Rest: The silent superpower
Why your body craves downtime: Here's the foundation of a healthy lifestyle
Do you want to be ultra-productive, with the best immune system, while sticking to your exercise and diet goals?
Then take a rest. A good amount of rest.
Here's why: it is necessary to help us recover, keep our mental health and emotional being as well as hormonal balance.
More importantly, rest boosts our immune system.
This may appear counter-intuitive: rest actually helps us become more productive.
Recent studies show that rest is indeed crucial for maintaining overall well-being.
What is rest?
Rest is the act of pausing physical or mental activity.
It’s part of the cycle of daily life: rest helps us recover energy, restore balance, and allow the body and mind to rejuvenate.
The science of rest
Recent studies have unveiled the profound impact of rest on our health and performance. When we rest, our bodies undergo a remarkable process of repair and rejuvenation. Sleep, in particular, is crucial for cognitive function, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation.
But do you know that there are different types or levels of rest?
Rest refers to the state of relaxation where the mind and body recover from physical and mental exertion. It is essential for overall well-being, helping to restore energy, improve focus, and support physical health.
Types of rest
In general, the several types of rest are: sleep, active rest, mental rest, physical rest, emotional rest and more. Sleep, in particular, is crucial for cognitive function, memory consolidation, and emotional regulation.
Sleep:
The most essential form of rest, sleep allows the body to repair and the brain to recharge. It is divided into various stages, including deep sleep and REM sleep, each playing a crucial role in different aspects of physical and mental recovery.
Active rest:
This involves low-intensity activities like stretching, walking, or yoga, which help the body recover while still engaging in movement. Active rest is beneficial after exercise or long periods of sitting.
Mental rest:
Taking mental breaks from cognitive tasks, such as stepping away from work or meditative practices, helps the brain reset and reduces mental fatigue.
Emotional rest:
Engaging in activities that reduce emotional strain or stress, such as spending time in nature, engaging in hobbies, or seeking support from loved ones, helps in emotional recovery. It encompasses activities like sleep, relaxation, or taking breaks from work or stress.
Social rest:
Connecting or reconnecting with loved ones and socializing can boost mood and reduce feelings of isolation.
Rest allows the body and brain to recuperate after periods of exertion, whether physical, mental, or emotional.
Why is rest necessary?
There are good reasons why we all need a good amount of rest:
Physical recovery:
During rest, the body repairs tissues, builds muscle, and restores energy reserves. For example, after exercise or physical labour, rest helps repair micro-tears in muscles, facilitating growth and strength. Without adequate rest, muscles remain fatigued, increasing the risk of injury and decreasing performance.
Cognitive and mental health: Resting the brain, especially through sleep, is essential for mental clarity and cognitive function.
During sleep, the brain processes and consolidates memories, clears out waste products like beta-amyloid proteins, and resets neurotransmitter levels. A lack of rest leads to impaired concentration, poor decision-making, and memory lapses.
Emotional well-being: Rest reduces stress and helps regulate emotions. Chronic stress or emotional overload without proper rest can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Rest allows for emotional reset, making it easier to handle stress and improving overall mental resilience.
Hormonal balance: Rest, particularly sleep, plays a crucial role in regulating hormones. Sleep helps maintain the balance of hormones like cortisol (the stress hormone), insulin (which regulates blood sugar), and leptin and ghrelin (which control hunger). Insufficient rest can disrupt these hormones, leading to problems like weight gain, increased stress, and metabolic disorders.
Immune function: Rest supports the immune system by enabling the body to produce more white blood cells and other immune factors that fight infection. During deep sleep, the body releases cytokines, proteins that help combat infection, inflammation, and stress. Without adequate rest, the immune system is compromised, making the body more susceptible to illnesses.
Productivity and creativity: Taking breaks and getting sufficient rest enhances productivity and creativity. Studies show that well-rested individuals are more focused, creative, and efficient. Conversely, prolonged work without rest leads to diminishing returns, with errors, fatigue, and inefficiency becoming more common.
Heart health: Rest, particularly sleep, is critical for cardiovascular health. During rest, the heart rate and blood pressure drop, giving the cardiovascular system a chance to recover. Chronic sleep deprivation or insufficient rest is linked to an increased risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
Studies on rest
Two recent studies emphasise the crucial role of sleep for overall health and well-being.
The first study, published by the American Heart Association in 2023, highlights how sufficient sleep supports health goals, such as maintaining a balanced diet and regular exercise.
According to Dr. Michael Grandner, sleep plays a role in regulating hunger, cravings, and metabolism, directly impacting our capacity to make healthier choices.
This finding ties quality sleep to behaviours essential for weight management and cardiovascular health, showing that addressing sleep quality can lead to broader health improvements
Another study, conducted by researchers at ETH Zurich and published in the European Heart Journal in 2023, explores how deep sleep can benefit heart health.
This research demonstrated that increasing slow-wave (deep) sleep through auditory stimulation improved left ventricular function, which is key to maintaining a healthy heart.
The findings suggest that enhancing deep sleep could potentially protect against heart disease, emphasising the role of rest in sustaining cardiovascular health.
10 tips for a good rest
Here are our 10 tips to get good rest:
Establish a regular sleep schedule:
Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body's internal clock.
Create a restful environment:
Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet, and dark. Consider using blackout curtains, earplugs, or white noise machines if needed.
Limit exposure to screens:
Avoid screens (phones, computers, TVs) at least 30-60 minutes before bedtime, as blue light can interfere with melatonin production and disrupt your sleep.
Stay active during the day:
Regular physical activity can promote better sleep quality. Just try not to exercise too close to bedtime, as it may make it harder to fall asleep.
Watch your caffeine intake:
Reduce caffeine and nicotine, especially in the afternoon or evening, as they are stimulants that can keep you awake.
Practice relaxation techniques:
Meditation, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation can help calm your mind and prepare you for sleep.
Avoid large meals and drinks before bed:
Eating a heavy meal or drinking too much liquid close to bedtime can cause discomfort and interrupt your rest.
Get plenty of natural light during the day:
Exposure to sunlight helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle and improves alertness during the day, making rest at night easier.
Limit naps:
While napping can be refreshing, long or irregular naps during the day can negatively affect nighttime sleep. Try to keep naps short (20-30 minutes) and early in the day.
Establish a bedtime routine:
Create a calming pre-sleep routine, such as reading, listening to soothing music, or taking a warm bath, to signal to your body that it's time to wind down.
Takeaways
- Adequate rest helps the body and mind avoid becoming overstressed.
- Rest not only optimises physical health, but also ensures emotional balance.
- A good rest has a knock-on effect on our physical, cognitive, and emotional state.
Sources: Mayo Clinic: Healthy Sleep Habits | Sleep Foundation: Tips for Better Sleep