The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that one out of every three US adults do not experience the seven hours of sleep that are recommended for the support of optimal whole body health on a regular basis. Unfortunately, addressing this issue may not be as simple as just going to bed earlier. Healthy sleep cycles do not just require falling asleep at a reasonable time; the body must also remain in a relaxed state in order to stay asleep and fully recharge. Looking closer at that pool of men and women, the CDC has estimated that as many as 50-70 million (or roughly 30 percent of) US adults have reported chronic sleep issues that disrupt their sleep cycles.
Most people associate sleep loss with a lack of focus and energy; difficulties with concentrating and feeling tired are often the most common and noticeable symptoms connected to sleep issues. However, the negative impacts of sleep loss do not end there. In fact, healthy sleep patterns have been recognized as a major factor in many facets of whole body health and overall wellness. That unfortunately means sleep loss has the potential to have a negative impact on whole body health through a variety of avenues.
Potential Long-Term Impacts of Sleep Loss
Experiencing just a handful of sleepless nights can make it difficult for the human body to perform at an optimal level throughout the day. Over time, sleepless nights can compound on one another and lead to chronic sleep issues like insomnia. When these chronic sleep issues take hold, the human body can experience a wide range of other serious issues, including:
- Fatigue
- Unexpected weight gain and increased body fat
- Reduced sex drive
- Mood swings
- Increased risk of depression
- Increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure (hyperglycemia) and other aspects of cardiovascular disease
- Reduced immune system function
- Memory loss and difficulties with focusing
To make matters worse, many of these symptoms can also contribute to further sleep issues and force the body into a negative feedback loop that is marked by various conditions and symptoms that feed off of one another.
What Are the Best Methods for Supporting Healthy Sleep Patterns?
Unfortunately, there is a wide range of sources that can contribute to sleep loss. Some of these sources can be related to internal factors, such as hormonal imbalances, mental health, stress and certain medical conditions. Other sources of sleep issues can be attributed to sleep hygiene, which refers to the patterns and behaviors that people adhere to both leading up to bedtime and during sleep. Poor sleep hygiene can include behaviors like focusing too much on electronic devices before bedtime, not keeping an environment in the bedroom that is conducive to both falling and staying asleep, ingesting too much caffeine and not keeping a consistent schedule for going to sleep and waking up. Some of the best ways to maintain proper sleep hygiene include:
- Make sleep a priority by adhering to consistent times of both going to sleep and waking up
- Do not take too many naps throughout the day
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid the use of electronic devices
- Do not ingest excessive amounts of caffeine, especially late in the day
- Avoid eating large meals and drinking alcohol before bedtime
- When falling asleep is difficult, try certain relaxation techniques like meditating, reading and stretching before attempting to fall asleep again
Using these techniques properly can lead to a healthy routine that promotes healthy sleep and wake cycles. Yet, even these methods can become less effective when the human body is faced with too much stress throughout the day.
How Can Stress Affect Sleep Patterns?
Stressful situations, which can vary in severity, are an inevitable part of life. Fortunately, the human body is equipped with a natural stress response to manage these situations effectively. When stressful situations arise, the body’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis produces a hormone known as cortisol. Also referred to as the “stress hormone,” cortisol helps promote feelings of calm to help the body return to stasis after being exposed to stressful situations. However, consistent periods of sustained stress can lead to the body overproducing cortisol to the point where it actually contributes to various symptoms and health conditions, including chronic stress. High levels of cortisol can lead to a variety of issues, including fatigue, increased body fat, fatigue, problems with memory and focus, reduced immune function and an increased risk of depression.
If these symptoms and conditions sound similar to those that are associated with chronic sleep issues, that is likely due to the fact that cortisol is responsible for helping the body regulate its sleep-wake cycle, which is a massive component of whole body health. Further compounding the issue, stress and sleep loss can also feed off of one another in a negative feedback loop relationship. Supporting a healthy stress response is, therefore, critical for maintaining healthy sleep cycles and other aspects of optimal wellness.
Promote Healthy Sleep Cycles with EVEXIAS Sleep
To provide additional support to healthy sleep patterns, the nutraceutical industry has developed professional grade products like EVEXIAS Sleep with organic chemicals, adaptogenic herbs and other natural ingredients that have been associated with optimal sleep cycles. Sometimes, adverse conditions like stress can reduce the effectiveness of the many different natural techniques that are known for supporting healthy sleep. EVEXIAS Sleep contains a powerful mix of nutrients that have been recognized for their ability to promote optimal sleep cycles. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of calm through blocking the chemical signals that are responsible for fear, anxiety and other negative feelings. 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is an amino acid that naturally reduces anxiety and promotes feelings of calm in the body by increasing serotonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally in the brain, and it is commonly used in nutraceutical products to enhance sleep health with its ability to support healthy circadian rhythms. EVEXIAS Sleep also contains honokiol and valerian, two herbs that have been known to support healthy sleep with potent adaptogenic and neuroprotective properties. When even nutraceuticals cannot address sleep issues, the integrative medicine practitioners at EVEXIAS Health Solutions offer more hands-on services like nutrition and lifestyle management guidance as well as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and other forms of hormone optimization.
