Natural Choices — Health Food, Organic Produce, Gluten Free, Vitamins, Supplements — Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana

Archive for June, 2011

In today’s world we are driven by long work hours and minimal sleep, but this theory has many flaws when it comes to the immune system, the skin, and insomnia. With insomnia and sleep deprivation our bodies are vulnerable in terms of look and texture of our skin, and immune system. The link between chronic insomnia and skin disorders is attributed to the immune-altering effects of the excess release of glucocorticoids caused by lack of sleep. As the name suggests, glucocortoids are in the group of hormones which regulate glucose metabolism in the human body. As with glucose, every cell in the body has glucocortoid receptors, and it is involved in immune function as well. (Cortisol is a vital glucocortoid.) The excess production of glucocortoid is linked to every tissue in the body and shown to accelerate the aging process.

In terms of skin health, the formation of collagen is highly dependant on the immune-balancing which occurs during sleep. Collagen is responsible for skin health by protecting the skin from UV ray and bacterial damage, maintaining the elasticity of the skin, keeping the skin moisturized, and preserving the young, healthy appearance.

With insomnia the immune-balancing process becomes flawed in terms of the body not being able to produce collagen in order to maintain healthy skin.

For more information on skin health contact Carolyn at Natural Choices for Healthful Living in Columbus, IN