The Missing Link To A Healthy Lifestyle: Sleep
When people mention that they want to improve their lifestyle they usually refer to two things, eating properly along with an increase in physical activities. The normal method that people commonly take for achieving a healthier lifestyle is by starting a diet and getting a gym membership. While exercise and diets are great ways to improve health, they aren't the only ways to do it.
The missing link to improving a healthier lifestyle is by attaining better sleep. At night, during sleep, the brain goes into overdrive while the physical aspect of the body rests. Chemical reactions and messages through the nervous system continue during sleep to maintain the body's functionality. During a good night's sleep, the brain produces chemical reactions that help preserve the immune system to fight off bacteria and other harmful elements to the body. On days or weeks when sleep is deprived, the body's capability to fight off sickness is greatly reduced. More importantly, people who suffer from sleeping problems are at a greater risk for falling ill due to a weakened immune system.
Sleep also plays a key role in how people's moods turn out to be for the day. Think about the last time that you didn't get enough sleep and how the next day played out? Perhaps your memory was a little bit off, or maybe you saw yourself getting irritated by small nuances that had occurred. To be honest, those are typical reactions that can happen directly because of not sleeping properly. Sleeping problems have been associated with increased anxiety and amplified irritability, making the outcome of the day similar to a ticking bomb; never knowing what will set you off. Mood swings and other emotional outcomes can be controlled by a better sleeping schedule, along with a healthier lifestyle change.
One important thing to remember before improving sleep results is that un-natural sleep aids (pills and drinks) will not help the progression of sleep quality; it can have the opposite affect and worsen the situation. Avoid them at all costs because they only temporarily fix a sleeping dilemma instead of improving it over time. Remember, if a healthier lifestyle change is a goal that you want to accomplish, make sure to include sleeping on your list of things to improve.
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