One of The Body's Own Wonder Drugs

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Posted on: 2nd Feb 2014

I'm guessing that unless you're a senior citizen like me you probably have never heard the old expression "early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy,wealthy and wise." Now I never had a problem understanding the healthy part. We all know that without enough sleep, known as sleep deprivation today, the body is much more susceptible to disease and physical breakdown. We are all too aware of the next day physical effects of too little sleep.

However I'd never quite grasped the connection between lack of sleep and mental capacities until someone with a Masters degree in psychology explained to me the importance of a chemical called seretonin. This chemical is produced by the body in two separate areas and is essential for the body to function normally. The first area it's produced is in the the digestive track and the second is deep in the brain. The digestive system can benefit from outside sources of seretonin such consuming foods that contain it. However seretonin cells do not transfer from our bloodstream to the brain and therefore the brain must produce its own and here's the connection. The brain produces this chemical only during periods of deep sleep, when it's not preoccupied with other mental functions. Were you aware for instance that even just listening requires a significant amount of brain activity? A lack of seretonin in the brain is directly tied to feelings of depression, anxiety, lethargy and a reduced ability to think rationally.

There are products on the market today, such as the five hour energy drink, that are simply overdoses of caffeine and sugar. Beside being expensive they do nothing but stimulate the body and brain unnaturally resulting in an already over-stressed system being subjected to more.

The best possible energy and mental acquity producer we can get is produced freely by our own bodies assuming we eat properly and make sure to get enough sleep. It's recommended that we get eight hours but we all have things that hinder our sleep occasionally as any parent of babies or small children can attest to. Those things are unavoidable. However there really is nothing more important to our physical and mental well-being than a good nights sleep.

So no matter who wins the Super Bowl, no matter if you dread going to work tomorrow no matter if something else is bugging you, when it's bedtime tonight here's hoping you all sleep like a

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One of The Body's Own Wonder Drugs

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