Physical Health and Sleep
Apr 23rd, 2021 •
Sleep is essential to our survival—without it, our bodies suffer in more ways than one. Your sleep plays a role in all aspects of your life, but it has an especially important connection to your physical health and well-being.
Sleep is a key time for many of the body’s healing processes. While you sleep, your brain is busy at work consolidating memories, your tissues have time for growth and repair, and you restore your energy for the next day. When you miss out on quality sleep time, the consequences can be severe.
But sometimes, physical ailments get in the way of a good night’s sleep. Here you will find all of our guides that cover the two-way relationship between sleep and physical health.
The Connection Between Sleep and Physical Health
Sleep is a key component to your basic health. Those who skimp out on sleep will feel the effects on their physical well-being in the short- and long-term.
Sleep deprivation, a state of not getting the required amount of sleep your body needs, can increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
In the short-term, you’ll feel the effects of sleep deprivation on your mood and energy levels. Grogginess, irritability, and trouble concentrating are all on the short-list of the immediate consequences of lacking sleep. If it becomes a chronic problem, you may start experiencing other effects such as more cravings for carbohydrates, a compromised immune system, low sex drive, or even memory loss.
See our resources below to learn more about the ties between your sleep and physical state of well-being.

Sleep Resources
Can Lack of Sleep Make You Sick?
Learn how sleep deprivation can have an affect on your immune system and overall health.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Skin Health
If you've ever wondered is beauty sleep is real, this article is for you. Sleep and skin health have a fascinating relationship. Learn how to sleep your way to better skin with these tips from Dr. Elma Baron.
Pain Management
If you deal with managing pain, it can feel impossible to get a good night’s sleep. And if you can’t get restorative rest, your body will not have time to heal.
This is a vicious (and painful) cycle that’s difficult to escape. View our resources dedicated to helping you navigate the challenges of sleeping with pain.

Sleep Resources
Pain and Sleep
Pain and sleep have a complicated relationship. We wanted to know why pain keeps us up at night and what to do about it.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Back Pain
Have you ever wondered why you wake up feeling sore in the morning? There are likely two culprits: your mattress or your sleeping position. Learn how your chiropractic health may be affecting your sleep quality.

Sleep Resources
How to Ease Shoulder Pain from Sleeping
If you suffer from shoulder pain from sleeping, check out our guide and learn about what may be causing it as well as some tips and tricks for pain relief.

Sleep Resources
Chiropractors and Sleep
We consulted with chiropractors to learn how a chiropractor can help you get better sleep at night. Whether you have back pain, neck pain, or other joint and muscle pain, a chiropractor may be able to help you sleep more comfortably at night.

Sleep Resources
Understanding Bedsores
Learn about the common areas that bedsores affect seniors, wheelchair-users, ....

Sleep Resources
Arthritis and Sleep Guide
Falling asleep is much harder to do when you suffer from arthritis. Improving nights sleeping with this condition is a good way to find symptomatic relief.

Sleep Resources
Sciatica and Sleep
Sciatica and sleep have a complicated relationship. Find out more about the connection between sciatica and sleep and how to fix the problem.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Hip Pain
Check out our guide to learn tips on how to ease hip pain and get a better night's sleep.
Sleeping with Health Conditions
Many health conditions and the medications used to treat them can interfere with your sleep. When you’re already busy coping with a health condition, trouble getting comfortable sleep is more than inconvenient—it’s counterintuitive to your healing.
Below you’ll find our resources explaining common sleep problems associated with specific health conditions and options for what you can do to get a better night’s sleep.

Sleep Resources
How to Sleep with Allergies
Sleeping during allergy season, or with chronic allergy problems, can be challenging. We breakdown how allergies impact your sleep and what you can do about it to get a good night's sleep during allergy season and all year long.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Cancer
Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to risk of cancer, but this relationship is even more complex. Learn why cancer patients suffer with sleep problems and ways to treat insomnia linked to cancer.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and COPD
When you’re dealing with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, sleep can be difficult. Learn how to rest better while sleeping with COPD.

Sleep Resources
Sleeping with Fibromyalgia
Falling asleep is much harder to do when you suffer from fibromyalgia. Improving nights sleeping with this condition is a good way to find symptomatic relief.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Acid Reflux
Acid reflux can be painful and irritating, especially when you’re trying to get to sleep. Read our guide and discover how to sleep with acid reflux.

Sleep Resources
Diabetes and Sleep
Falling asleep is much harder to do when you have diabetes. Improving sleep when you have diabetes is a good way to find relief.

Sleep Resources
Shingles and Sleep
Shingles and sleep have a complicated relationship. Find out more about the connection between shingles and sleep and how to fix the problem.
Sleep and Fitness
If you’re an athlete or an active person, you know sleep is a critical component to your fitness routine. Sleep is an important time for rest and repair for active people who regularly physically exert themselves and their muscles in their workouts.
While you sleep, your body releases hormones, specifically the Human Growth Hormone (HGH), to promote growth and regeneration. When you slack on your sleep, your hormones become disrupted, which can even end up affecting your weight.
Learn more about the key healing processes that take place during your sleep and why they’re important to your fitness routine in our resources below.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Fitness
Learn how different types of workouts affect your sleep quality. We spoke with experts on yoga, hot yoga, barre, pilates, CrossFit, bodybuilding, and HIIT workouts to explore the connections.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Athletes
Learn how sleep impacts athletic performance including muscle regeneration, mental focus, and injury recovery.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and Weight Gain
Learn how simply getting a good night’s sleep could be the best way to help you control your weight and keep it under control.

Sleep Resources
Sleep and HGH (Human Growth Hormone)
Sleep and HGH (human growth hormone) are intricately tied. Getting enough sleep is essential for healthy levels of HGH, and with it, athletic performance through cellular growth and repair.

Sleep Resources
Bedroom Exercises
Learn how to build a bedroom workout with these barre, yoga, pilates, HIIT, cardio, and sculpting exercises that you can do all in the convenience of your home without gym equipment.