today | Paleo Princess

Ever wondered what’s actually happening while you were sleeping?

Seeing as there is an app for everything these days, there are phone apps like the ‘sleep cycle’ (see: Sleep Cycle) that measure your sleeping waves like this…

My sleep pattern last night to prove!

But what’s really happening behind those unique pair of eyelids each night?

The average Australian sleeps for seven hours each night. Is the recommended eight hours of sleep necessary?

Well according to Australian Body & Soul, there’s more than what meets the eye each night.

1) There is a direct connection between the bathroom scales, your metabolism and lack of sleep. Less sleep = lower metabolism + higher the scales. Therefore getting more shut eye could mean an extra helping hand in shredding those curves.

2) Sleep aids in the ability to concentrate. We have all had those mornings when a Thursday or Friday can feel as much as a Monday morning. Our focus is limited and our judgement might as well have stayed in bed under the covers. Getting to bed even 30minutes before your usual can enhance your productivity to take on the day and thrash your targets – whatever they may be! More sleep = more focus + energy.

3) You’ll feel amaaaaaaazing!!!
Similar to the fact that group exercise can boost your mood [see earlier blog post], so too can getting a good nights sleep – and really put things back into perspective giving you that little extra spring in your step.

4) People that don’t sleep, don’t get all the health benefits such as nightly body repair aka if you don’t get your beauty sleep, you’ll become uuuuuuglyyy!! Wear and tear on the body should be replenished by a balance in your life. Not just with exercise and nutrients, but a good level of rest as well.

5) Longer life…. People who are regularly getting 7-8 hours of sleep continuously throughout the week can look forward to a longer healthy and happy life, whereas it has been shown that the less sleep you have (say fewer than 6 hours per night), suppresses your immune system and can take its toll on your body by increasing the risk of illnesses.

6) There is also a direct connection with sleep and with athletic performance.

According to a study in 2008, 5 swimmers were monitored when sleeping. They increased their sleep to 10 hours per day for six to seven weeks. At the end of the study the athletes were seen to be swimming much faster and able to react more quickly. A couple more hours in that comfy bed could mean the difference between your Bolt moves and your Bear moves.

7) An interesting fact…
During your body’s sleep cycle, your brain goes into a deep sleep state (see diagram above) where it goes through all the things you did that day and translates it into memory formations. When you have less than 6 hours of sleep per night, you are more at chance of losing parts of your memory long term, and doing short term damage to the learning experience. The deep sleep (the higher peaks in the diagram) are what is needed in order to replenish properly and count it as a good nights sleep.

8) Relationships are key.
Finally – the better rested you are, the better relations and intimacy you can have with your partner or those close to you. In 2010 the Sleep in America Poll advised that 20-30% of both women and men were affected by their lack of sleepiness. They explained that their family life and sexual relationships had been affected by the way in which their sleeping patterns where shortened.

So can the human body function on less than 8 hours of sleep her night?
Well short term possibly yes, long term no. But you don’t have to tell me twice to hang out in my doonah for another hour or so.

And being winter in the Southern Hemisphere, what better time to start then right now! Grab that hot water bottle, that book that’s gathering dust on your bedside and/or your other half and start toning your life back into shape – one snooze at a time.

For now – I am going to work on getting my point score higher on Sleep Cycle!

🙂