Immune System

SLEEP + YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM + WEIGHT
 

When it comes to maintaining good health, the immune system is our most precious asset.

Numerous studies have reported the benefits of a good nights sleep, and now researchers have found that sleep improves immune cells known as T Cells. T Cells are a type of immune cell that fights against intercellular pathogens. For example, virus infected cells such as flu and cancer cells. 

Without sufficient sleep, your body makes fewer cytokines, a type of protein that targets infection and inflammation, effectively creating an immune response. Cytokines are both produced and released during sleep, causing a double whammy if you skimp on shut-eye.  Chronic sleep loss even makes the flu vaccine less effective by reducing your body’s ability to respond.

When you're well-rested, you're less hungry. Being sleep-deprived messes with the hormones in your brain -- leptin and ghrelin -- that control appetite.

With those out of balance, your resistance to the temptation of unhealthy foods goes way down. And when you're tired, you're less likely to want to get up and move your body. Together, it's a recipe for putting on pounds.

The time you spend in bed goes hand-in-hand with the time you spend at the table and at the gym to help you manage your weight.