One of the five basic human needs is sleep. Many people do not get enough sleep so it has become an important issue and problem for our society. One should strive to have about 8 -9 hours of good quality sleep each night. The reasons why this is important for your health and well being are numerous. Here is how sleep improves your health and wellbeing.
Your Immune System Works Better
Sleep deprivation affects your immune system. This is because the body’s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses is reduced when someone doesn’t sleep enough. Your white blood cells are affected by this, making it more likely that you’ll catch a cold or be susceptible to flu. Sleep decreases stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine. These hormones can suppress the immune system and make it less effective. A good night’s sleep may help you build resistance to colds and other illnesses that come your way. Getting an adequate amount of sleep increases your white blood cell count which helps to fight infection.
You Feel Less Stressed
Being awake for long periods of time causes stress on the body which in turn makes you unhappy and grumpy which can negatively affect your relationships with others. Taking measures to sleep well, like buying a zero gravity bed or other comfortable adjustable bed types, will make you happier. When you don’t get enough sleep, especially if it happens regularly–your brain produces lower levels of a chemical called melatonin, which slips into gear while you slumber.
Melatonin has connections with both regulating moods/feelings and influencing the time that it takes to fall asleep. You may feel yourself getting grumpier when you don’t get enough sleep or when you’re tired when you wake up in the morning. When your body and mind aren’t well-rested, they do not function as efficiently. Lack of sleep will quickly make anyone feel depressed or at least less than happy with life.
Your Memory Is Sharper Than Ever
Getting enough sleep can improve memory recall and decision-making skills by up to 20 percent! Not only does this make it easier for you to learn new information but it will also improve productivity at your job or school as well as helping you stay motivated and engaged so it might actually help you get ahead in life if you are already focused on your career success!
There is a link between sleep and long-term memory. Experiments with animals have shown that if you don’t get enough sleep it can impair their ability to remember things from the previous day. Sleep allows your brain to process the events of the day or week before so they stick with you longer. It also helps your hippocampus which controls memory creation by growing new connections on many brain cells (neurons). So, not getting enough sleep will cause problems regarding verbal and visual memorizing but it’s not only about “not being able to remember” – if you are sleep-deprived, the neurons of your hippocampus look and works younger.
You’ll Live A Longer Life
Research has found that people who sleep for six hours or less per night have an increased risk of death from any cause by 12% compared to those who slept seven to eight hours a night. Even if you get just one more hour of sleep every day than you now do, you can add two years to your life.
How does this happen? New research suggests that lack of rest may lead to health problems such as diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure which are known culprits in heart disease and stroke which in turn can lead to early death. A good recommendation is sleeping 7 – 8 hours each night but it also depends on other factors such as age, health, stress, and lifestyle.
You Burn Fat While You Are Asleep
A good night’s sleep can mean a slimmer figure in the future. A study of healthy men found that those who slept five hours had higher levels of ghrelin (the hormone that stimulates eating) but lower levels of leptin (which tells you when to stop eating). This is the perfect combination for packing on pounds! The levels of these hormones are also associated with obesity so getting enough rest will not only burn calories now but it’ll help keep weight down in the future too. Getting less than seven hours of sleep per night could lead to feelings of hunger even if you’ve eaten recently which increases the amount of food consumed at the next meal.
You Will Feel More Alert In The Morning
Not getting enough sleep can leave you feeling groggy and tired during the day. If you have a long span of time from waking to going to bed, it might seem that lack of sleep is not such a big deal. However, even if it is only for an hour or so, you need to give your body adequate time to function without interruptions and rest when needed.
Not giving yourself this opportunity can lead to exhaustion and fatigue throughout the day which could affect everything from work performance, mood, and concentration levels leading to getting sleepy behind the wheel or making mistakes at work or school which could be very dangerous. This will all decrease once a regular sleeping schedule is established and it will make you feel and function better throughout the day.
You Could Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
Researchers from Edinburgh University studied data from over 1million adults in the UK and compared those who reported sleeping five hours or less each night with those who got seven to eight hours of sleep. They found that participants who were getting less sleep had a 14 percent higher risk of heart disease and a 10 percent greater risk of stroke which can lead to death. High blood pressure is one cause for both these conditions so if you are trying to get rid of high blood pressure by addressing diet, exercise levels, and stress then make sure you get the right amount of rest too.
A better night’s sleep may be the key to a healthier lifestyle. Research has shown that when you are well-rested, your immune system is stronger, and less stress can lead to more focus on the tasks at hand. Not only does it make you feel energized and refreshed during your waking hours but while you’re asleep as well. This makes sense considering all of the other benefits from getting enough rest including sharper memory function, lower blood pressure levels, longer life expectancy, and fat burning while snoozing. With such a wide array of health benefits coming from just one good night’s sleep, why would anyone willingly choose insomnia over sweet slumber?
