensitive to outside stimuli and are not able to make the difference between important and unimportant outside factors, making prioritizing tasks difficult, planning – very hard, and taking the right decisions – virtually impossible. 

IT IS ALL TRUE!

Melatonin over the counter?

At daybreak, light is detected by your retina, which, through the nervous system alerts the hypothalamus, which starts your body’s engine for the day – adjusting its temperature, raising the level of hormones such as cortisol that allow you to respond to tasks with attention and effectiveness.
Melatonin, on the other hand, is a hormone, produced by the pineal gland, that responds to the lack of light and makes you sleepy and less alert. It is undetectable during daylight.
Because it is a natural ingredient in some foods, melatonin treatment is one of the few hormone treatments sold without prescription.

So is melatonin safe?

Melatonin is considered generally safe. However, you may prefer more natural sleep stimuli because of some melatonin side effects:
• It is not allowed for people, diagnosed with bleeding disorders
• It is not allowed for pregnant women
• It is not recommended for diabetics and the insulin resistant, because it increases the blood sugar
• It is not recommended for people with autoimmune disorders
• It may cause headache, dizziness and irritability
• It may cause general sleepiness – during daytime including
• It may interact with caffeine
• It may interact with birth control pills

Is there an alternative?

There are other (non-hormonal) supplements that will positively affect your biological clock.
We are glad to be able to offer you a non-melatonin sleep supplement using other natural sleep enhancers to help you doze off in harmony:

Bioactive milk peptides

Through milk, animals provide their children with natural sleep stimulants. Little ones best absorb the nutrients while resting. Milk is therefore a natural sleep catalyst. The peptides having this effect are extracted and included in sleep supplements. 

Ashwagandha 

Ashwagandha extract is derived from an Indian herb, known for its powers to relieve stress and calm down the nervous system.  

Indian gooseberry

The Indian gooseberry contains multiple nutrients you need during your sleep to improve your hair and skin condition, and by stimulating insulin secretion, helping out your diabetic health and your heart.

Now you know. So tonight make sure you grab your supplements and your sleep mask, and kiss your pillow good night! Have a happy beauty sleep!