Four crucial ways that sleep helps the body to heal

Although you may feel like your body is shutting down when you crawl into bed, sleep is actually a time when your body gets busy restoring and repairing different functions. Sleep is also the prime time for the body to get its hormones back to a healthy level. It is not surprising therefore that getting proper sleep following surgery is an important part of the healing process.

Here are four benefits of a good night’s sleep during recovery.

Promotes healing
When you close your eyes and fall asleep, your brain can attend to other issues within the body. If there are areas that need to heal, the brain can trigger the release of hormones that encourage tissue growth to repair blood vessels. This helps wounds to heal faster but also restores sore or damaged muscles. While you sleep, your body can make more white blood cells that can attack viruses and bacteria that can hinder the healing process. Your immune system relies on sleep to be able to fight harmful substances. When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system is not able to properly protect the body from infection.

Gives the body a break
When you sleep, there are less demands made on your heart. Your blood pressure will drop and your heart will be able to take a break. Sleep also causes the body to release hormones that can slow breathing, and relax other muscles in the body. This process can reduce  inflammation and assist with healing.

Provides an energy boost
Recovery takes work and you need energy to work. When you sleep, the demand for calories is decreased so your body is able to replenish and be ready for action when you awake. Interestingly, when you sleep, the level of the hormones that make you feel hungry or full fluctuates. If you don’t get enough sleep, your hunger hormone levels known as ghrelin go up and your full hormones or leptin go down. So poor sleep patterns can lead to overeating and eventual obesity. It is best to let your body keep everything in proper alignment with a good night’s rest.

Helps with positive attitude
When you are awake, there are many demands on your body and your brain. These demands decrease dramatically when you go to sleep. Your body and mind can focus on restorative tasks and get a break. When you awake after a good night’s sleep, hormone levels, energy levels and stress levels have all been adjusted for a more positive start to the day. Depression can slow the recovery process and is more common in people who sleep less than seven hours a night. During sleep, the body is refreshed and more prepared to face the challenges of a new day instead of feeling defeated and stressed. This positive mood can boost recovery outcomes.

The search for a good night’s sleep
There are many factors that go into falling and staying asleep. There are several environmental issues from the amount of light to the temperature of the room. There are also emotional barriers like pain, anxiety and stress. Other factors include comfort level, noise and life schedules. Since sleep can be beneficial to recovery, the best place for a good night’s rest after a stay in the hospital may not be at home.  Many have found that recovery is faster and more effective at a rehabilitation center where everything from medical needs to a good night’s rest are professionally maintained.

Whitehall of Deerfield is one of the area’s premier choices for recovery and has consistently received Medicare‘s highest rating in Medicare’s five-star rating system of nursing and rehabilitation centers.

Guests at Whitehall of Deerfield will have the opportunity for restorative sleep in a quiet, dark, temperature-controlled room. Nurses and other professional staff make sure that all medications, meals and treatments are given at the proper times each day. Individualized, one-on-one therapy is given seven days a week by top therapists who know exactly what needs to be done to regain strength and mobility quickly and successfully. Each guest is able to focus on the important task of healing and recovery without distractions.

At Whitehall of Deerfield, guests enjoy their short-term, post-hospital stay in spacious suites and rooms featuring such amenities as concierge service, daily delivery of Starbucks coffee and newspaper, high-speed wireless Internet, dozens of cable channels with a 24-hour channel of newly released movies and even valet parking for visitors.

Guests can also enjoy a wide-ranging choice of cuisine from selective menus as well as a variety of dining settings. An on-site ice cream parlor and coffee shop offer fresh-baked goods in the morning and ice cream treats in the afternoon, as well as gourmet coffee all day long.

To learn more about recovering at Whitehall of Deerfield or to schedule a tour, visit whitehallofdeerfield.com or call 847-945-4600.