What is Sleep?
What is Sleep?
What comes to mind when we think of the word sleep? Most people will comment that they both sleep great and get plenty of it or more common they never seem to get enough and the quality of their sleep leaves a lot to be desired. The importance of sleep is something we all know but what actually happens when we sleep?
Wikipedia says that sleep is a heightened anabolic state, accentuating the growth and rejuvenation of the immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems. So then as we sleep our body rejuvenates in both mind and body!
Numerous scientific studies have shown the effects of sleep deprivation on working memory. Working memory is important because it keeps information active for further processing and supports higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, reasoning, and episodic memory.
REM sleep or deep sleep has four levels. It is important to reach all four levels to have beneficial recuperative sleep. If a person takes a medication for sleep it will certainly alter their consciousness but produce something more like a coma state than actual sleep. Sleep is an active state of mind. This is why people often comment that they wake up groggy or feeling not themselves after taking a pharmaceutical sleep aid.
To be clear, pharmaceuticals cannot produce sleep. You need healthy brain pathways to achieve true sleep. If I had my way, drug companies would not be allowed to use the word sleep like they do now.
Not everyone with sleep issues has the same underlying causes. Each person will have to continue to explore and experiment to see what works for them. Also keep in mind that sleep is dynamic and what works today might not work next month. Working to keep basic health as good as possible with give your brain tools to respond to some of the suggestions below.
Cortisol levels play a big part in a person obtaining a good night’s sleep. If a person has adrenal fatigue their cortisol levels become unbalanced and sleep becomes more elusive. Allergens and toxicity can also play a big role in sleep. For example, if someone has a wheat or dairy allergy and continues to eat these foods the body will produce more inflammation making them more toxic. This toxicity in turn will interfere with the hypothalamus, adrenal, and pituitary axis, causing more sleep difficulties.
Fortunately, there are some natural remedies that can help. We should start with glutathione support. Glutathione is a super anti-oxidant that is essential for life and longevity. NAC can help improve glutathione production and therefore help with sleep.
Calming the mind is important. It allows one to get to sleep and is often helped with a product by Neuroscience called Kavinace OS. Kavinace OS several ingredients that can help calm a racing mind.
Travacor also by Neuroscience increases serotonin production which converts into melatonin that we all know is essential for sleep. Supporting the adrenals and the cortisol balance can be helped with Adrecor also by Neuroscience. Adrecor contains an herb rodiola rosea which has been proven to help restore adrenal fatigue.
Of course all of these products will not do much good if one does not make some lifestyle changes. It is important to have the same bedtime every night just like when you were a child! Eating healthy foods and avoiding high-allergen foods such as wheat, soy and dairy will keep toxins at a minimum. Keeping a pad and pen by your bed at night and writing down your thoughts before sleep can quell that racing mind. Taking responsibility for your health and not waiting until your body is in crisis mode will make all the difference in a long healthy and prosperous life. We at OVitaminPro wish you sweet dreams and goodnight!
Updated 2025