Recent studies had shown the importance of a good sleep to one’s overall health and well being.
When you don’t get sufficient sleep every time, you may be harming other parts of your body and putting yourself at risk of various illness like heart attack, stroke, obesity and diabetes.
Herewith, are some important benefits you can derive from a good sleep:
— It strengthens the presence of your mind and consciousness. It makes you feel energized and physically more alert.
— It enhances your memory in a process called memory consolidation which occurs during sleep. While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day, making connections between events, sensory inputs, feelings and memories. Getting adequate sleep will help you remember and process things better.
— It strengthens your immune system – lack of sleep decreases your immune response reaction making you vulnerable to infections and diseases. Adequate sleep strengthens the immune system and make you less prone to various illness.
— It reduces stress – a good sleep allows your body to rest and relax. When your body lacks sleep it goes into a state of stress. The body’s functions are put on high alert which causes a rise in blood pressure and increase in the production of stress hormones which can be detrimental to your health and well being. High blood pressure increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Moreover, a high level of stress hormones make it more difficult for you to sleep.
— It helps to lose weight – sleep deficient individuals are more likely to be overweight or obese. Sleep deprivation can trigger the release of stress hormones that had been link to increase abdominal fat. Loss of sleep reduces the level of leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite and increases the level of ghrelin, an appetite stimulating hormone. To get a good sleep regularly means losing weight.
— It keeps your heart healthy – lack of sleep has been associated with increasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both risk factors for heart attack and stroke. The increase may be due to the way sleep interacts with the blood vessels and could explain why heart attacks and stroke are common during the early morning hours. For young people, eight to ten hours sleep will make their heart healthier, while for older adults, six to eight hours is enough.
— It improves overall disposition – during sleep, the part of the brain that controls emotions and social interactions slows down, allowing optimal performance when awake. Lack of sleep makes you irritable, tired and frustrated.
Also, lack of sleep decreases level of neurotransmitters serotonin and makes you more likely to suffer from depression. Getting the right amount and quality sleep improves overall disposition.
Getting good, adequate and quality sleep therefore, is crucial to our well being in achieving a healthy lifestyle.
