heart disease overview > how the heart works >
Sleep and Heart Health
Your Muscles, Blood Vessels, and Digestive Tract During Sleep
Normal Sleep: The Muscles' Reaction
During light stages of NREM sleep, people may move around. As sleep deepens, however, the muscles grow more relaxed. In REM sleep, only the eyes move, darting about behind closed lids. Arm and leg muscles are temporarily paralyzed.
Disturbed Sleep: The Blood Vessels' and Digestive Tract's Reaction
Some studies have found that people who are chronically sleep-deprived have elevated levels of C-reactive protein in their blood. A high level of this protein is a marker of increased inflammation, which is thought to play an important role in atherosclerosis.
Research has shown that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be obese and prefer foods high in calories and carbohydrate. Lack of sleep is linked to higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach and upper intestine that stimulates appetite.
|
Better Homes and Gardens Network | Parents Network | Real Girls Network
