Err

Sleep & Relaxation

Overall Recommendations: Due to its restorative and regulatory abilities, sleep has a major influence on immune function and inflammatory signals. Therefore, getting good quality, sufficient quantity (seven to eight hours) and adequate deep phasic bouts of sleep is of utmost importance as part of immune maintenance, as well as during times of recovery from illness. It is advised to have patients practice good sleep hygiene and maintain consistent sleep hours by turning off screens, ensuring the room is cool, quiet, and dark, and setting reminders to go to bed on time. Sleep  is inherently restorative and enables an internal resetting or regulatory aspect of one’s physiology. There is substantial evidence to suggest that sleep disturbance such as insomnia or lack of quality sleep, or even one night of reduced sleep, is associated with disturbances in the innate immune system due to disruptions in the circadian homeostasis of inflammatory cytokines and in the activities of immune cell subpopulations (e.g., CD4+, CD8+, and natural killer [NK] cells).

Sleep Apnea & Disordered Metabolism

Research suggests that sleep apnea greatly increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. In one study of Indian adults, participants with sleep apnea were three times more likely to have those metabolic disorders. Diagnosis of and visits to physicians' offices for sleep apnea have increased by 442% from 1999 to 2010--from 1.1 million visits in 1999 to 5.8 million visits in 2010.Enormous increases in sleep-disordered breathing have also been observed over time; current estimates are that 13% of men and 6% of women have moderate or severe problems.

Many of these patients also have other health challenges, including metabolic syndrome, which is often undiagnosed. Interestingly, recent research suggests that a two-way relationship between sleep apnea and insulin resistance offers treatment options. In an animal model, rats fed a high-fat diet were more prone to developing insulin resistance and sleep apnea; treating the insulin resistance with metformin resolved both the insulin resistance and the sleep apnea.

Chronic lack of good quality sleep can contribute to development of health problems including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity as well as adversely affecting the immune system. Furthermore, a number of conditions, including generalized pain syndromes and mood disorders such as depression, interact with sleep reciprocally so sleep deprivation may actively fuel the underlying problem.

Sleep makes you feel better, but its importance goes way beyond just boosting your mood or banishing under-eye circles.

Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle, and can benefit your heart, weight, mind, and more.

Improve memory

Your mind is surprisingly busy while you snooze. During sleep you can strengthen memories or "practice" skills learned while you were awake (it’s a process called consolidation).

Curb inflammation

Inflammation is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and premature aging. Research indicates that people who get less sleep—six or fewer hours a night—have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more.

A 2010 study found that C-reactive protein, which is associated with heart attack risk, was higher in people who got six or fewer hours of sleep a night.

People who have sleep apnoea or insomnia can have an improvement in blood pressure and inflammation with treatment of the sleep disorders.

Have a healthy weight

If you are thinking about going on a diet, you might want to plan an earlier bedtime too.

Researchers at the University of Chicago found that dieters who were well rested lost more fat—56% of their weight loss—than those who were sleep deprived, who lost more muscle mass. (They shed similar amounts of total weight regardless of sleep.)

Dieters in the study also felt hungrier when they got less sleep.

Sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same sectors of the brain, when you are sleepy, certain hormones go up in your blood, and those same hormones drive appetite.

Lower stress

When it comes to our health stress and sleep are nearly one and the same—and both can affect cardiovascular health.

Sleep can definitely reduce levels of stress, and with that people can have better control of their blood pressure, It’s also believed that sleep effects cholesterol levels, which plays a significant role in heart disease. Improves insulin resistance and hence diabetes.

Steer clear of depression

Sleeping well means more to our overall wellbeing than simply avoiding irritability.

A lack of sleep can contribute to depression. A good night’s sleep can really help a moody person decrease their anxiety. You get more emotional stability with good sleep.

If you think the long hours put in during the week are the cause of your anxiety or impatience, sleep cannot necessarily be made up during the weekend.

"If you sleep more on the weekends, you simply aren’t sleeping enough in the week," he says. "It’s all about finding a balance.

There are many more documented benefits of sleep and relaxation.

As more patients show up in your office with sleep problems, we explore the underlying causes and address them together with lasting lifestyle changes. In addition, addressing insulin resistance in patients with sleep apnea may be pivotal in treating the underlying causes as well as utilizing herbs, nutraceuticals, breathing exercises and mediation.


 

SECURE PAYmenT

Credit Cards : Visa, Mastercard, Amex

Contact us

Send a message

+44 203 771 9927