How Important Is Sleep?

in #health6 years ago (edited)


The importance of sleep is way beyond what you think. A good sleep is a key to a healthy lifestyle, heart, weight management, cognition factor and much more.

Good sleep Improves your immune system

Proper sleep improves our immune system. In a study, individuals who sleep less than 7 hours are three times more likely to get sick from cold, flu etc.Even a small loss of sleep has been shown to damage our immune functionality.

Sleep Helps to Improve Learning

Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity. Sleep improves our learning capability. Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function. This includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance.According to a Swiss study, a group were divided into two and were given a new language to study. One group were told to study right before bedtime and other during the daytime.The group who learned the new language right before bed were quicker to grasp the knowledge as compared with the other group.So learning something before sleep is a good idea if you want to grasp its essence.Another study found that sleep deprivation has a similar effect as alcohol intoxication.A nice healthy sleep can increase problem-solving skills in both children and adults thereby enhancing their memory performance.

Sleep lowers the risk of developing depression

Various studies have found that sleep deprivation increases the risk of developing depression.It’s a fact that about 90% of patients who have depression also suffer from some form of sleep apnea.Poor sleep is even associated with increased risk of death by suicide.

People who get more sleep naturally eat less

Good Sleepers Tend to Eat Fewer CaloriesLack of proper sleep causes fluctuations of hormones which increases our cravings. Sleep deprivation is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.Studies have shown that sleep-deprived people have a higher level of ghrelin hormones which stimulates appetite and a reduced leptin level.So people with less sleep has more hunger and tends to eat more calories.An individual with less sleep duration is likely to weigh significantly more than those who get a good amount of sleep.Lack of sleep affects our hormone and motivation to do exercise.

Sleep helps us empathize with others

Another abnormal medical advantage of sleep is a superior comprehension of social gestures.One investigation found that the individuals who are restless lose the capacity to appropriately perceive expression of outrage or anger and bliss in the characteristics of others.

Sleep improves athletic performance

Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance. Longer sleep has been shown to improve any aspect of athletic and physical performance.In a study done on basketball players, a good night sleep was able to improve the reaction time along with speed and accuracy of the players.

Improve memory

Our mind works more efficiently even when we sleep. Whatever skills we learned or practised just before sleeping whether it’s physical or mental, it gets amplified with better sleep.So, it is better to learn something new to grasp it more efficiently.

Increase longevity

Sleep deprivation or prolong sleep can shorten our lifespan and quality of life.So, sleep better to live better.

Control inflammation

Inflammation can cause many major diseases like arthritis, diabetes, premature ageing, cardiovascular disease. Many researchers suggest that with less sleep our blood levels have a higher level of inflammatory protein.
Sleep can have a major effect on inflammation in the body.Lack of quality sleep can cause a disorder known as inflammatory bowel disease. It is caused due to inflammatory bowel disease.

Brings creativity

With good sleep, our brain reorganizes, restructure and consolidate the memories and make them stronger which brings more creativity in us as well.All the emotional components of our memory also strengthen with a good night sleep.

Lower stress

Lack of proper sleep can cause more stress in our body. More stress can cause symptoms like high blood pressure.Sleep effects cholesterol levels, which plays a significant role in heart disease.

Take Home Message

Sleep is one of the important pillars of health along with good nutrition and exercise for a healthy and sound body.You cannot achieve ideal health and wellness without getting proper sleep. 

Note: this article is from own website theholisticwellbeing

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