Proper Sleep

7 Reasons Why a Good Night's Sleep is Crucial for Your Health

When you’re not getting enough sleep at night, it can have a significant impact on your health and well-being. Not only does it make you more tired and grumpy, but it can lead to chronic health problems like obesity and heart disease if you don’t take steps to remedy the problem. Fortunately, proper sleep can be achieved with just a few small changes in your daily routine, so you can start sleeping better tonight! Here are 7 reasons why proper sleep is crucial to your health.

Improves Concentration

Lack of sleep makes it hard to focus on tasks that require attention, making you slower and less productive during waking hours. A Stanford study found that people who slept for less than six hours a night were slower and made more mistakes at work than those who got seven to nine hours of shut-eye. It also impacts mood: Lack of sleep can make us cranky and irritable, according to researchers at Flinders University in Australia. The reason: Sleep deprivation interferes with the body’s production of cortisol—the stress hormone that regulates your emotions. And don't forget about memory: Research has shown that sleep plays an important role in helping our brains form new memories and process information we learned earlier in the day. In fact, one study from UC Berkeley showed that students who slept before learning a set of facts were able to recall them better later on compared to students who didn't get any shuteye beforehand.

Reduces Depression Risk

According to research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, sleep deprivation makes people more susceptible to depression. Sleep loss can affect neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which can increase our risk of depression, says study co-author Dr. Charles Czeisler. Improves Cardiovascular Function: A good night’s sleep can lower your blood pressure and heart rate while increasing your ability to exercise effectively and improve insulin sensitivity. Additionally, researchers have found that sleeping less than five hours on a regular basis significantly increases your risk of heart attack or stroke over time. Lowers Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Having trouble falling asleep? That could be a sign you're at higher risk for type 2 diabetes. In one study published in Diabetologia, researchers found that people who reported difficulty falling asleep were twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes within five years compared with those who said they fell asleep easily. Helps You Lose Weight: For many dieters, it’s not just about eating right—it’s also about getting enough sleep at night. Research has shown that short sleepers are more likely to be overweight or obese than those who log seven to nine hours each night (and even those who get too much shut-eye). May Improve Memory: While it may seem like memory problems are just part of getting older, studies show otherwise—and poor sleep habits are often at fault.

Improves the Immune System

Not getting enough sleep can weaken your immune system, making you more prone to getting sick. This explains why sleep deprivation makes people more likely to catch colds and other viruses. Without rest, your body can't fight off germs as effectively or efficiently. This may not sound like such a big deal when you only feel tired one day out of seven, but if it continues over months or years it adds up. In fact, older adults who don't get proper sleep have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Reduces Stress: A good night's sleep can help relieve stress by lowering levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). It also boosts serotonin levels, which helps improve mood. Getting a good night's sleep after a stressful event will also help you make better decisions in times of crisis. When we're stressed our brains are on high alert, which isn't conducive to clear thinking. When we're rested our brains are able to think more clearly and respond appropriately instead of reacting impulsively. Improves Memory: The hippocampus—the part of your brain responsible for memory formation—needs time to process what happened during your waking hours so that it can be stored properly in long-term memory.

Relieves Pain

If you find yourself waking up with aches and pains, it could be due to not getting enough sleep. When we’re tired, our bodies produce more of a hormone called cortisol, which raises blood pressure and heart rate, among other things. Cortisol also reduces muscle tissue in our bodies—that’s why you feel pain in your muscles when you lack sleep! A good night’s sleep can lower your blood pressure and decrease your production of cortisol. If you suffer from chronic pain or have problems sleeping at night, seeing a doctor about these issues might be necessary. Talk to your doc about how much time you spend in bed sleeping compared to tossing and turning each night. There might be an underlying cause that deserves some attention! Reduces Stress: We all know stress is bad for us, but did you know that feeling stressed out can actually make us sick? According to research conducted by Carnegie Mellon University, people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to experience physical symptoms of stress than those who do. This includes headaches and stomachaches. In addition, researchers found that people who get less than six hours of sleep per night were twice as likely to report having cold symptoms than those who got seven hours or more. Getting proper rest helps reduce stress levels so we don't experience physical symptoms as often! Improves Memory: Many studies have shown that getting adequate rest helps improve memory function.

Enhances Memory

Studies show that getting enough shut-eye helps your brain make new connections and retain information. This can be particularly important later in life when we may be trying to learn new skills or remember names and details of new clients. It’s easy to forget these things when you haven’t had enough sleep! If you want to improve your memory, commit to going to bed early. You'll wake up refreshed and ready to learn!

Helps Improve Muscle Growth and Recovery

Lack of sleep can slow muscle growth and impair recovery from exercise, according to new research. People who slept less than five hours per night experienced decreased protein synthesis and increased protein breakdown following exercise. Short sleepers also experienced a decrease in anabolic hormones known to promote muscle growth such as testosterone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF). You’ll also have less energy to work out. Instead of hitting the gym when you get home from work, you may end up vegging on your couch instead. If you miss out on sleep because you have young kids, consider moving bedtime earlier so that you can still get 7 or 8 hours of rest each night even if it means getting up earlier than usual. Here are some tips for better sleep habits . And here are more reasons why lack of sleep is bad for you . I believe sleeping at least seven hours is good for our health. That’s my opinion but there are many studies which suggest sleeping at least seven hours is good for our health. In my previous posts I have written about how important sleep is to bodybuilding and other benefits of proper sleep . One of my friends often takes his naps during lunch time which helps him reduce stress , avoid distractions, keep fresh , feel active throughout the day and gives extra boost during workouts after office. He has advised me that he feels rested when he sleeps during lunch break even if it's just 30 mins long nap. So I recommend everyone should try taking naps at least once a week to see if they like it or not!

Boosts Mood

A good night’s sleep can give you more energy and leave you feeling less stressed and depressed. Research suggests that sleep deprivation can increase your risk of depression, cause irritability, make it harder to focus and have empathy toward others. One study showed that people who slept less than five hours a night reported more anxiety and mood swings than those who got seven to nine hours of sleep each night. In another study, women who received three or fewer hours of sleep per night were twice as likely to experience clinical depression. Plus, in yet another study, participants who slept just four hours had higher levels of stress hormones compared to when they slept eight hours. These findings suggest that not getting enough shut-eye could be related to emotional problems later on. Saves Money: While being tired at work might seem like no big deal at first glance (especially if you live in an office where everyone around you is just as sleepy), research shows that getting too little sleep may actually hurt your job performance. For instance, a recent survey from staffing company OfficeTeam found that nearly 80 percent of workers said they've fallen asleep during meetings due to fatigue and 42 percent admitted they've missed deadlines because they didn't get enough sleep.

Increases Lifespan Section 9) No, you don't have to be sleepy in order to sleep

The idea that you should be sleepy before going to bed is not exactly wrong, but it’s misleading. You can't just wait around for drowsiness to set in; you need to actively pursue good sleep habits. Simply tossing and turning all night won't help either; you want to be getting into a routine of relaxing activities that are conducive to good sleep, such as taking warm baths or reading with your partner. In fact, there’s no solid evidence that catching some zzz’s improves your ability to fall asleep quickly (although falling asleep quickly does improve your sleep quality). Be prepared: Catching up on lost sleep isn’t usually possible, especially if it involves skipping several nights of restful slumber altogether. If you have trouble sleeping, try making an effort to get more exercise during daylight hours, dimming lights at night and avoiding caffeine late in the day. Additionally, make sure your bedroom is quiet and comfortable. And don’t forget to maintain a consistent schedule—that means going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day, including weekends. Quality over quantity: Getting eight hours of sleep doesn't mean much if those eight hours aren't quality shuteye. While it may take some time for you to figure out what works best for you (and also vary from night to night), pay attention to how well rested you feel when you wake up versus how tired or groggy you feel throughout the day. You should notice an improvement in your mood after only one or two days of getting enough sleep—or else something needs tweaking!