Sleep and Your Immune System

As the days are getting shorter and the mornings on the East Coast are dark until close to 7 am, most of

us have the urge to sleep until morning light. Back in my younger days when a colleague and I would

work long hours and do quite a bit of travel together, we had this quiet competition about who got the

least amount of sleep and worked the hardest. We’d always take the earliest flight possible, never sleep

on the plane (we’d be working) and wherever we went, stay up late at an event and, in my case, wake up

at 5 am to work out before the day started. I flew from San Diego and back in one day to get the

“Superman” award. Another time, he and I took the red-eye from the East Coast to London, landed,

traveled 2 hours to our meeting, held meetings all day, went to dinner with a client, and flew back the

next morning, after getting up earlier and running through London (might not get the chance again). I

remember that trip well as I was fighting the urge to fall asleep on the 2-hour train ride like crazy. Little

did I know that being this sleepless person was turning me into a weaker, more vulnerable person.

The human body needs sleep to repair itself. As with any living organism, your body must have time to

go through cellular and tissue repair, toxin removal, etc. When you are asleep, you can’t eat or drink, and

therefore, the digestive system can do its thing which may help improve gut performance and other

organ functions. By allowing your body to rest, your immune system has time to reset and become

stronger to fight against illness and disease. Over the past few years, there has been a lot of research

about the benefits of sleep and how important it is for our overall health. In this case, it’s no longer cool

to be awake for 20 hours each day. Lasty, as I’ve said in previous blogs, God designed a miraculous, complex

body that needs to be cared for and since the body needs sleep it is only natural that one should make

that a priority like they would exercising and eating right.

Now that we know sleep is good for you, how do you know when you are sleep-deprived? Ask yourself

whether you are falling asleep watching TV or reading a book, are you forgetful, slow to respond to

others, do you yawn a lot and are consistently feeling drowsy, do you need mini power naps? A lot of

you caffeinate to stay awake and get through the day. Although at 50Cups we are grateful for our tea

and coffee sales, we’d prefer that you drink our product for other benefits.

So, like exercising, one should prepare for a good night’s sleep. Some tips would include a hot shower

30 minutes before bedtime, dimming the lights, reading a book, and getting off your devices 1 hour

before sleep. As each body is different, try different things that work specifically for you.

As we are a tea company, here are some teas that have been proven to help you settle down and get a

good sleep. Magnolia, low-caffeine green, chamomile, and lavender teas are some examples of teas

that help you relax and sleep better.

Bottom line- don’t try and be a superhero when it comes to life as you’ll run out of energy and eventually,

your body will break down. Care for it and always remember sleep is a cornerstone of good health.