Getting enough sleep is vital to our health and well-being. During sleep, our body works to replenish itself and repair any damage caused by the day, stress, UV rays, and other harmful exposures. However, it is essential to remember that getting too little sleep can be dangerous for our health. Here are the top 10 benefits of getting enough sleep.
Helps you lose weight
Many experts agree that sleep is essential for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. A study by Dr. James Rowley of Wayne State University found that getting more sleep benefits weight loss and maintenance. Sleep is restorative, profound sleep, which supports your weight loss journey. Researchers have linked a lack of sleep with a higher BMI, increased risk of diseases and cancer, and increased inflammatory and depressive symptoms. If you're tired, it's hard to keep up with your goals.
Improves concentration and productivity
Sleep affects your productivity, and it is essential to have the right amount of sleep to maximize your brain power. Your brain needs restful sleep to stay sharp and focused, and a regular bedtime is essential for a well-rested mind. It is also important not to oversleep because this disturbs your circadian rhythm and makes you lazy. Use an alarm clock to wake up on time. Even a half-hour nap can improve your concentration and productivity.
In addition, it also enhances your behavior and interaction with colleagues. Your ability to remember things and make smarter decisions can improve as well. Insufficient sleep can also lead to other adverse effects, including less motivation and impaired memory. But the most significant benefit of getting enough sleep is obvious: it helps your brain perform better.
Avoids heart disease
Inadequate sleep can increase the risk of developing heart disease, the leading cause of death in men and women from all ethnic backgrounds. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 659,000 Americans die of heart disease every year. A simple change in sleep timing could dramatically reduce the risk of developing heart disease. And it's a relatively low-cost public health target, too.
Poor sleep is linked to depression
It's no secret that lack of sleep can lead to depressive symptoms. Insomnia is known to affect the brain's functioning, so sleep disturbances are a common symptom of bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder often experience disturbed sleep, resulting in high anxiety levels and a short temper. It's even possible to develop depression as a result of inadequate sleep. But how does insomnia contribute to the development of depression?
Researchers at Columbia University found that about 15% of those with depression also experience sleep disturbances. While it's unclear whether this symptom is caused by depression itself or by a sleep disorder, it is closely related to atypical depression. Atypical depression, which can be temporary and triggered by a joyous event, can also cause insomnia. In addition to being connected to depression, oversleeping is linked to low daytime activity and increased appetite.
Supports a healthy immune system
Researchers have found that increasing the amount of sleep we get improves our immune system's ongoing function. Sleep enhances the activity of nTreg cells, a type of immune cell which controls the immune response. Increased levels of antigen-specific antibodies are associated with rest, and sleep after vaccination may boost an adaptive immune response. However, more research is needed to establish the full benefit of sleep on immune function.
On the other hand, lack of sleep negatively affects the immune system. Lack of sleep can lead to depression and increase the risk of chronic diseases. Chronic inflammation is linked to cancer and depression and is associated with a high risk of developing cancer. Fortunately, research has shown that getting enough sleep can reduce the severity of cancer and other conditions related to chronic inflammation. While it is still unclear whether adequate sleep affects immunity, it is clear that good sleep is essential for a healthy immune system.
Improves memory
There's a strong correlation between sleep and the ability to remember facts. Sleep improves declarative memory, or the ability to recall recent facts by strengthening the memories of recently learned facts. As we age, we tend to have poorer memory, so sleep can help us stay sharp and concentrate better. Getting eight hours of sleep each night can help you remember facts more effectively the next day. However, sleeping less than six hours each night may not improve your memory, so you should avoid these nights.
Recent research shows that sleep improves memory by consolidating information and enhancing its processing during wakefulness. Sleep can also increase the capacity of the brain to make creative connections between information and ideas. It may be this capacity that is responsible for improving memory. Researchers are currently investigating the benefits of getting more sleep. This study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It's an exciting new possibility for the future of cognitive health.
Improves mood
Early studies of mood-sleep relationships typically used retrospective self-report data to make their conclusions. Rodin et al., for instance, conducted eight interviews over three years to establish positive longitudinal associations between disturbed sleep and depressed mood. Since then, technological advances have allowed more frequent mood and sleep quality assessments. Ecological momentary assessment requires a study-prescribed device, but increasingly popular mobile phones enable researchers to collect data without invasive procedures.
This study was conducted on a nationally representative sample of women with mood disorders and anxiety disorders. In addition, it showed that the longer the people slept, the more positive their experiences were. These positive experiences resulted in greater happiness, which led to fewer conflicts in our day. So, if you're looking for a way to improve your mood, try getting more sleep.
Stabilizes blood sugar
Lack of sleep can contribute to high blood sugar levels, and people who don't get enough sleep tend to feel more tired and reach for comfort foods. While we sleep, hormones in our body control many processes, including appetite and weight control. During sleep, high blood sugar levels make it difficult to relax and feel comfortable.
Increases Exercise Performance
If you're a severe exerciser, you've probably heard that sleep is crucial to exercise performance. Lack of sleep reduces your energy levels, but it also decreases your motivation to exercise. Even a single night of lack of sleep hurts exercise performance, aerobically and anaerobically. Likewise, working out when you're sleep-deprived is counterproductive, as your hormones are still recovering from the previous night's sleep. Lack of sleep also increases your risk for injury and illness.
The benefits of sleep go beyond the obvious benefits of increased athletic performance. A study at Stanford University found that athletes who sleep for at least nine hours a night performed better on physical endurance tests. They cut their spring times from 16.2 seconds to 15.5 seconds! Sleep also improves mood and alertness and allows the body to consolidate motor skills. Getting more sleep is also essential for maintaining a healthy weight and improving athletic performance.
Lack of Sleep Can Be Dangerous
Lack of sleep can affect many areas of your life, from your performance at work to your mood and ability to focus. It can even impact your immune system. A lack of sleep can also affect your brain and prefrontal cortex, two important brain structures that regulate your emotions. In addition, poor sleep can affect your sex drive, which means your ability to handle stress is impaired.
Drowsy driving is associated with a seven-fold increase in the risk of death and serious accidents - Photo: Per Lööv
Researchers have linked poor sleep habits to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and depression. Studies have also linked insufficient sleep with an increased risk of accidents. Drowsy driving is associated with a seven-fold increase in the risk of death and serious accidents. In addition, drowsy driving can contribute to accidents, causing up to 800 deaths each year. Driving while tired is similar to driving under the influence, slowing down reaction time, reducing awareness of hazards, and depriving the driver of attention.
