What Happens in Our Body While We are Sleeping

  • Sleep accounts for one-quarter to one-third of the human lifespan. sleep is a period during which the brain is engaged in a number of activities necessary to life—which are closely linked to quality of life.
  • Questions like why we have sleep cycles, why we dream and why humans even need sleep in the first place are ones scientists are still finding exact answers to.
  • Sleep serves to reenergize the body’s cells, clear waste from the brain, and support learning and memory. It even plays vital roles in regulating mood, appetite and libido. The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganize, which supports healthy brain function. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins.
  • When you’re exhausted, your body is even able to engage in microsleep episodes of one or two seconds while your eyes are open. Napping for more than 30 minutes later in the day can throw off your night’s sleep by decreasing your body’s sleep drive.

The brain generates two distinct types of sleep—slow-wave sleep (SWS), known as deep sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM), also called dreaming sleep.

  1. Most of the sleeping we do is of the SWS variety, characterized by large, slow brain waves, relaxed muscles and slow, deep breathing, which may help the brain and body to recuperate after a long day.
  2. After SWS, REM sleep begins. This mode is bizarre: a dreamer’s brain becomes highly active while the body’s muscles are paralyzed, and breathing and heart rate become erratic.
To date, scientists have found that sleep helps the body in several ways. The most prominent theories and reasons are outlined below.
  • Energy conservation and regeneration – We need sleep to conserve energy. Sleeping allows us to reduce our caloric needs by spending part of our time functioning at a lower metabolism.
  • Cellular restoration – Muscle repair, protein synthesis, tissue growth, Hormones related to cellular growth and maintenance are released.
  • Recharge brain functions – like learning, memory, problem-solving skills, creativity, decision making, focus, concentration. When you sleep, your brain’s glymphatic (waste clearance) system clears out waste from the central nervous system.
  • Emotional well-being – During sleep, brain activity increases in areas that regulate emotion, thereby supporting healthy brain function and emotional stability. sleep disturbances can contribute to the onset and progression of mental health issues.
  • Weight maintenance – Recent research shows that chronic sleep deprivation, even as few as five consecutive nights of short sleep, may be associated with increased risk of: obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes.
  • Proper insulin function – Sleep may protect against insulin resistance. It keeps your cells healthy so they can easily take up glucose. Insulin resistance is the main reason for Pre-diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.
  • Immune system health – When you sleep, your body makes cytokines, which are proteins that fight infection and inflammation. It also produces certain antibodies and immune cells. Together, these molecules prevent sickness by destroying harmful germs.
    Heart health
  • Heart health – While the exact causes aren’t clear, scientists think sleep supports heart health.
Lack of sleep is associated with risk factors
  • High blood pressure
  • Increased sympathetic nervous system activity
  • Increased inflammation
  • Elevated cortisol levels
  • Weight gain
  • Insulin resistance
  • Mood changes
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Poor memory
  • Poor focus and concentration
  • Poor motor function
  • Fatigue
  • Weakened immune system
  • Weight gain
  • High blood pressure
  • Chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease
  • Increased risk of early death

~Praveen Jada

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