Sleep also promotes the more efficient removal of metabolic wastes, and very directly supports the immune system. Activities like muscle growth, tissue repair, wound healing, protein synthesis, and the release of growth hormones occur mostly, if not entirely, during sleep. 11Īdditionally, sleep has important restorative functions and plays a critical role in the repair and rejuvenation of tissues-both in the brain and elsewhere in the body. 10 Interestingly, caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine on the brain so that we remain alert when we might normally feel tired or sleepy. During sleep, adenosine is actively cleared from the brain, which is why we feel more refreshed and alert after a good night’s sleep. 9ĭuring wakeful periods, the neuromodulator adenosine slowly accumulates in the brain, causing us to feel more and more tired the longer we are awake. 8 Though in sleep, we are generally in the realm of the unconscious mind, whereas Samadhi is achieved through conscious awareness. In the yogic tradition, sleep shares many similarities with Samadhi-a highly revered meditative state beyond the reach of the rational mind. As we have all experienced, sleep helps to restore our level of alertness. Other functions of sleep are more concrete and can be easily measured by modern science. 7 Resting, Repairing, and Rejuvenating the Body There is also increasing evidence in the field of psychology that sleep plays a critical role in supporting the emotional centers of the brain-as well as overall emotional and behavioral health. Even modern science has affirmed our capacity to release stress, anxiousness, and unresolved emotions through our dreams. In fact, many traditions view dreams as the language of the soul. It is noteworthy that indigenous cultures around the world have long valued the altered states of consciousness that occur during sleep as an important means of receiving information, healing, and guidance from the unseen world. Processing Thoughts and Emotions through Dreams Some of the benefits of sleep may be fairly ethereal in nature, and therefore difficult to assess. So why do most animals (humans included) need to sleep in order to survive? Sleep itself must offer something that cannot be obtained thru conscious or semi-conscious rest.Īctually, we do know that a balanced sleep cycle plays a very important role in our health and well-being on a number of levels. One of the most confounding aspects of sleep for scientists has been the fact that, in nature, sleep is a risky business, with a very real potential to leave animals vulnerable to injury, predation, and death. Sleep provides a similar period of rest for the body and mind-but we don’t fully understand it. The Functions of Sleepįarmers everywhere know that a field is far more productive when it is allowed to periodically lie fallow to regenerate the fertility of the soil. 4īut sometimes life interferes with our internal biological rhythms and they become slightly out of whack, which can result in either too much sleep or too little. 3 And in much the same way that hunger serves as a safeguard against undernourishment, sleepiness acts as a protective mechanism against inadequate rest. In terms of our overall health, sleep is actually on par with eating it is essential to both physiological and cognitive functioning. Sleep is a natural time for the body and mind to rest, reset, detoxify, and rejuvenate-and sleep is carefully regulated by our bodies. 1 What is clear is that balanced sleep is a staple of optimal health. We spend roughly a third of our lives asleep, and while scientists have been studying the functions of sleep extensively for years, some of our most basic questions about why we sleep have been difficult to answer. Ayurveda's Perspective on Sleep Imbalances.But with the right set of tools, it is possible to find and return to balance.īeing the timeless art of living that it is, Ayurveda offers a refreshingly simple and practical approach to balancing sleep cycles. This article will help to point you in the direction of a number of useful Ayurvedic tools for returning to balance. The truth is that imbalances in our sleep patterns can be very discouraging-even debilitating-and the task of getting back on track can feel incredibly daunting. Or is your tendency to spend more time sleeping than is physiologically necessary, so that you get too much sleep (which can be equally problematic)? Maybe you wake up in the middle of the night, wanting desperately to keep sleeping without any luck. Do you suffer from irregular sleep? Perhaps it’s falling asleep that troubles you.
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