How Not Sleeping Is Killing You: SLOWLY

If you’re consistently getting less than 6 hours of sleep, you increase your risk of premature death, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and more! Sleep is the best way to clean the brain of damaged proteins, but this only occurs when you get real sleep. Sleep medication can sedate you but will not enhance your sleep quality. Alcohol significantly decreases sleep quality, causing snoring, sleep apnea, and tossing and turning. Sleep is essential for repairing and restoring the entire body, especially the immune system. Without sleep, the immune system shuts down, leaving you vulnerable to infection. REM sleep supports parts of the brain involved in creativity, memory, and problem-solving. It improves social interaction, emotional stability, empathy, and your mood throughout the day. Most repair occurs during non-REM sleep, also known as deep or delta-wave sleep. As you age, non-REM delta wave sleep decreases significantly. Delta wave sleep is vital for fat burning, cell repair, and cell regeneration. It’s also when your body fights infections most effectively. To improve your sleep quality, try the following restful sleep tips: •Avoid alcohol •Drink kombucha tea •Exercise regularly •Avoid eating too late •Avoid eating too much protein •Sleep in a cool, dark room •Avoid too much caffeine •Avoid excessive blue light •Turn lights off a few hours before bed •Get plenty of sun during the day •Go to bed when you’re tired •Avoid stimulating shows/movies before bed Magnesium, vitamin D, and zinc are the most important nutrients for sleep. L. reuteri is a microbe that can help boost oxytocin and serotonin and improve sleep. Sodium is also vital for restful sleep.