Home InsightsWhy Sleep is the First Step in the Healing Process

Why Sleep is the First Step in the Healing Process

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Edited & medically reviewed by THE BALANCE Team

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Sleeping is essential to our survival. Without it, our brains and bodies cannot function optimally. While we might think of sleep as a time when we shut down and recharge, the truth is far more complex. During those precious hours of rest, our bodies and minds are anything but inactive. How we sleep often determines how our day will go. For affluent individuals, developing a regulated sleep schedule can prove challenging because of their high-performing lifestyles. But it is exactly this reason why they need one. A sleep routine is crucial for sustaining the energy, focus, and resilience needed to excel in their careers and personal lives. We sat down with our Founder & CEO, Abdullah Boulad, to understand why sleep is so important, what happens at night, and how to establish healthy sleep hygiene.

“Sleep is part of your body’s innate ritual to go into recovery and cleaning mode.” – Abdullah Boulad

What we previously believed to be seven to eight hours of unconsciousness has proved to be much more profound. When we sleep, the most important things happen to us. It is a complex and intricate process responsible for many benefits in the brain and body. Boulad explains: “When our head hits the pillow, a cascade of gradual deep events take place. These events or processes collaborate like a team of specialists to give you all the benefits of deep sleep.”T here are a few key processes that happen at night.

Memory Consolidation

During the day, we accumulate vast amounts of information, but it’s during sleep that our brain sorts through these memories, decides what’s worth keeping, and integrates them into long-term storage. The hippocampus, a crucial brain region for memory, works to replay the day’s experiences and transfer them to the neocortex, where long-term memories are stored. This process is especially active during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep, which is also when we experience the most vivid dreams.

Physical Recovery & Growth

Sleep is often called the body’s “repair time,” and for good reason. During the deeper stages of non-REM sleep, particularly slow-wave sleep (SWS), the body shifts its focus to healing and restoration. Growth hormone is released, stimulating tissue growth and muscle repair. This is why athletes and people recovering from injuries require more sleep.

Immune System Support

While we sleep, our immune system gets to work. The body produces cytokines, proteins that help fight infection, inflammation, and stress. Sleep deprivation can lead to a reduction in these protective proteins, making us more susceptible to illnesses. Adequate sleep boosts the immune response, ensuring our body is ready to tackle pathogens that may enter our system.

Detoxification and Brain Cleaning

Another crucial function of sleep is detoxification, particularly in the brain. During sleep, the glymphatic system becomes more active, clearing out toxins that accumulate during waking hours. Our brains actually have their own waste systems. Research has shown that the lymphatic vessels act as a drain that cleans this complex organ, working to prevent things like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Emotional Regulation

Sleep plays a vital role in regulating our emotions. The amygdala, the brain’s emotional control centre, is more sensitive when we’re sleep-deprived, which can lead to heightened emotional reactions and stress. During sleep, particularly REM sleep, the brain processes and dampens the intensity of emotional experiences, helping us maintain emotional stability and resilience. This is why a good night’s sleep often provides clarity and a more balanced perspective after a challenging day.

Hormone Regulation

Sleep is crucial for maintaining a healthy balance of hormones that regulate various bodily functions. Sleep influences the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, ensuring it peaks in the morning and gradually decreases throughout the day. Additionally, sleep regulates the hormones that control hunger and appetite, such as ghrelin and leptin. Insufficient sleep can disrupt these hormones, leading to increased hunger and potential weight gain.

Cardiovascular Health

During sleep, the body enters a state of rest and repair, which is particularly beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Blood pressure drops, heart rate slows, and the body reduces overall stress on the heart and blood vessels. Over time, regular, restorative sleep helps to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension by promoting a healthy cardiovascular system.

“Deep sleep was the first and foremost remedy for my ailments.” – Abdullah Boulad

Our Founder & CEO, Abdullah Boulad, learned that if you don’t take care of your sleep, you can’t take care of what’s around you. After his own health crisis, he spent his time studying what the brain and body needed to feel and live optimally. One of the first things to fix was sleep hygiene. He developed his new routine: “My nighttime routine involves taking a warm shower or bath, listening to binaural beats, calming music, affirmations, and practising meditation before bed. When I wake up, I activate my energy flow with breathing exercises that allow me to release my physical and mental tension, anything that kept me from living in the present moment.”

We recommend solidifying a morning and night hygiene routine that suits your lifestyle. A general rule is that work and technology should pause at least ninety minutes before bed. We recommend doing something that signals to the nervous system that it’s time for bed: a warm shower, listening to calming music, or doing a nighttime yoga practice like yin. Don’t eat right before you go to bed. It takes a couple hours for the body to digest nutrients into the body, eating right distracts the body from doing other important internal tasks and limits deep sleep. One cup of alcohol takes one hour to reach your bloodstream so you need to space out a drink before bedtime, or limit alcohol intake altogether. For extra deep sleep? We recommend getting a workout in during the day. Just make sure its four before bedtime.

After you prepare your body, it’s time to prepare your space. Make sure your room is dark and quiet, and we recommend keeping it cool – somewhere between 16 and 22 degrees to allow your body to go into deep sleep mode. In the morning, do the opposite – head straight for the sunlight. When we wake up and go to bed at the same time with the same rituals, we reinforce our natural circadian rhythm. This keeps healthy energy flowing through our bodies during the day and allows us to recover overnight.

Sleep is far more than just a period of rest; it’s a critical time when our bodies and brains engage in essential processes that support our overall health and well-being. From consolidating memories to repairing tissues, from regulating hormones to detoxifying the brain, sleep is the foundation upon which we build our physical and mental resilience. Understanding and prioritising these nighttime activities can enhance our ability to learn, heal, and maintain emotional balance. Just as important is establishing a solid sleep hygiene routine that prepares both our body and mind for restful slumber. It is the first step in the healing process.

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The Balance RehabClinic is a leading provider of luxury addiction and mental health treatment for affluent individuals and their families, offering a blend of innovative science and holistic methods with unparalleled individualised care.