Something that most health experts should agree on is that you should always take seriously your sleep and the quality of sleep you’re able to get.
Good sleep sets you up for a much better day, as it not only improves your energy levels but also assists and ensures that most of your bodily functions run smoothly. Everything from your brain to your gut can easily be impacted by your sleep. Hitting a rough patch where you’re not getting enough sleep can feel awful, so now that the days are getting a little shorter with the autumn season, people are figuring out how to prioritize it once again. We spoke with a sleep expert about what people can expect when they get a solid eight hours of sleep each night for two weeks. Read more about what they had to say below.
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Your Immune System Can Strengthen
Now that we're in the thick of the fall season, many people are beginning to worry about cold and flu season as well. The weather is getting cooler and, subsequently, more people are about to come down with the common cold or worse. Therefore, experiencing quality sleep around this time of year is extra vital because it can actually boost your immunity.
Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and sleep expert at Wesper, notes that when you get eight hours of quality sleep for up to two weeks, you can expect a 'strengthening' of your immune system.
"Our immune system increases activity during sleep, especially when we're ill," she explains. "This includes increased activity of T cells, immune cells that search out and identify foreign invaders. Additionally, our immune system also uses sleep to create new antibodies and white blood cells."
So, although you might think you need to be chugging ginger shots and taking some sort of supplement to prevent yourself from getting sick, you should really be prioritizing sleep to keep your immunity up.
Your Brain Will Regulate Your Emotions
Aside from having an easier time getting sick during the fall, it can also be a stressful season, with added pressure from work, school, upcoming holidays, etc. After a certain point, when you enter a chaotic, stress-inducing period, no matter what time of year it is, you need some way to regulate your emotions and stress hormones. You can do that by getting eight hours of sleep as consistently as possible.
"Sleep helps regulate emotions by giving the brain time to process and 'cool down' feelings from the day," says Rohrscheib. "During certain sleep stages, especially REM sleep, the brain replays emotional experiences, separates them from stress hormones, and helps store them as memories without the same emotional charge. Without enough quality sleep, the parts of the brain that control emotion (like the prefrontal cortex) become less balanced, making people more reactive, anxious, or irritable."
If you're having a rough patch with your sleep routine, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make to work on it. For instance, you should try to reserve at least 30 minutes of wind-down time in your nightly routine, spending calming time in dim lighting, comfy clothes, and doing some kind of chill screen-free activity.
