The Kind of Sleep You Need to Stay Healthy
Have you been tossing and turning, waking up grumpy, and feeling less than refreshed in the morning? If you've tried a bunch of different sleep products and vitamins, but nothing is working the way you'd like, it may be time to consider something that's NOT your mattress or your sleep hygiene... More on that in a minute.
First, we need to make an important distinction about sleep quality. You know how much better you feel after a great night’s sleep and – in contrast - how long and difficult the days seem without it?... On the outside, duration appears to be the name of the game when it comes to optimal sleep, but...
Maybe you've also experienced getting 7-8 hours sleep, but STILL feel like your energy is dragging throughout the day. Doesn't add up, does it?
Here's why: While sleep is crucial to good health, "good" sleep isn't just about getting enough hours – It's about getting the right kind of sleep: Restorative sleep.
Sleep is your body’s time to rejuvenate and restore, and without restorative sleep, that just doesn't happen.
How Restorative Sleep Keeps You Going
When you get enough high-quality, restorative sleep, your mind and body feel healthy and energized, full of potential and ready to take on the day. That’s because when your body has access to restorative sleep, it can use sleep time for all sorts of required maintenance tasks, including:
- Repairing worn out tissues
- Generating healthy new cells
- Manufacturing crucial hormones
- Supporting immune function
- Processing memories
- Clearing waste products (especially from the brain) and
- Replenishing energy stores.
Without a full night of restorative sleep, though, you could be stuck in a bad mood, have trouble paying attention, heal more slowly, and be more susceptible to whatever’s going around. To sidestep those unpleasant issues, you need to dial in your ability to access the full range of restorative sleep – and that involves moving through all five distinct and necessary sleep stages.
The 5 Stages of Sleep
Let’s start by saying: You need all 5 stages to reap the benefits of sleep! Every time you doze off, your body tries to cycle through these 5 stages:
- Light theta wave: The bridge between sleep and wakefulness
- True light theta: The slide into deep sleep with muscle relaxation, slowed pulse, and lower body temperature
- Light delta wave: Deeper sleep kicks in, freezing your muscles and turning off outside signals
- Deep slow wave delta: The deepest, most restorative sleep designed for repair and maintenance
- Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep: The most active sleep phase used for information processing and dreaming
The first 4 stages are considered NREM – or non-rapid eye movement – sleep. Each stage lasts for up to 15 minutes, with Stage 5 REM sleep usually kicking in about 90 minutes after you fall asleep. For completely restful, restorative sleep, completing all 5 stages is critical.
In order to run through those stages effectively, your body needs the perfect amount of specific hormones and neurotransmitters (brain chemicals). And, as it happens, some of the most important are produced or controlled by the beneficial bacteria – probiotics – in your gut.
Just Thrive Gut Health Products
Beneficial Bacteria Supply Natural Sleep Aids
It takes a lot of natural chemicals to kick off and sustain restorative sleep, each chiming in at the right time and in sufficient quantities. And for many of these crucial chemicals, the supply chain starts in your gut. That’s because one of the most important (and least known) jobs of probiotic bacteria is neurotransmitter production.
Take serotonin, for example. Most people know it as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter – but what they may not know is that up to 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain. Another little known fact: Serotonin plays an important role in the transition to REM sleep, the fifth stage necessary for restorative sleep. And by increasing serotonin supplies, adding quality gut support to your daily lifestyle can help you sleep more soundly.
Probiotic bacteria also help keep cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in check, which is critical for slow wave sleep. Feeling stressed out can bump up cortisol levels, which can put your body on high alert, making it extra hard to fall or stay asleep. So by keeping cortisol under control, probiotics can help you get the restorative sleep you need.
Then there’s GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), which calms nerve activity so your brain and body can relax enough to fall asleep. In fact, many sleep aids work by increasing GABA levels – something probiotics in your gut do naturally. Without enough GABA, you can wake more easily, and miss out on that vital slow wave sleep.
Restorative Sleep Is Within Reach
If you’d like to bask in a full night of deep restorative sleep, proven gut support can help you get there. Of course, not all gut support products are created equal...
This is one area where Just Thrive Probiotic can be such a game changer. It contains a combination of four superior spore-form probiotic strains that you won’t find anywhere else. Not only does each of these strains arrive 100% alive to your gut (unlike most commercial probiotics) to support healthy hormone levels and neurotransmitter production, they all bring unique health benefits to the mix:
- Bacillus Subtilis HU58™ supports immune and cardiovascular health
- Bacillus Indicus HU36™ manufactures essential and highly absorbable antioxidants directly in the intestines, where they are best used by your body
- Bacillus Coagulans tames inflammation throughout the body, especially in the digestive tract
- Bacillus Clausii protects other beneficial bacteria from assault by antibiotics and environmental toxins
Try Just Thrive Probiotic today, and get ready to enjoy the deep, restorative sleep tonight.
