In this article, Sleepwell has partnered with doctors and sleep experts to emphasise the importance of sleep for the future. We look into allopathic and alternative sciences (homoeopathy, Ayurveda, and traditional practices) about healing through sleep while emphasizing how good sleeping surfaces can enhance relaxation and improve health.
The Vital Role of Sleep
In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of sleep is often overlooked, yet it is a cornerstone of health and longevity. Sleep is a passive state of rest and a critical component of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Quality sleep is essential for daily functioning and can enhance life expectancy.
Research has shown that a lack of sleep could have severe effects on one’s life, resulting in chronic illnesses with a reduced lifespan. For instance, Fitbit reveals that India comes second among the most deprived countries globally with an average nightly duration of 7 hours and 1 minute after Japan, which tops in terms of lack.
Great health begins with great sleep, according to Sleepwell. In collaboration with top sleep experts from ISSR, Sleepwell shares insights on how quality sleep supports healing and overall well-being.

The Allopathic Perspective: Sleep as a Mechanism for Physical Healing
In regular medicine (allopathy), sleep is important for fixing your body and staying healthy overall.
1) Physical Repair and Growth
During sleep, particularly deep sleep, your body undergoes repair and detoxification. A tiny gland in your brain called the pituitary gland makes particular growth hormones, mostly during sleep.
These hormones help fix tissues, grow muscles, and strengthen bones. This natural fixing process is needed to recover from injuries and the everyday wear and tear your body goes through. Here's what a doctor (Dr. Hrudananda Mallick) says about sleep and healing:
- Good sleep helps people who get surgery or take medicines recover faster by fixing tissues and growing muscles during deep sleep (thanks to growth hormones).
- Sleep also helps your body fight germs by making more "cytokines" (special fighters). This is important to avoid infections after surgery.
- Enough sleep can also help with pain by making you feel it less and be more comfortable, especially if you have wounds from surgery or a chronic health condition.
- On top of that, good sleep keeps your brain and mind working well, which helps you deal with the stress of getting better.
- Sleep also helps control how your body uses energy and keeps your heart healthy. This lowers the chances of developing health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes.
- Good sleep reduces inflammation throughout your body, which helps you heal faster. It also gives you more physical and mental energy, which helps with physical therapy and improving overall health.
- Even with all our fancy medicines, there's no replacement for sleep's natural healing power. Many doctors recommend getting enough sleep instead of relying on too many medications. They know that sleep is a key part of healing your whole body, something no medicine can completely take the place of.
2) Immune Function
Sleep is like a superhero for your immune system! While you doze off, your body makes special fighters called cytokines. These cytokines battle infections, fight inflammation and help you manage stress. Studies show people who sleep less than 7 hours a night are three times more likely to catch a cold than those who get 8 hours or more. So sleep in, and improve your body’s natural immune system.
3) Neurological Health
While you are sleeping, your brain gets refreshed and has time to clean up some things inside it, make memories stronger, learn more things, and get rid of toxins that are collected while you are awake. This cleaning is very important because it helps to keep your brain working well and reduces the risk of having memory problems like Alzheimer’s disease as you grow older.
4) Hormonal Balance
However, when something goes wrong with sleep, it can mess up these hormones. For example, you might gain weight because your hormones are not balanced for hunger, stress, or controlling blood sugar levels (diabetes). Therefore, this indicates that disturbed sleep is associated with weight gain troubles, poor diabetes control, and increased stress. So, regular sleep keeps your hormones happy and your body functioning smoothly.
The Role of Sleeping Surfaces in Allopathic Medicine
Allopathic medicine acknowledges that good sleep contributes to health but also admits that a mattress matters! As Dr. Mallick says, a bad mattress leads to issues such as misalignment of your spine, body pressure points, and difficulty dozing off. The distress caused by this exacerbates pre-existing disorders, for instance, back pain or arthritis, and ultimately disturbs sleep as well as the general state of health.
Any mattress that's not comfortable and supportive can make it harder to sleep well and recover from whatever's ailing you. A good quality sleeping surface is like setting the stage for a healthy sleeping environment. It helps you heal better, reduces pain, and gives you the restful sleep your body needs.