眠りと自律神経。

2023.2.25

ここ最近、眠りについて色々と調べているのだけれど、やはり自律神経が最も大事なようだ。

自律神経、呼吸、代謝、体温、内臓などの働きを24時間調整している神経。そして、自分の意思では直接的にはコントロールできない神経。

交感神経が優位になると、血圧、拍動、体温上昇、スポーツや仕事など活発に活動することができ、副交感神経が優位になると、血圧、拍動、体温が下降、休息、睡眠、リラックス状態になる。

よく眠るには、交感神経が鎮まり、副交感神経が優位になることが必要。そして、もう一つ、深部体温が下がること。

脳や臓器といった体の深部の温度で、体の表面の温度である皮膚体温とは違う。この深部体温も自律神経によってコントロールされていて、深部体温が下がるにつれて眠気が訪れ、睡眠中に最も低くなる。

自律神経、直接的にはコントロールできない神経だけれど、生活スタイルを整え、自律神経を安定させることが睡眠にも最も大事なようだ。

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Sleep and the autonomic nervous system.
I have been doing a lot of research on sleep lately and it seems that the autonomic nervous system is the most important.

The autonomic nervous system is the nerve that regulates breathing, metabolism, body temperature and internal organs 24 hours a day. And it is a nerve that cannot be directly controlled by the will.

When the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, blood pressure, pulse and body temperature rise and you can be active in sports, work, etc. When the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, blood pressure, pulse and body temperature fall and you can rest, sleep and relax.

For a good night’s sleep, the sympathetic nervous system needs to subside and the parasympathetic nervous system needs to become dominant. And one more thing: the deep body temperature has to drop.

This is the temperature of the deeper parts of the body, such as the brain and organs, and is different from skin temperature, which is the temperature of the surface of the body. This deep body temperature is also controlled by the autonomic nervous system, and drowsiness occurs as the deep body temperature falls, and is lowest during sleep.

The autonomic nervous system is a nervous system that cannot be directly controlled, but it seems that adjusting lifestyle and stabilising the autonomic nervous system is the most important thing for sleep.