Fall Asleep and Wake up the Way Nature Intended

With the fast-paced world we live in and our endless technologies, many people have trouble falling asleep. And modern alarm clocks don’t help the problem, as they contribute to stress by waking people up with loud, obnoxious noises.

When your eyes detect this increased level of light, a signal is sent to the brain's pineal gland. The pineal then triggers the production of the hormone serotonin, which causes us to slowly awaken. This natural method of waking leaves you feeling refreshed and energized. At the other end of the circadian scale, the pineal gland, in response to darkness, triggers the production of the hormone melatonin.

The rude awakenings in modern life certainly contribute to the daily stress you face. More importantly, this type of awakening may fail to support your delicate and complex body systems.

The inability to awaken in today's darkened bedroom created the need for an alarm clock, ergo: the blaring, buzzing, dreaded alarm clock.

Perhaps the worst side effect of an alarm clock is that in some people it can stimulate the fight-or-flight human defense mechanism. Since human beings are biologically programmed to wake up to sunlight, audio awakening devices seem diametrically opposed to our biological needs.

Audio devices of any kind trigger a response of sudden wakefulness causing a quick and disturbing rush of adrenalin. Your body naturally reacts by sending the appropriate fight-or-flight chemicals into our bloodstreams, preparing your body’s mechanisms to fight or run away.

Since there is nothing to fight and run from when we wake each morning, there is no need for such chemicals to be surging in our bloodstream at this time of day. Nevertheless, most of us still wake up each morning physically and emotionally armed for battle.

Your 20s are full of new jobs and dates and trips and parties and mistakes that you can fix (or forget about) in your 30s. And there's basically no time for sleep. Unfortunately, late nights don't just make morning suck.

When you keep not getting enough sleep, it can affect your body in the long run. (The American Academy of Sleep Medicine [AASM] recommends between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night for adults.

Heightened blood pressure: Sleep loss stresses out your body and mind in a way that causes your blood pressure to spike. Over time, this could damage your heart,arteries, kidneys, and even bring about stroke, loss of vision, and a host of other health problems you seriously don't want. 

Stress: When you don't get enough sleep, your body naturally releases the stress hormone cortisol, says Dr. Shalini Paruthi, director of the Pediatric Sleep and Research Center at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis,Missouri, and an AASM fellow.

Greater risk of death: People who sleep less than five hours per night are 15 percent more likely to die from literally any cause, according to data from three massive studies. So yes, going to bed too late could eventually kill you.

Impaired creativity: Neuroimaging studies suggest that the brain spontaneously reorganizes information when you rest, which could explain why it's so much harder to focus and come up with ideas when you haven't slept. 

Moodiness: There's something about exhaustion that turns you into Negative Nancy: In a two-year study in which 78 medical residents tracked their sleep and intermittently recorded their emotional responses to various stimuli, researchers found that fatigue intensified participants' negative emotions. 

Sleep deprivation actually affects your mood even more than it does your motor and cognitive performance, according to a massive review of 19 original research studies published in Sleep. Meaning? You're more susceptible to angry tangents when you're sleepy. 

Lower GPA: Research suggests that college students who sleep the least earn lower grades than those who sleep nine or more hours per night. Your brain needs to cycle through certain deep sleep stages to store memories and solidify the things you learn. When you fall asleep, your heart rate and metabolic rate drop so your body can focus on those things, says Dr. Paruthi. No sleep, no storage. 

Poor decisions: Many parts of the brain are involved in decision-making. When you don't give your brain enough rest, it functions at half-mast, and you'll end up making less than savory choices, Dr. Paruthi says. 

Twitchy eyes: Dr.Paruthi says fatigue can cause an awkward-looking eye spaz called nystagmus,which makes your eyeballs move even involuntarily, even though your head is still.

Fertility issues: While there's no conclusive proof that sleep deprivation directly causes infertility,experts know that lack of sleep can stress you out and suspect it can also can interfere with your body's circadian rhythm. Together, this can ultimately suppress your reproductive hormones and impair your ability to sustain a pregnancy, according to an article published in Sleep Medicine.

Weight gain: Countless studies have found that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight. That's probably because sleep deprivation messes with the hormones that regulate your appetite (ghrelin) and tell your brain you're full (leptin), which can lead to chronic overeating, according to a review of experimental and observational studies of sleep published in The American Journal of Human Biology. 

Depression: Sleep and depression are interrelated:

Research suggests people who suffer from insomnia are more likely to suffer from major depression than people who sleep regularly. 

Increased risk of car accidents: "Sleep-deprived patients in simulators have just as many accidents as someone who is drunk," Dr. Paruthi says. 

Slower reaction time: When your brain isn't well rested, it doesn't take in information, process it, and respond to it as quickly as usual. "You lose speed before accuracy," Dr. Paruthi explains. "You'll get your work done, but it will take longer."  

Tired partner:  If you sleep with a partner, you'll likely wake him up when you jump into bed a few hours later, which compromises his sleep quantity and quality. Regular rude awakenings could cause him to experience any number of the side effects listed here.

Premature aging: When you don't get enough sleep, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. If your body releases too much cortisol, it starts to break down collagen, a protein that promotes smooth skin and elasticity.

Sleep deprivation also may decrease the production of the growth hormones in your body that strengthen the skin and fend off wrinkles,says Dr. David Bank, dermatologist and director of The Center for Dermatology,Cosmetic, and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, NY, and author of Beautiful Skin – Every Woman's Guide to Looking Her Best at Any Age.

Dry skin: Sleep helps hydrate your skin so it doesn't get all dry and flaky. In other words, adequate sleep is like a natural moisturizer. 

Big-time breakouts: When you don't get enough sleep, your stress levels soar and your body responds by producing more of the hormone glucocorticoid. This disrupts your skin structure, which makes you more vulnerable to acne. Lack of sleep also triggers inflammation, which can makes small blemishes blow up.

Dull skin: Sleep improves blood flow to the skin, Dr. Bank says. Don't get enough sleep, and your skin will look blotchy or pale.

Skin sensitivity: Your body's immune system builds its strength while you sleep, Dr. Bank explains.Sleep deprivation can make your skin more sensitive and even worsen existing skin conditions like rosacea or eczema. 

Disclaimer: The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensue discussion or debate.

Thank you â€¦If you get into bed and fall asleep within 20 minutes, don't remember waking up throughout the night, and wake up feeling refreshed each morning, you should be good to go, Dr. Paruthi says. If not? The best way to find out how much sleep you need is to go to sleep when you feel tired and wake up without an alarm for a few days at time — like when you're on vacation. Then set a bedtime and stick to it for all of the reasons above.

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Your comment …..?

Skimp on sleep and you'll lose the restorative effects that make your skin look young and healthy.