For most people, sleep often involves just lying down on a bed, falling asleep and waking up 6-8 hours later. Only a few people know what actually goes on in your body when you go to bed and sleep. Sleep gives your body the chance to rest and heal from the previous day’s activities and the time to prepare for the activities of the next day. When you are asleep, most of the organs in your body keep working to clean up your system and prepare you for the next day.
One major organ which keeps working even when you are asleep is your heart. Some of the interesting things your heart does while you are asleep include:
1. Your heart rate slows
As you go deeper into sleep, your breathing slows down and with it, so does your heart rate. As your heart rate drops, the rate at which blood pumps through your body drops in order to give your various body systems as well as your cardiac muscles and circulatory systems sufficient time to repair itself. Adrenaline levels in your blood also drop as you do not have to stay alert while asleep as you would need to be if you were awake.
2. Your blood pressure drops
As your heart rate slows, your blood pressure drops a few points because your heart does not have to pump as much blood as would be required if you were up and active. Even right from when you start to sleep, your blood pressure begins to drop to enable you to reach deep sleep.
3. It pumps hormones around your body
Because the best time for your body to heal is when you are asleep, hormone production increases as you sleep. These growth hormones help your body grow as well as help you heal from any injuries to it and your organs. These hormones enter your blood and are circulated around to the parts of the body where they are needed.
All of these actions are geared towards helping you fall asleep and stay asleep long enough for you to get enough rest. It also helps your body heal and grows as well as get ready for the next day.
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