How important exactly is sleep?
In fact VERY important. If you are suffering from sleep deprivation or insomnia many things could be occurring in your body that you are completely unaware of because you’ve become so accustomed to sleep deprivation.
The body is extremely good at adapting to lack of sleep but ultimately it will lead to all kinds of unwanted symptoms and even chronic diseases such as:
- Mood disorders
- Decreased tolerance to pain
- Aging signs on the face – swelling, increased wrinkles and fine lines
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Decreased immune function – more prone to sickness and slow healing times
- Decreased metabolism and increased weight gain!
All of these things can be caused by lack of sleep. Research shows that 7-8 hours of sleep is ideal for the majority of us as adults. This becomes important with PRP due to primarily reduced healing times and increased inflammation the injections aren’t going to be as effective. When you sleep the body has a chance to rest and repair that is an imperative and core element of health.
So what can you do?
- Make sure your room is completely dark, so that you can not see your hand if held out in front of your face; even the alarm clock numbers should be faced away from you and towards the wall on a night stand
- Make sure you have a high quality mattress – this can help align your spine and decrease discomfort and too much movement during sleep, which overall can decrease your sensitivity to pain by 30%
- Generally people sleep best in cool temperatures typically temps between 65-70 F is ideal
- Try to have a bed time, your body likes routines and if you go to bed at the same time every night your body will be ready to fall asleep
- Having a bedtime routine can also be very helpful and helps your body wind down and get ready for bed especially if you are someone who has a hard time turning their brain off at night
There are many natural sleep remedies you can try before needing prescription medication. It is important to discuss these with a physician before use of them. If you’d like more information on how to improve your sleep quality and increase the efficacy of your PRP injections please join our email list! You can also give us a call at 206.241.2225 to schedule your PRP screening appointment and find out if you are a great candidate for these injections. It’s our mission that when you are receiving PRP injections from us you are in the best health possible to get greatest results your body can provide for you. What are you waiting for?? Call us today! We are excited to start your journey to a pain free lifestyle!
References:
Photo Credit: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01689/full