Sleep, Diet, and a Healthy Body

A healthy body takes more than exercise. It requires constant thought and effort to make choices that are good for the body. That means choosing to eat an apple over a slice of pizza or not going out with friends to get enough sleep for the next day. Being healthy is more than muscles and a protein shake. Two of the most essential and underserved parts of a person’s health are sleep and diet. Here are six ways that both sleep and diet relate to one’s overall wellbeing.

Obesity

When a person is sleep-deprived, they may tend to consume more calories. In other words, many people who lack sleep are more likely to eat foods that will likely cause obesity over time. Sleep affects the body’s metabolism and decision-making ability, such as the kinds of food one may eat. Splurging on the best California king mattress may not seem unreasonable when considering how sleep may affect one’s waistline.

Heart Disease

Several studies show a strong relationship between sleep patterns and heart health. It is partially true that poor dieting choices, caused by lack of sleep, contribute to obesity, diabetics, and inevitably heart disease. It is also true that proper sleep affects hormone production in ways that result in conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure). A perfect example of how both diet and sleep factor into overall health might be a cup of coffee. Sometimes, a person may have to limit their coffee intake after a certain time to sleep properly at night.

Aches and Pains

When a person is tired, they yawn. Most people believe that yawns reflect fatigue, or in some cases, extreme boredom. But, in actuality, a person yawns because it’s an outward sign that the brain is too hot. Like any computer, the brain needs sleep, a period of rest. During that time, the body heals itself. The resting heart rate slows breathes become deeper, and more oxygen gets sent throughout the body. In other words, it may be helpful to think of sleep as a natural enemy to the aging process.

Mania and Madness

It was touched on earlier that a lack of sleep can hurt a person’s hormone production. Hormone production and maintaining proper levels over time can cause several psychological issues. Sleep deprivation can cause audible and visual hallucinations, depression, and more. And, sometimes, a case of the blues may resolve itself with a decent night’s sleep. And, perhaps there is some truth to the age-old tale, “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” So the next time an attitude threatens to ruin a good time, it may be best to think if it could be related to a lack of sleep.

Fuel

It may be helpful to think of food as a kind of fuel for the body. Simple, yes, but it’s easy to forget that the quality of food one eats directly affects its effects. In other words, eat well and perform well. Whether it is looking to achieve the perfect body or to prevent post-lunch drowsiness, a proper diet is essential. This, relating to sleep, is hard to do when the brain begins to overheat.

Stress Management

Managing stress is an ever-evolving battle of life. However, sometimes the body is never given a fighting chance to respond appropriately. To put it another way, proper diet and sleep directly affect one’s ability to manage stress. Inside the body is a biological clock known as the Circadian Rhythm, which functions in tandem with the endocrine system (the part of the body that regulates hormones). Think of this clock as a sort of timing belt that affects the heart, or in this case, the engine and the cars’ overall performance.

The human body is in many ways similar to an automobile. Each organ functions with one another to form a complex organism. And, like any complex system of parts, they all rely on one another to survive. To put it another way, a person’s ability to be happy and healthy correlates with diet, sleep, and mental health. Coincidentally, typically fixing one leads to a better balance in another category.