Things Your Body Does While Sleeping (2 of 5)

Skin Repairs

The top layer of our skin is made of packed dead cells that are in a constant state of shedding during the day. While we go to sleep, our skin’s metabolic rate speeds up and several of our body’s cells increase production while dropping breakdown of proteins.

Because proteins are necessary for our growth and repair of damaged skin, we’re repairing our skin and beauty in a sense. This fact may be why some people refer to sleep as beauty sleep.

Drops Useless Information

The human mind is bombarded with information on a daily basis. Some of it will shape our lives moving forward, while some of it is completely useless. To ensure that we’re keeping the appropriate bits of information, our brain goes through a process every day where it does a cleaning of the information.

We will retain some of the information, but most of the information we’ll forget about in time.

Releases Hormones

Repairing our skin does make sense especially when you know that our body releases hormones. During slow-wave sleep, our body secretes various growth hormones that stimulate growth, cell reproduction and cell regeneration.

Our Immune System Is Supercharged

When you get sick, one of the best things we can do is get sleep. Not only that but sleep deprivation can lead to a weakened immune system. These facts further prove the fact that sleeping is good for us because our immune system is at its strongest when in this state.

Loses Weight

When we’re sleeping, our body is entering a state where we’re breathing out humid air and are perspiring. While we are doing this throughout the day, that weight loss is negated by us drinking water and eating.

As a result, since we’re not eating while we’re sleeping, we’re effectively losing weight. This is why dieticians and gyms encourage us to get an appropriate amount of sleep. After all, what we do outside of the gym is where we lose the most weight.