How Your Body Changes as You Sleep

SLEEP IS THE ULTIMATE THERAPY FOR YOUR BODY

The human body is capable of all sorts of amazing things—from predicting inclement weather with achy joints to predicting an early spring with itchy eyes. Some of the incredible things the body does happen while you sleep. The following bodily changes highlight the importance of diagnosing and treating sleep disorders to give yourself the restful sleep you need. 

You can grow taller.

You might have heard that astronauts gain some height while they’re in space. This change is temporary, but it’s measurable. It happens because the microgravity releases pressure on the body, allowing the spaces in the spine to expand. A similar thing happens when you sleep. Since you sleep lying down, your spine isn’t subjected to the pressures of your body weight. It allows the spinal discs to rehydrate and expand slightly, which in turn gives you a slight height increase.

Your cardiovascular system takes a break.

Each night, your blood pressure and heart rate decline. It’s like a working vacation for your cardiovascular system. This mini-break is necessary to allow the heart muscle and blood vessels to repair themselves. This is one reason why people with sleep disorders like sleep apnea are at a higher risk of heart disease. Not getting enough sleep cheats the cardiovascular system of the nightly vacation it needs to maintain health. 

Your skin’s collagen stores get replenished.

There’s a reason why dermatologists can tell if their patients aren’t getting enough sleep. Since you don’t eat while you sleep, your body enters a temporary fasting state. This triggers the release of growth hormones for the purpose of releasing energy from fat cells. As a side effect, the growth hormones also trigger collagen production. Collagen is one of the proteins responsible for keeping your skin elastic and resilient. 

Here at Sleep Dynamics, it’s our mission to help our patients throughout New Jersey overcome sleep disorders. Our sleep medicine specialists genuinely care about your health and quality of life. If you’ve been referred for a multiple sleep latency test, you can get in touch with our friendly office staff at (848) 217-0240.