Honestly, I can't even count the times when - when I was younger - I would get out of bed like a "zombie" to go to work, having only slept 4 or 5 hours all night.

I remember walking around the office with a coffee in my hand so I could stay awake and focused so that "this day would come to an end," as I used to say.

At some point I decided to change this unpleasant situation and bought myself a new mattress, an expensive pillow, and a luxurious down duvet, just in case I could sleep better.

I thought that by making these changes, I would go to bed at 10:00 PM and automatically fall asleep and sleep 8 hours every night .

Obviously I was wrong.

What really happened was that I actually went to bed at 10:00 PM, but most of the time I would spend hours on my phone, answering messages and emails, while other times I would immerse myself in thoughts about my life, work, and the challenges that would come the next day.

How can I sleep properly with such sleep hygiene ? Now it doesn't seem strange to me at all.

Back then, I knew that if I managed to get eight or more hours of good sleep, the next day I would feel sharper, stronger, and less irritable with the environment around me.

What I didn't know, however - and I learned later - is how important sleep is for keeping every aspect of our physical function, every organ, every biological process that takes place in our body, healthy.

I realized that sleep acts as a healing superpower of our own body.

If you still haven't realized how important sleep is for our health, in this article you will learn 10 incredible ways in which the body heals and protects itself during sleep.

So let's see what happens to your body while you sleep.

1. Protects the heart

Not getting enough sleep can negatively impact heart health. Studies show that lack of sleep affects the body's sympathetic nervous system, causing an overproduction of adrenaline and cortisol, the stress hormones.

When the body is overly pumped with adrenaline, the heart works harder to keep the body awake. This extra blood pumping can cause heart attacks, high cholesterol, stroke, coronary artery disease, and even congestive heart failure. That alone was enough to make me put down my phone and focus on sleeping.

2. Keeps bones strong

Studies show that adequate sleep is essential for strengthening and protecting bones, as well as the connective tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Sleep helps preserve the tissue inside bones, called bone marrow. This tissue contains stem cells that form immune system cells and keep them healthy.

A critical part of the skeletal system, the spine, needs adequate rest at night to keep our back aligned and pain-free. That's why it's important to invest in a proper mattress that properly supports the curvature of the spine.

As a person who is on their feet for many hours during the day, I often forget how much my spine "works" and is stressed.

3. Maintains skin health

Good sleep keeps skin healthy, youthful, and vibrant. But sleep deprivation causes the body to produce extra cortisol, the stress hormone, and high levels of cortisol cause inflammation, which contributes to the breakdown of skin collagen. A decrease in collagen is associated with aging skin (hello wrinkles!).

It's important to get enough sleep to avoid dark circles under your eyes, puffy eyelids, and premature wrinkles. While we should embrace the aging process... it's best not to speed it up by choosing Netflix over rest.

4. Creativity is promoted

While the brain is busy creating new memories while we sleep, it can also flex its creative muscles. In the stage between waking and sleep, called hypnagogia, all sorts of strange things can happen, like lucid dreaming .

During this period, the brain sets aside known social rules and conventions and is free to dream up random images and thoughts. For those who are creatively inclined, these vivid images and thoughts can help fuel creativity.

5. Hormones are regulated

Sleep is essential for hormone regulation. Every hormone in the body serves an important purpose, such as telling the body when to sleep and when to wake up.

When the body is awake, it is in a "catabolic state." In this state, the body is like an oven instead of wood, burning oxygen and food for energy. Hormones, adrenaline, and corticosteroids fuel this process. When it's time to sleep, the body increases production of the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin.

During sleep, the body is in an “anabolic state,” where the body conserves energy and repairs itself. In this mode of renewal and relaxation, the body produces a protein hormone called human growth hormone (HGH), which repairs muscles and bones with amino acids.

The body also releases other hormones in the body during sleep, such as oxytocin which is secreted alongside melatonin and the peptide hormone, which prevents the need to urinate during the night.

6. Maintains weight and metabolism at healthy levels

On days when I'm sleep-deprived, I crave more food—especially carbohydrates. Sleep deprivation increases hunger by disrupting the balance between the appetite-regulating hormones ghrelin and leptin.

Ghrelin signals the body to eat, while leptin tells the body that it is full. Leptin is a hormone that affects the feeling of fullness and satisfaction after a meal, while ghrelin is the hormone that stimulates appetite.

Insufficient sleep reduces leptin levels in the body and increases ghrelin levels, which can lead to weight gain. Sleep deprivation can also lead to insulin resistance, which can increase the risk of diabetes.

7. The process of learning and memorizing new information is carried out

The brain remains active during sleep, acquiring and consolidating new information. Learning a musical instrument or a foreign language forms new pathways in the brain. These new pathways become memories - information that can be recalled later.

Additionally, during healthy sleep, the brain enhances problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

8. Brain cells are renewed and repaired

The human brain is an amazing organ. Sleep allows the brain to rest, repair itself, and grow new cells. Every night, the brain removes toxins and waste that accumulate during the day so that it can be "fresh" and absorb new information the next day.

Studies show that sleep helps the body reproduce the cells that form myelin, the essential tissue that protects the brain and spinal cord from neurological diseases. In short, adequate and restful sleep is vital for maintaining brain health.

9. Eyes are cleaned

Quality sleep is essential for eye health. That unsightly morning puffiness we get in the morning is actually a good thing: it means our eyes are clearing out dead cells, bacteria, and excess oil. Your eyelids use tears to help carry waste out of your eyes.

On a more serious note, lack of sleep can lead to poor eye health, such as blurred vision, dry and red eyes, sensitivity to light, and even eye pain.

10. Emotions and mood are stabilized

After a sleepless night, my tolerance for even mild discomfort is low. I feel stressed, irritable, and unable to think positively during the day.

Studies show that poor sleep can affect the ability to accurately read other people's emotions, which can lead to conflicts both at work and at home. Good sleep stabilizes mood and neutralizes harmful negative emotions before they come out the next day.

Conclusion

Sleep is a vital—though often neglected—aspect of people's overall health and well-being. It's important because it allows the body to repair itself and stay in shape each day.

On the other hand, poor sleep quantity and quality can, over time, increase the risk of serious health problems—including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

When you repeatedly don't sleep well, you create a " sleep debt " and can damage your emotional health, making you more vulnerable to anxiety, stress, and depression.

So make sure to invest in your sleep and don't leave it to chance. Sleep is an opportunity to grow as a person, resolve issues that are not related to sleep, and grow spiritually.