Beauty Sleep Isn’t Just For Fairy Tales

By  //  April 21, 2013

Affects Physical, Mental States

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BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA – While not all fairy tales mimic true life, research continues to reveal that maybe Sleeping Beauty had the right idea.

According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, chronic sleep loss can contribute to a number of problems such as weight gain, poor memory retention, a decrease in immunity, and slower cell renewal. (Shutterstock image)
According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, chronic sleep loss can contribute to a number of problems such as weight gain, poor memory retention, a decrease in immunity, and slower cell renewal. (Shutterstock image)

Perhaps one could argue that sleep made her more appealing to the Prince in more ways than one.

According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, chronic sleep loss can contribute to a number of problems such as weight gain, poor memory retention, a decrease in immunity, and slower cell renewal.

Along with Harvard studies, Dr. Michael Breus explains that there are two very important nightly hormones that are key when it comes to the sleeping and eating process. These hormones are called gherlin and leptin.

Ghrelin tells you when to eat and in the instance of sleep deprivation, your body has more Gherlin.

On the other hand, Leptin is the hormone that tells your body to stop eating.

Unfortunately when you are sleep deprived your body has less leptin.

Therefore when we do the math with sleep deprivation, more gherlin plus less leptin equals weight gain. This type of hormone imbalance can also affect the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates.

Furthermore, I think we can all agree that all beauty with no brains can amount to one big beautiful disaster.

 people who are sleep deprived have a greater tendency to fall asleep during the day and be more irritable. (Image courtesy of onlinelabels.com)
people who are sleep deprived have a greater tendency to fall asleep during the day and be more irritable. (Image courtesy of onlinelabels.com)

Affects memory

Harvard studies reveal that people who slept after learning a task did better on tests because of a process called memory consolidation.

Likewise the same study explained that people who are sleep deprived have a greater tendency to fall asleep during the day and be more irritable.

These snoozes contributed to falls, medical errors, mishaps, violence and road accidents.

We all know that fighting the signs of aging and preventing disease has a great deal to do with cell renewal.

As we age the rate at which we renew good cells declines. Sleep deprivation not only interrupts the cell cycle but it also opens the door for the activation of killer cells by lowering our immunity.

The Sleeping Beauty fairy tale has some basis in merit as sleep debt creates medical problems. (Image courtesy of fanpop..com)
The Sleeping Beauty fairy tale has some basis in merit as sleep debt creates medical problems. (Image courtesy of fanpop.com)

Health problems

Major sleep disorders have been associated with hypertension, hormone imbalances, and irregular heartbeat.

Evidence shows that sleep does influence your beauty both inside and out.

Dr. Susan Zafarlotfi, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep and Wake Disorders at Hackensack University Medical Center agrees.

Sleep debt is like credit card debt. If you keep accumulating credit card debt, you will pay high interest rates or your account will be shut down until you pay it all off,” she said. “If you accumulate too much sleep debt, your body will crash.”

Before you find yourself in sleep debt, take some simple measures to ensure your happily ever after and maybe even a Prince Charming.

These measures can include meditation, nutrition, supplementation, and stress management.