This article explains 8 health benefits of good sleep and why you need more sleep.
Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to overall health, much like eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and exercising frequently. Although the precise causes of why humans require sleep are unknown, sleep specialists concur that getting a full night’s sleep on a regular basis has several advantages. The typical adult need seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
The body goes through a number of maintenance and repair procedures when sleeping that touch practically every body part. As a result, getting enough sleep or not enough sleep can have an impact on one’s physical and mental health.
How much rest should we need?
The majority of adults typically require 7 or more hours of sleep per night. It takes more than just getting the recommended amount of hours to get enough sleep. Regular sleep is also necessary if you want to feel rested when you wake up. Consult your doctor if you usually have problems falling asleep or wake up feeling exhausted.
How much sleep do kids require?
More sleep is required for young children than for adults:
- Between 8 and 10 hours of sleep every night are necessary for teenagers.
- Children of school age require 9 to 12 hours of sleep per night.
- Including naps, preschoolers need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep per night.
- Toddlers need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep each night, including naps.
- Infants need to sleep 12 to 16 hours a night, including naps throughout the day.
- Newborns need 14 to 17 hours of sleep per night.
8 health benefits of good sleep
1. Help in weight loss or maintenance
The first health benefits of good sleep help in weight loss. Short sleep, defined as less than 7 hours per night, has been associated in numerous studies to an increased risk of weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI).
According to a 2020 analysis, persons who slept for fewer than 7 hours a night had a 41% increased risk of becoming obese. Prolonged sleep did not raise the risk at this time. Hormones and exercise motivation are just two examples of the many variables that are considered to affect how much sleep has an impact on weight gain.
For instance, lack of sleep lowers leptin levels while raising ghrelin levels. Leptin makes us feel full, but the hormone ghrelin makes us feel hungry. We can become very hungry and eat. This is supported by numerous studies that demonstrate how people who lack sleep have bigger appetites and tend to consume more calories.
Lack of sleep might make you seek foods with a high calorie content, such as those heavy in sugar and fat, to make up for a lack of energy. Even worse, you can feel exhausted from a night of very little sleep and lack the will to work out at the gym, take a stroll, or participate in other enjoyable physical activities.
So, making sleep a priority can help you stay at a healthy weight.
2. Improve heart health
Heart health is enhanced by quality sleep. As we sleep, our blood pressure and heart rate drop. This implies that while you sleep, your cardiovascular system may rest.
However, poor cardiovascular health is a risk factor for sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep increases the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and heart failure by causing blood pressure to stay high for extended periods of time.
3. Brings down inflammation
Your immune system is regulated by sleep. Lack of nutrition can lead to erratic immune system activity, which can lead to inflammation. You might not feel a lot of inflammation. Your body, however, may be impacted.
Structures are harmed by chronic inflammation, which also raises the risk of numerous illnesses. Here are a few instances:
- Swearing
- Dementia
- Heart disease
4. Better mood
Your brain also processes your emotions while you sleep. This period is necessary for your mind to recognize and respond appropriately. If you reduce it, you often have more emotionally unpleasant reactions and less emotionally happy ones.
Chronic sleep deprivation may also make mood disorders more likely. Insomnia is five times more probable than depression to occur, and it is even more likely than anxiety or panic disorders. This finding comes from a significant study.
5. Immune system restoration
According to theories of deep sleep, people feel rested in the morning because sleep heals and repairs the body. The body makes the growth hormones required for a child’s or adolescent’s development when they are sleeping. These growth hormones support the repair of tissues and cells in people of all ages. During sleep, the body also creates cytokines, which support the immune system’s ability to combat infections.
The immune system’s response to infections can be compromised by sleep deprivation. Chronic sleep loss increases the likelihood of immunodeficiency whereas chronic sleep loss increases susceptibility to simple diseases like the common cold.
6. Capable of enhancing athletic performance
Sports performance has been found to be enhanced by sleep.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that obtaining adequate sleep can enhance problem-solving abilities, reaction quickness, muscle strength, and fine motor skills. Lack of sleep can also make it harder to exercise and raise the risk of injury.
So getting adequate sleep can be all you need to increase your productivity.
7. Repair your tissues
Your body puts in a lot of effort to repair the damage while you sleep. Stress, UV radiation, and other dangerous substances you are exposed to can all hurt you.
While you sleep, some proteins are produced by your cells. These are the components that make up cells. This enables the cells to reverse the effects of the day’s harm and preserve your health.
8. Brain sharper
The most important health benefits of good sleep is that it improves your brain health. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you generally have difficulties retaining information. This is so because sleep is crucial for memory and learning. Lack of sleep makes it challenging to concentrate and comprehend new knowledge. Additionally, your brain doesn’t have enough time to effectively retain memories for later recollection.
Sleep enables your brain to recuperate so that you are ready for what lies ahead.
Conclusion
In conclusion, your body works hard when you sleep. It balances hormones, heals itself, and promotes the immune and circulatory systems’ optimal operation. Memories are shaped and stored by your brain.
Seven to nine hours of sleep every night are recommended to maintain heart health, reduce stress, and maintain normal blood sugar levels. Additionally, it lowers stress, decreases inflammation, aids in weight management, improves memory, and promotes clear thinking.
You can be energized and aware if you receive a good night’s sleep. You may practice, work, learn, socialize, and pursue your passions thanks to it.
FAQs
Why are the stages of sleep important? What are they?
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep are two of the several phases of sleep. Each phase of physical and mental rehabilitation has a distinct purpose.
What part of cardiovascular health does sleep play?
By reducing levels of stress hormones, blood pressure, and inflammation, getting enough sleep helps to maintain heart health. Additionally, it promotes the blood vessels’ normal functioning.
What foods and nutrients help you sleep better?
Foods like turkey, almonds, and cherries that are high in tryptophan, magnesium, and melatonin.
Can it aid in lowering tension and stress?
Absolutely. We are better able to handle stress, feel less anxious, and have more emotional resilience when we get enough sleep.
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