What Does Our Body Do During Sleep?
When we sleep, our body uses its energy to generate antibodies to defend itself against viruses and bacteria. This is why we need to get more sleep when we are sick.
No need to install a camera to analyze what we do while sleeping. Many of the activities produced during sleep are internal and we cannot observe them.
Would you like to know what your body does when you sleep? Here are some very amazing data!
The body continues to function during sleep
Even though it feels like our body stops functioning as soon as we fall asleep, this is not true. Research shows that when we sleep, the body continues to act. Here are its main activities:
The limbs become paralyzed
During the deepest phase of sleep, the muscles of the lower and upper extremities do not move.
The body “shakes” itself
When you sleep, you may have had the experience of feeling like you are falling and waking up scared. This disorder is called the hypnotic impulse and helps to prepare the body for the changes it will experience during the following hours.
Spasms are efforts we make to stay awake, as if it was a warning system that was not fully functioning.
Body temperature drops
During the day, our body temperature is high because we burn calories. On the contrary, at night, during sleep, we need to save energy.
As a result, the body stops burning calories, which is why we often feel cold, even in summer.
Eyes move quickly
During sleep we go through 5 different stages and the deepest, and also the most active, is MOR. When we get to this step, we start over again with the first phase.
It occurs about an hour after falling asleep. The eyes move forward and backward but we don’t realize it.
We erase unnecessary information
The mind is the one that works the most when we sleep. Each night, it takes care of eliminating everything that is not useful to us and that occupies space in our memory. What has a significant value goes into long-term memory, while the rest goes to the recycle bin.
In addition, neural connections are established more quickly. The brain uses a lot of sugar and oxygen during this stage.
Growth hormone produces more
This is one of the reasons that when we are babies we sleep most of the day.
Growth hormone (GH, according to its acronym) allows us to grow, but also to regenerate our muscles, bones and tissues.
It is released during the deepest stages of sleep and it fights against low levels of glucose in the blood.
Throat narrows
The reason for this change is due to the relaxation of the muscles. This is why a lot of people snore when they don’t have a stuffy nose.
There are other alterations to the throat as well and most of them have to do with the fact that we only use it for breathing when we sleep. In some cases, the airways become blocked and this generates sleep apnea.
Our immune system gets stronger
You have surely already heard that it is important to get 8 hours of sleep in a row so as not to get sick. Of course, when we rest, we generate a good amount of antibodies and thus the body defends itself against attacks from viruses and bacteria.
That’s why when we have a cold or feel bad, we need a lot of sleep.
Teeth grind
Bruxism is very common, especially in children and young people. People who suffer from this problem wake up with a great pain in the jaw, and the teeth eventually wear out or break.
The kidneys are also resting
During the day, kidney function is active to produce urine and help us filter toxins that build up in the blood. When we sleep, the action of the kidneys slows down to stop the creation of fluid.
Since we have accumulated more waste during the night and have not flushed it out for several hours (unless we get up at night), our urine in the morning is darker in color.
Eyesight is improving
Thanks to sleep, many cells regenerate themselves, such as those in the eyes. Lack of sleep causes damage to the eyelids and to the tear film that protects the cornea. For this reason, you are more likely to have better eyesight in the morning than in the evening.
If you tend to get bags under your eyes, it’s important that you get enough sleep to reduce them.
We speak
Lots of people talk when they are asleep. This concerns 5% of the population and it is a sleep disorder that can be quite uncomfortable if we reveal intimate things.
The most astonishing thing is that the next day the speakers do not remember what they said. It can be a disadvantage if they share their bed!
The head explodes
You may have had a feeling of explosion in your head, which wakes you up and makes you look out the window to find out what happened. This means that you are probably going through a big stage of stress and anxiety.
