bodies during sleep. What happens in our body during sleep

It turns out that sleep is the time when the body is engaged in repairing broken parts and detoxifying. Sleep disturbances and its lack worsen health. Those who sleep less than six hours a day live less than those who sleep 8-9 hours. Sleep affects mental, emotional and physical performance. What exactly happens to us while we sleep?

brain during sleep

Although it seems that - a state of complete passivity and inactivity, the activity of the cortex - the outer shell of the brain - in the first phases of sleep is preserved by 40%. While you sleep, the brain does not doze, it analyzes the information received during the day. Although more than a third of the blood that nourishes the brain during wakefulness is sent to restore muscle tissue.

In deep sleep, the brain sends a command to the spinal cord to stop the work of motor neurons. For some time, the body becomes literally paralyzed, therefore, while running and performing various actions in a dream, in reality you are motionless.

In the phase of REM sleep, blood rushes to the parts of the brain responsible for memory and emotions.

eyes during sleep

By the way the eyes behave under closed eyelids, one can understand what stage of sleep the sleeping person is in.

As you begin to drift off into sleep, your eyes roll. As sleep deepens eyeballs first they stop the movement, then, in the phase of REM sleep, they begin to twitch quickly. At this time, dreams appear.

Hormones during sleep

While awake, the body burns oxygen and food for energy. This process is called catabolism - when more energy is spent than is supplied. The hormones adrenaline and natural corticosteroids help catabolism.

During sleep, the body enters a different stage - anabolism, when energy is stored for cell repair and growth. Adrenaline and corticosteroid levels drop, and human growth hormone begins to be produced in the body. Growth hormone provides growth, protection and repair of muscles and bones. Amino acids help him in this (the most important protein building substances). During sleep, any restoration and renewal of tissues occurs faster than during wakefulness.

During sleep, the production of another hormone, melatonin, is activated. It is thanks to him that we feel sleepy with the onset of the evening and wake up in the morning. When a person settles down and relaxes in bed, body temperature drops and melatonin levels rise, causing an irresistible desire to sleep. The reverse process occurs in the morning, causing us to wake up.

During sleep, actively produced: testosterone, ovarian-stimulating hormones, and luteinizing hormone, which is responsible for ovulation in women and the biosynthesis of sex hormones in all people.

The immune system during sleep

The researchers suggest that It is sleep that helps to cope with the infection faster. This may be because during sleep, the immune system increases the production of certain substances that can fight the disease.

Enough sleep not only helps to recover, but also serves as a prevention of disease. Even a slight decrease in the amount of sleep that is normal for a person reduces the level of white blood cells, which are part of the body's defense system.

In addition, the level of TNF (tumor necrosis factor), a protein that protects against infections and activates white blood cells, also increases dramatically as soon as you fall asleep. Studies have found that those who like to go to bed at three in the morning the next day have a third less TNF in their blood than should be normal. Moreover, the effectiveness of the protein present in the body is reduced compared to normal.

Work human body regulated by a kind of built-in clock, circadian rhythms. These rhythms are synchronized with the change of day and night and tell the body when it is time to sleep and when to wake up.

Circadian rhythms affect every process in the body, from digestion to cell renewal. The more predictable your body is when you wake up and go to bed, the easier it is for your internal clock to regulate hormone production, giving you the ability to quickly and easily fall asleep in the evening, sleep soundly through the night, easily wake up in the morning and feel cheerful all day.

body temperature during sleep

By evening, the body begins to decline along with the level of adrenaline and. Some people may sweat before bed, which is how the body goes into sleep mode to get rid of excess heat.

During the night, body temperature continues to drop. By about five o'clock in the morning, its indicators are at the lowest point, about a degree lower than that noted in the evening.

At the same time, in the evening, the metabolic rate decreases. In the evening, you feel tired - this is the result of the fact that the level of activity hormones falls.

A decrease in body temperature increases the desire to lie down and increases the likelihood of deep sleep, during which the body will rest and recover. After five in the morning, the temperature begins to gradually rise, the body can no longer remain in the deep sleep stage and is forced to switch to wakefulness.

skin during sleep

The top layer of the skin is made up of densely packed dead cells that continually fall off throughout the day. During deep sleep, the metabolism in the skin accelerates, new cells begin to be produced faster, and the breakdown of proteins decreases.

Protein is a building material necessary for the growth and repair of cells, for their "repair" after exposure to destructive factors such as exhaust gases and ultraviolet radiation. Deep and full sleep allows you to maintain health, youth and beauty of the skin for longer.

Daytime sleep does not compensate for the lack of night sleep, since the energy required to eliminate cellular "breakdowns" is spent on a variety of needs, and it is not enough to restore the skin.

Breathing while sleeping

When a person falls asleep, the muscles of the larynx relax, narrowing more and more with each breath. At this time, snoring may occur, which is a sound from a jet of air that hardly passes through a too narrow laryngeal fissure.

Snoring in itself is not dangerous unless accompanied by sleep apnea, a syndrome where breathing stops for a while. You can wake up from stopping your breathing without realizing it, as a result, sleep can be disturbed many times a night, and in the morning you feel overwhelmed.

mouth during sleep

The salivary glands work constantly during sleep, producing the fluid necessary to moisten the oral mucosa and grind food. During sleep, saliva production slows down, so in the morning you are thirsty.

However, despite reduced saliva production, your mouth is active while you sleep. Every twentieth adult unconsciously grinds his teeth in his sleep. The syndrome is called bruxism and occurs in the first stage of sleep until deep sleep has come. Bruxism is harmless and usually occurs due to malocclusion, but it can also be one of the signs of relieving stress accumulated during the day.

Muscles during sleep

Although a person can change position 35 times a night, his muscles remain relaxed, which makes it possible for protein tissue to recover. Studies of muscle function have shown that muscle cells can be "healed" in any state of bodily relaxation, and the unconsciousness of a person is not needed for this.

Blood during sleep

During sleep, the heart rate ranges from 10 to 30 beats per minute (with a normal daily rate of 60 beats). Thus, during sleep, blood pressure is lowered, giving a person a chance to relax and unwind.

While you sleep, some of the blood drains from the brain and flows to the muscles. Tissues and cells that break down and produce waste become less active. This is how the organs involved in the excretion of decay products get rest.

Digestive system during sleep

The body needs a constant and regular supply of energy, the main source of which is glucose. Glucose is burned to release energy, which allows muscles to contract, transmit electrical impulses, and regulate body temperature.

When we sleep, the need for energy is drastically reduced, and digestive system slows down work. The general immobility of the body helps her in this. For this reason, you should not eat at night: the passive state of the body interferes with digestive acids and convert food into energy. That's why, eating before bed (even a little), you run the risk of experiencing stomach discomfort throughout the time you spend in the "kingdom of Morpheus".

“Elena, if you find information on how positions in a dream can determine the onset of illness, then be sure to share with us. I think such information will be interesting not only to me, but to other readers too!” (From comments)

Our body is an unusually harmonious and intelligent system. Any violation of the mental or physical state finds its own body positions in a dream long before the onset of the disease. To alleviate physical discomfort, a person takes a forced position that is often uncomfortable for him.

When the pain passes (under the influence of pain medication or as a result of a cure), we are happy to return to our favorite position. Which clearly demonstrates the close relationship of a person's individuality with the sleeping position in which he spends most of the night.

I welcome you, friends, to the pages of the site about the phenomenon of sleep and the quality of life. In this article: how our sleeping positions change due to illness, what is the most correct sleeping position , impact of habitual postures on health.

How the position of the body changes as a result of the disease

The disease begins with unpleasant pain. Moreover, in the bustle of the day, we can for a long time not attach importance to tingling under the shoulder blade, fatigue of the legs or numbness of the hands, explaining these symptoms with anything: physical activity, nervous tension, stress and so on. However, our body, unlike the busy ones, is sensitive to any failure in the body and responds by changing the position of the body during sleep, relieving pressure in the area where the diseased organ is located.

Depression, low blood pressure, neurosis, stomach ulcer. With these diseases, a person intuitively takes the most sparing position of the "embryo" (position on the side, knees pulled up to the body).

Cervical osteochondrosis, tonsillitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, sinusitis- position on the side, hands are placed under the cheek or pillow.

Heart diseases- on the back with arms thrown up or half-sitting on high pillows.

If you wake up in the morning in a royal pose, and your hands are thrown behind your head, and this position was not typical for you before, it does not hurt to contact a cardiologist.

When we take a horizontal position, the flow of venous blood to the heart increases. The heart, in case of heart failure, is not able to cope with a large influx of blood, it stagnates in the lungs and, as a result, shortness of breath and shortness of breath, which disappear with an upright position. This forces a person to take a position close to vertical in a dream, putting high pillows under his back and head.

As the disease progresses, a person needs more and more pillows. The hearts feel helpless before the world of sleep and the horizontal position of the body, difficulties with blood circulation force them to seek support for their existence, at least with the help of pillows.

High blood pressure- position on the back.

Diseases of the spine and gastrointestinal tract- postures in the "embryo" and on the stomach, which allow you to reduce pressure on vertebral discs and unload your back.

Circulatory disorders in the legs- a person sleeps on his back, legs bent at the knees. This pose is also taken if the legs are very tired. It facilitates blood circulation, the work of the heart, allows you to unload the veins.

liver disease, right kidney, diabetes - sleep on the left side.

asthmatic bronchitis- the person lies on his back with his head thrown back. This posture contributes to better ventilation of the lungs, which means better access to oxygen in the body.

Diseases auditory nerve - the “ostrich” position, when a person covers his head with a pillow during sleep.

One lady, who underwent surgery to remove a tumor of the right auditory nerve and completely lost her hearing, shared the details of the development of the disease.

Previously, a woman constantly slept on her left side in the “half-embryo” position, and over the past ten years she began to cover her head with a pillow, so that it was located directly on her right ear. During the growth of the tumor, the lady developed constant tinnitus (tinnitus), which she tried to get rid of by covering her ear with a pillow in her sleep.

The neurosurgeon who performed the operation suggested that the disease had developed over a decade. It turns out that the early stage of the disease coincided with the transition from the “half-embryo” position in a dream to. If medicine could decipher the signals of the body transmitted by sleeping positions, then it would be possible to detect the development of a tumor at an early stage and save a woman's hearing.

This case from the practice of the American psychiatrist S. Dunkell clearly confirms that the sleeping posture can warn about the disease in advance.

If you begin to wake up in a position that is not typical for you, I advise you to listen to your health.

Why you need to sleep in the right position

Let's start with anatomy

The human brain is quite small (only 2% of the total body weight), but it consumes enormous resources. When we sleep, the brain continues to work, "taking" 15% of the blood from the total blood flow and 20% of the oxygen that we receive when we breathe.

The brain is supplied with blood and oxygen through two carotid and two vertebral arteries. The vertebral arteries pass through the canal, which form the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae, and provide nutrition mainly to the posterior parts of the brain (cerebellum, pons, medulla oblongata).

If the blood supply to these departments is insufficient, then the functions corresponding to them in the body suffer: the cerebellum - coordination and accuracy of movements, oblong bridge and Varoliev bridge - digestion, respiration, vascular tone and heart function.

What are the dangers of incorrect postures

Compression of both or one vertebral artery during sleep is very dangerous. Even if one artery is clamped, the other may not be able to handle the increased blood flow - it may turn out to be very narrow to work for two (the diameter of the arteries sometimes differs from each other by 2 times) or it may turn out to be blocked by an atherosclerotic plaque.

When the blood supply through the two paired arteries supplying the brain is disturbed, hypoxia appears or oxygen starvation brain cells that are sensitive to the lack of oxygen. For example, the kidneys or liver can be without oxygen for several hours, the brain can only last about 5-10 minutes. At the same time, in the areas of the brain responsible for intelligence and memory, irreversible processes begin within a minute.

In this way, We needprotect and cherish our vertebral arteries, which provide us with a full life. When you go to bed, take care that these arteries do not get squeezed during sleep.

Of great importance is the choice of a pillow, which should provide support to the cervical vertebrae, keep the head position natural, as in a standing position. It is better to choose a pillow of medium height or orthopedic. The shoulders should not be on the pillow, but on the mattress. More details in the video at the end of the article and.

How to sleep is bad

Consider postures that can provoke the sad consequences described above.

Sleeping on high pillows or on your stomach may lead to the development cervical osteochondrosis and cause a stroke (in older people). Strokes most often occur in the early hours of the morning, when the person in the wrong position has spent most of the night.

Sleep on a high pillow on your side has the same dangerous consequences. One vertebral artery is squeezed, and the second may not be able to cope.

in the prone position twisted neck constricts the throat, carotid artery in the region of the clavicle, one of the paired vertebral arteries, the second may not work well due to atherosclerosis. All this makes breathing, blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain difficult.

In addition, the sleeper is squeezed rib cage, which in the normal state should have a large amplitude so that the diaphragm can expand and the lungs fill with air. When squeezing the lungs, the renewal of air in them occurs defectively. At a young age, this is not very scary, but in the elderly it can lead to death.

Sleep on the stomach with the arms stretched out above the head. A person sleeping in this position exposes himself dangerous disease- brachioplexus syndrome. Nerve endings and blood vessels are compressed due to strong tension in the muscles of the forearm, which makes the hands ache and go numb.

Moreover, the head turned to one side pinches the carotid artery in the region of the collarbone, compresses the muscles of the throat and neck, which makes it difficult for blood circulation and breathing, the supply of oxygen to the brain.

Sleep sitting stretches intervertebral discs resulting in pain and swelling in the neck area. We are talking about a pose when it is strong, sitting in public transport or at a table.

Sleeping on a very hard bed can lead to straightening of the physiological curves of the spine in the neck and lower back. As a result, a high load is placed on the intervertebral discs, causing pain and local swelling, over time, the discs become deformed and the pain becomes constant, osteochondrosis develops.

Sleep without a pillow straightens the physiological cervical bend and leads to deformation of the cervical discs and osteochondrosis.

Sleep on your back disrupts the rhythm of breathing (if the muscles of the palate and throat are weakened or have a birth defect), which leads to. That is why the royal pose is called the “sudden death pose”.

The most correct posture

Sleep on your side considered the most comfortable under the following conditions:

However, sleeping on your right side can put extra stress on your liver and lead to wrinkles.

Sleep on your back is recognized by many physicians as quite physiological: the vertebral discs are unloaded as much as possible, the blood circulates normally. This pose is most indicated for hypertensive patients, people prone to heart disease, suffering from heartburn.

It is very difficult to accustom yourself to an unusual position in a dream, because the sleeping postures reflect the nature of our personality, and correspond to the nature and type of psychological protection.

I hope, friends, the article turned out to be useful, and you found the answer to your questions, how diseases affect sleeping postures, which posture during sleep is correct.

Smile! Sleeping on your back is dangerous for snoring, sleeping on your stomach is dangerous for vascular diseases, sleeping on the left side is dangerous for the heart, sleeping on the right side is dangerous for the liver. Magazine "Health" wishes you pleasant dreams! :-D

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It is necessary to sleep qualitatively and fully - our life activity directly depends on this. If the body experiences a lack of sleep, both mental abilities and physical state. We do not notice the lack of sleep at first, but it Negative consequences have a tendency to accumulate. To understand why sleep is so important for us, we decided to tell you about some of the facts that happen to our body during sleep. If you think that the body is completely relaxed, then you are deeply mistaken!

Body temperature drops
From the usual 36.6 degrees Celsius for us (and who has more), it drops by about 1-1.5 degrees. Due to the fact that all the muscles are in a relaxed state, the body spends much less calories, and therefore the temperature decreases. Scientists have proven that it will be the lowest per day at about 3 am.
Blood pressure drops
This, again, is because the body is not moving, the blood does not have to circulate rapidly, delivering energy and nutrients to the muscles and organs. Therefore, it runs through the vessels more slowly, which is why the pressure decreases - by about 5-7 millimeters of mercury.
Body twitches and eyes move
Sometimes we experience involuntary twitches of the muscles of the body, mainly the limbs - arms or legs. This happens in the first stage of sleep, still in the falling asleep phase. And since the brain is not yet completely turned off, we ourselves sometimes notice this. Moreover, the whites of our eyes move - the movements will be more frequent and intense in the REM phase of sleep, and slower, but still obvious, in the slow phase.
Skin cells are restored
During a good full sleep, the breakdown of proteins decreases. That is, this is the very time when amino acids enter our cells in order to restore their damaged structure or give impetus to the emergence of new cells. This is especially true for the cells of the dermis and epidermis. Therefore, sleep is so important for the beauty of the face and body.
Toxins are cleared
This process is most activated during sleep. Slags accumulate in the intestines, pass through the liver, settle in bladder. That is why after sleep, doctors recommend drinking a glass of water, and then wait until you go to the toilet, and only then have breakfast.
Hormones are produced
Despite the fact that during the day the level of a particular hormone in the blood can jump up sharply (for example, insulin after eating sweets, cortisol after experienced stress, ghrelin if you are hungry, etc.), most of the vital hormones are synthesized precisely at night, while you sleep.
The immune system is fully functional
At night, immunity turns on to the fullest and begins to look for weaknesses in our body, trying to protect them. Scientists even conducted an interesting experiment. If a person is vaccinated against the flu, antibodies will begin to develop in about 10-20 hours. So, if he is not allowed to go to bed that day, the production of antibodies can be delayed for two days, or even more. It is because the immune system does not want to work without sleep.
The pain threshold is lowered
Due to the fact that our body is completely relaxed, not only the muscles, but also the nerve endings relax. They work so slowly that they cannot transmit pain signals to the brain. And not only pain, but also a variety of other feelings - smell, touch, hearing, etc.
The brain is cleared
Yes, in the literal sense of the word. The brain does not relax, but continues to work quite actively. And it is in a dream, when external stimuli are turned off, that he begins to “put things in order” inside himself. At the same time, he gets rid of unnecessary information, freeing up new memory cells to remember something really important.
The brain is able to make decisions
Remember the saying "Morning is wiser than evening"? So, she appeared absolutely justified. It turns out that while you sleep, the brain is able to make decisions. Sometimes it can be a solution to some problem that you have been unable to cope with for a long time, sometimes it can be drawing up an action plan before a future important event, sometimes it can be some kind of discovery.
Decreased weight
Yes, the changes that have taken place during sleep are not too noticeable. But if during the day we constantly consume calories and eat something, then at night this does not happen. And the basic metabolism continues to work and spend energy. So, if you want to lose weight, do not forget about a full sleep.
Your height increases
Yes, this is not a joke. During sleep, the spine relaxes as much as possible, as it does not experience stress, and, accordingly, lengthens. Therefore, our growth becomes higher - even by a few centimeters. Check it out for yourself - measure your height in the morning and evening after a hard day and compare the results.
You keep waking up
Paradoxical, right? It turns out that we wake up many times during the night, and usually this happens when we move from one phase of sleep to another. But these awakenings are so short that you simply won't remember them. Unless, if you roll over for convenience on the other side.
You can talk in your sleep
Involuntary muttering or even slurred speech during sleep is one of the varieties of parasomnia (it also includes sleepwalking). Some people are subject to it, and some are not. And when you try to listen to your partner's speech during his nightly conversations, you can hear a lot of interesting things.
Sexual arousal occurs
This is one of the most enjoyable moments. Moreover, in a dream, many can even experience an orgasm. The vessels are dilated, the blood circulates freely throughout the body, and therefore rushes to all organs, including the genitals, and you can feel sexual arousal.

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There are many reasons why sleep is a favorite pastime for many people. This most peaceful part of the day has a vital importance for both physical and mental well-being. Although many people think that the whole body relaxes during sleep, in fact, a lot of different things happen to it.

1. Body temperature drops

Because most muscles become inactive during sleep, the body burns fewer calories than during the day, and body temperature drops. Scientists have found that body temperature tends to be lowest around 2:30 am.

2. Eyes move

Although the eyes are lidded in sleep, they move beneath them. In fact, such a movement even differs depending on the specific stages of sleep.

3. Body twitches

Sharp twitches and jerks are mainly associated with the first stage of sleep. They are usually harmless, but they can be strong enough to actually wake a person up.

4. Muscles are relaxed

There is a good reason why most muscles are relaxed during sleep. If they were active, then a person could move around during sleep, which would be extremely dangerous.

5. The skin is restored

The top layer of skin is made up of densely packed dead cells that are shed constantly throughout the day. During sleep, the metabolic rate of the skin accelerates and in many cells of the body, an increase in activity and a decrease in the breakdown of proteins begin. Because proteins are needed for growth and repairing damage from factors such as ultraviolet radiation, deep sleep is beneficial for the skin.

6. The brain forgets useless information.

People take in an insane amount of information throughout the day. If they remembered it all, they would soon go crazy. That is why at night the brain sorts information and forgets about the unnecessary.

7. Throat narrows

Unlike most other muscles, the throat muscles do not paralyze during sleep as they are needed to breathe. However, during sleep they relax, causing the throat to constrict. It may also cause snoring.

During the stage slow sleep human body produces hormones that stimulate growth, cell reproduction and cell regeneration. It is an important regulator of the immune system.

9. The immune system is at an all-time high.

Sleep deprivation has been shown to negatively affect immune system. One study found that people who received flu shots and were sleep deprived did not produce the antibodies needed to protect against the flu the next night. Therefore, if a person notices the first signs of infection, he should sleep.

10. Weight loss

During sleep, a person loses water through sweating and exhaling moist air. This also happens during the day, but eating and drinking cancels out any weight loss. Therefore, good and long sleep is essential for any diet.

11. Dry mouth

Since saliva is mainly needed for food, and a person does not eat during sleep, the amount of saliva secreted decreases at night. Consequently, the mouth dries up, and thirst is often tormented in the morning.

12. Teeth grinding

Research estimates that about 5% of people suffer from a bizarre condition known as bruxism. This is expressed in excessive grinding of the teeth during sleep and can eventually lead to damage to the teeth. Scientists aren't sure what exactly causes this condition, but they think it could be a form of stress relief.

13. The body becomes longer

It has been found that people's height can increase by several centimeters in the morning compared to the evening. During sleep in a horizontal position, the spine straightens out, since the weight of the body does not press on it.

14. Blood pressure plummets

During sleep, any person experiences a condition that is known as "night decline blood pressure". On average, it falls at night by 5 - 7 mm Hg. Art.

15. Sleepwalking

Scientifically, the disorders known as parasomnias (sleepwalking and other sleep activities) involve behaviors, emotions, sensations, and dreams that typically occur during transitions between some of the sleep stages. Parasomnias are mostly harmless, but there have been cases of people getting injured while sleepwalking.

16. Sexual arousal

Both men and women can become aroused during sleep. When the brain is more active during sleep, it requires more oxygen. As a result, the flow of blood throughout the body increases, causing the genitals to swell.

17. Dreams

A recent study showed that the brain can process information and prepare for further action during sleep, effectively making decisions while unconscious. In fact, the brain can even make important discoveries during sleep.

19. Flatulence

The anal sphincter muscles relax slightly during sleep, which makes it easier for gases to escape from the intestines. The good news is that the sense of smell also weakens during sleep.

Many people believe that sleep is the most silent and inactive activity. Until relatives prove the opposite to them, convicting, for example, of snoring or sleepwalking. In fact, while we sleep, our internal organs continue to work. True, not in such an intense mode as during the day. All the processes that take place in the body during a night's rest are very important. Thanks to them, our life activity is supported.

Sleep phases

So what happens to a person in a dream? The body relaxes after a daily load, because you need to recover and save energy for the next day. But nervous system awake - blood circulation and breathing, hearing and speech, coordination and attention must fully function. The cerebral cortex is also tireless - even at night it loads some of its zones and gives rest to others. Let's try to figure out how the body behaves in different stages sleep and what processes take place in it.

To better understand what happens to us when we sleep, let's take a closer look at the phases of sleep.

If a person is tired or has not had enough sleep, he falls into a dream as soon as he touches the pillow - and immediately falls into the phase of REM sleep. It is also called paradoxical. During this period, the indicators of electroencephalography and the pulse of a sleeping person are very similar to the results of an awake person. At the same time, almost all muscles completely lose their tone. Only the muscles of the middle ear, the diaphragm, and those that move the eyeballs and hold the eyelids remain tense.

Briefly, the fast phase can be described as follows: the body fell asleep, but the brain continues to function. It is during this period that they usually enjoy the most vivid and memorable dreams.

Approximately 20 minutes after we fall asleep, the phase of non-REM sleep begins. Scientists have determined that it accounts for a total of 75% of night rest and consists of several successive stages:

Then the person seems to wake up and fall into a fast sleep. These two phases alternate all night long. If there was enough sleep (7-8 hours), then freshness and vigor in the morning are provided.

How the body behaves

As already mentioned, sleep gives us relaxation, rest and dreams (both pleasant and terrible nightmares). For this, consciousness is turned off, or rather its mental function. Memory and perception of the surroundings retain minimal activity during falling asleep, producing poorly remembered dreams of chaotic content. In the morning, a rested consciousness improves its work and gives out very vivid plot dreams. But what is happening to the body all this time? Surely, many at least once wondered why a leg suddenly starts to twitch in a dream or why a sleeping person gets out of bed and begins to wander around the room. What else can surprise our body:

Physiological processes in the body

When a person sleeps, enough a large number of various processes. The relaxation of his body, external immobility and lack of reactions to weak external stimuli are deceptive. What happens inside us when we rest:

As you can see, the processes occurring in the body of a sleeping person are diverse. But they have one task - to clean from the inside and restore the body, thus preparing it for a new day.

"General cleaning" in the brain

When we fall asleep, the brain does not turn off. True, he almost completely stops responding to any external stimulus. Instead, this organ focuses on the internal needs of the body. Its main task is to sort and process the information received during the day. After that, it sends the already ordered data for storage to the appropriate cells.

The process of putting the brain in order during a night's rest is considered a kind of general cleaning. It is she who gives us the opportunity to wake up in the morning and look at the problem from a different angle, making a more logical and clear decision. By the way, the people correctly noticed - the morning is wiser than the evening. And students of schools and universities have long benefited from this - they storm textbooks just before going to bed. Then the material is remembered with a bang.

If a person regularly lacks sleep, the brain has too little time to process, structure and place accumulated information in memory cells. As a result, there is a complete fog in my head, and my memory leaves much to be desired.

Scientists have found that during sleep, the tissues and cells of the brain seem to be washed with a “cleansing enema.” It turns out that toxic substances that enter the body with food or due to failures provoked by stress can settle not only in the digestive organs, kidneys or liver. They also enter the cerebral fluid in the same way - and not only in the head, but also in spinal cord. During sleep, the glial cells surrounding the neurons shrink. Their size is shrinking. Thus, the space between the cells increases and much more fluid can pass through it. As a result, toxins are actively washed out of nerve tissues. This prevents the formation of specific protein plaques that complicate the transmission of interneuronal impulses.

It turns out that a good full sleep is an excellent prevention of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases.

Let's summarize

The average person spends about a third of their life in sleep. This is a lot. However, a night's rest is not a waste of time at all. Indeed, at the moment when we fall asleep, the body begins active work on its own restoration and renewal.

If there are any damages received during the day, their elimination will be especially high-quality and successful at night. It is during sleep that our body gets the opportunity to thoroughly cleanse itself.

Poor sleep will sooner or later lead to health problems.. Those who try to snatch a few hours for work or other activities and sleep less than 6 hours a night live less than those who prefer to sleep longer. Thus, a night's rest has a deep positive influence on our physical, intellectual and emotional well-being.