There is more than one factor that affects our quality of sleep.
I will discuss the effects of stress levels, hormones and nutrient deficiencies along with explaining the importance of good sleep, especially as it relates to positive aging and mental clarity.
When you sleep, you REBOOT.
Many people, at any age, don’t sleep deeply. There are a few cycles of sleep, and if you don’t get through the REM cycles, you really haven’t rested your engine, your brain!
Sleep has 2 major functions: it repairs the body from the degradation that occurs during the day; and it is involved in learning and memory,
There are 4 stages of sleep which can be broken down to:
REM: Rapid eye movement stage ; involved in the learning and memory
NREM: non-rapid eye movement stages; involved in reparation of the body and hormone production.
NREM is also referred to as deep sleep phase; where you get quality sleep and wake up refreshed!
Top causes of sleep disruption:
Low Melatonin
B vitamin deficiency and/or insufficiency
Magnesium deficiency
Vitamin D and Vitamin A deficiencies
Genes that affect the circadian rhythm
Low GABA levels
Low Serotonin levels
High Cortisol at bedtime
Low Acetylcholine levels
Does poor sleep affect the aging process?
Poor sleep speeds up the aging process because sleep deprivation is a major stressor on the body.
Over time stress robs our bodies of precious hormones that keep us young, vibrant, and slim, such as testosterone, DHEA, progesterone, and cortisol. When we lack sleep, have interrupted sleep, or do not experience the proper sleep ‘cycles’ for deep sleep, these hormones crash, setting the stage for poor health and rapid aging.
5HTP is an amino acid, with the help of Vit B6, converts to Serotonin-a very important neurotransmitter for mood, sleep, appetite cotrol, etc. If Serotonin levels are low, symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD, and excessive carbohydrate eating will occur.
L-theanine is an amino acid that converts to GABA-the major inibitory neurotransmitter in the body. You need GABA to relax, focus, and get refreshing sleep. When GABA levels are low, symptoms of extreme anxiety, panic attacks, mind racing, and rage will occur, putting the body in a chronic state of ‘Fight or Flight’.
How does daily STRESS affect the quality of sleep?
Stress depletes B’s in the body. Stress, however, comes in a variety of forms:
Emotional Stress
Physical stress
Biochemical stress due to genes, pollution, toxins, infections
All these forms of stress deplete B’s in the body. When this depletion occurs, it sets the stage for imbalances across the body leading to symptoms
Most ‘sleep formulas on the market today combine a few ingredients, some of them adaptogens; which help the body ‘adapt’ to stress. Sleep is not just about closing your eyes and resting, it’s about getting your body OUT of the flight or fight (sympathetic nervous system)function, and getting in tune with your (para - sympathetic nervous system) function.
https://adrenalfatiguesolution.com/fight-or-flight-vs-rest-and-digest/
You must replete B vitamins during the day in order to sleep well at night.
Most B vitamins are water soluble. What does that mean for you?
We burn through them quickly, all day, especially on stressful days. B12 especially, gives us energy. A convenience product like Spectra Spray’s ORAL spray B12 ACTIVE is easy to take with you in the car, at the office or during travel to avoid deficiency throughout the day. It is also in a very highly absorbable form and provides the ACTIVE ingredient-METHYL cobalamin, so that your body can utilize it without any biochemical conversion.
I tell my patients to focus on getting ‘deep, restorative’ sleep most nights, quieting down about 90 minutes prior to bedtime after spraying.
That also means you need to ‘TURN OFF’ computer and/or TV screens so that your body can ‘TURN ON’ the production of melatonin.
Any light will signal your body that you are ‘staying awake’ and the melatonin will not release from your pineal gland.
I often recommend products to support their deficiencies or genetic tendencies listed above.
SpectraSpray Sleep Support helps with a good night sleep because it covers the top reasons for sleep disruption:
It Has Melatonin
It has 5HTP to raise serotonin (5 HTP converts to the active form of Tryptophan)
It has L-theanine to raise GABA
It also has Valerian root, Feverfew, Passion Flower, and Crampbark to lower cortisol at bedtime and to bypass any genetic roadblocks.
As you can see from this article, sleep is very important to achieving optimal wellness, daily mental clarity and overall positive aging. If you continue to have sleep challenges falling asleep, staying asleep or with poor quality of your sleep, please reach out to me (Mehdi Shafaat) for a complimentary 15-minute consult to discuss the next steps. www.RebootingHealth.com. Email rebooting health@gmail.com.