Sleep is essential for optimal health, and experts recommend seven to eight hours of sleep a night. In addition, lack of sleep can negatively affect mood and temperament, as well as the ability to concentrate on daily tasks.
Also, Stacy M. Peterson, MD, and Brooke L. Werneburg, MD, explained to the Mayo Clinic that sleep deprivation influences what and how much you eat, as hormones are regulated during sleep and sleep deprivationhunger hormones are out of control and that increases the feeling of hunger and decreases satiety.
In addition, sleep allows the mind and body to recover from the work day, and these important processes are shortened when there is not enough sleep.
For this reason, the Normodorm blog revealed which are the foods that produce the most sleep:
1. Dried fruits.
2. Leche.
3. Turkey and chicken meat.
4. Fruits such as bananas and kiwi.
5. Cereals.
6. Blue fish.
7. Infusions of chamomile, linden, valerian, lemon balm or passionflower.
For its part, Mayo Clinic listed some tips for better sleep, for example:
- Keep track of the medications you take. If the person takes medications regularly, check with the doctor to see if they contribute to insomnia. Also, check the labels of over-the-counter products to see if they contain caffeine or other stimulants, such as pseudoephedrine.
- Avoid or limit naps. Naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night. If it is impossible to avoid them, try not to last more than 30 minutes and do not take a nap following 3 pm
- Avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol, and do not consume nicotine. All of these substances can make it more difficult to fall asleep, and their effects can last for several hours.
- Not tolerate pain. If a painful condition is troubling, talk to your doctor regarding pain reliever options that are effective enough to keep your pain under control while you sleep.
- Avoid large meals and drinks before bedtime. A light snack is enough and can help prevent heartburn. Drink less fluid before bedtime so you don’t urinate as often.
However, if following 10 or 30 minutes of trying to fall asleep it is not possiblewhat the psychologist from Blua de Sanitas recommended to the health outlet CuídatePlus, María García, was: “get up, walk around for a while and change locations until we relax once more.”
Can lack of sleep make you sick?
As explained by the non-profit entity, yes, because lack of sleep can affect the immune system.
“Studies have shown that people who don’t get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick following being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect the speed at which a person recovers if they get sick, the Mayo Clinic explained.
Additionally, he added that during sleep, the immune system releases proteins called cytokines, some of which help promote sleep. Some cytokines should increase when you have an infection or inflammation or when you are stressed. Sleep deprivation can reduce the production of these protective cytokines. Also, antibodies and infection-fighting cells decrease during periods when you don’t get enough sleep.