Getting enough sleep isn’t just about banishing your under-eye circles or reducing your eye bags. It isn’t just about boosting your mood, or making you more energized and refreshed. Sleeping for about 7 to 8 hours every night is a key part of a healthy lifestyle and it is equally important as eating healthy and exercising. If you want to learn more about the benefits of good night sleep, just continue reading until the end of this article.
- Sleep Improves Memory
Although you might not be aware of it since you are asleep, your mind is surprisingly busy while you snooze. During your sleep, you can strengthen memories or practice the skills that you learned while you are awake. This is a process called consolidation.
We all know that practice makes perfect. But did you know that while you are asleep something happens that makes learning much easier? Hence, if you are trying to learn a new thing – may it be a new language or a new dance routine – you’ll perform better after getting a good night sleep. This may also be the reason why it’s better to study early in the morning after sleeping.
- Sleep May Be Your Solution to Lose Weight
According to studies, people who sleep less than 7 hours each night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It is believed that lack of sleep disrupts the hormones ghrelin and leptin, which are responsible for the regulation of appetite. So, if you want to lose weight, it’s important that you get enough sleep.
- Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy
Having enough sleep reduces one’s risk of getting heart disease and stroke. It is believed that lack of sleep can worsen one’s blood pressure and cholesterol, which are both important factors of a healthy heart.
- Sleep Lessens Stress
Your body goes into a state of stress if you don’t get enough sleep each night. When this happens, your body is put on high alert which causes the release of stress hormones and causes your blood pressure to rise. Stress hormones will make it harder for you to sleep and we all know that high blood pressure increases a person’s risk to heart attack and stroke. You can counteract the effects of stress and sleep faster by learning some relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises and guided imagery or visualization.
- Sleep Keeps Acne at Bay
Skin repair and increased cell repair happens while you slumber. Moreover, lack of sleep can lead to increased cortisol in the body which causes inflammation, improper healing, and skin conditions like acne, and rosacea. Overproduction of cortisol also triggers the sebaceous gland to produce more oil, which can increase the likelihood of getting acne.
- Sleep Reduces The Risk of Getting Cancer
Breast, colon, and prostate cancer are more common to people with disrupted biological clock due to shift work. Researchers believe that a disruption in the circadian rhythm causes the increased risk of cancer because the body clock affects a lot of biological functions.
- Sleep May Decrease Your Risk of Depression
Sleep influences a lot of chemicals in your body, including serotonin. Researchers believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels may affect one’s mood which can lead to depression. Hence, if you want to prevent yourself from being depressed, it is crucial that you sleep between 7 and 9 hours each night.
- Sleep Improves Your Immune System
If you are prone to getting colds, chances are you might also be sleep deprived since even a small loss of sleep can already have a damaging effect on the immune system. In addition to getting enough sleep each night, eating more garlic can also help in improving your immune system.
- Sleep Affects Glucose Metabolism and the Risk of Having Type 2 Diabetes
According to studies, poor sleep habits are strongly associated with adverse effects on blood sugar level and people who sleep less than six hours per night have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Sleep Improves Athletic Performance
Sleep can play an important role in your athletic performance. Sleep may not have as much effect to you if you’re into wrestling or weightlifting than when you are in running, biking and swimming. Nevertheless, you are not doing yourself any good at all if you are depriving yourself of sleep. Moreover, lack of sleep also affects your motivation aside from robbing you of energy and time for muscle repair.
In Conclusion
While getting an adequate amount of sleep is important to overall health, too much of it may do more harm than good. Studies found that people who sleep longer than 9 hours regularly have increased risk of getting diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even death. Hence, though you are always reminded to sleep well, it doesn’t mean that you need to sleep more than what your body needs.
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