How does oxygenation affect your health?

Oxygenation is paramount to our overall health and wellness. The more oxygen we’re able to deliver to the brain, the better it’s able to function. Remember when your mother told you that you needed to go to sleep to grow up strong and tall. She was right. Deep sleep triggers Human Growth Hormone, commonly referred to as the fountain of youth! It fuels growth in children, boosts muscle mass, and repairs cells and tissue.

Human Growth Hormone has to be in adequate abundance in order for you to have a strong immune system. When we suppress the immune system, it becomes susceptible to disease and free radical damage, and we speed up the aging process. Oxygen is the key fundamental element of triggering Human Growth Hormone (HGH) receptor activity. This activity primarily happens at night while you are in a deep restful sleep. Human Growth Hormone is secreted from the pituitary gland and oxygen is the primary agent for making this happen.

Your mother was also right is she told you that a good night’s sleep would help you get better. Lack of sleep can reduce the ability to fight off common infections and reduce the body’s response to the flu vaccine. During sleep your body creates more cytokines. Cytokines are cellular hormones that help the immune system fight various infections. Cytokines help you get better. So next time you see mom, tell her how smart she is.

Evidence is growing that sleep is a powerful regulator of appetite, energy use and weight control. During sleep the body’s production of the appetite suppressor leptin increases, and the appetite stimulant grehlin decreases. Studies find that the less people sleep, the more likely they are to be overweight or obese.

Blood's primary purpose is to transport nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, proteins, and hormones as well as oxygen to body cells. Sleeping on too firm a mattress creates an environment of oxygen deficiency. Sleeping on a quality supportive mattress reduces oxygen occlusion or cutoff. By sufficiently eliminating pressure from body pressure points as we sleep, we allow oxygen rich blood to flow freely throughout our bodies. The richer the oxygen content of your blood, the better your body functions, and the stronger your immune system becomes.

When you lay on your side, pressure becomes more critical than support. The upper body weight pushes down on the shoulder cuff, and lack of circulation and nerve entrapment can cause discomfort, requiring constant repositioning during the night. The same holds true for the hip area. With all the lower body weight concentrated on the hip pointer, a too firm mattress is simply uncomfortable. How long can you sit with your legs crossed before you start to feel a tingle? The same thing happens when you sleep in an uncomfortable position for any length of time.

Studies show that in order to take pressure off pressure points (improve circulation), you turn or move during the night. In fact, the average person repositions 40 to 100 times a night when sleeping on a firm mattress, as the brain signals the body approximately every 10 minutes telling us to turn. A mattress that takes pressure off pressure points not only reduces tossing and turning and sleep interruptions (waking a sleep partner) as we sleep, it reduces or eliminates tingling of the hands and feet on waking.

And let’s not forget about our nervous system. It has three main parts, the brain, the spinal cord and nerves. A healthy nervous system allows our bodies to perform at optimum level. Too much pressure on the spinal system can cause compression, irritation and stretching of the nerves. The heathier your spine, and the healthier your nervous system, the healthier you will be.

Your objective when buying a new mattress should be to find a sleep system that allows you to sleep comfortably in the position you prefer (front, back or side), while at the same time lowering interface pressures against the body, thereby allowing oxygen rich blood to flow freely throughout.

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