Going home after a hectic, exhausting day to rest your body on a comfy bed with clean sheets and a puffy pillow that would guide you to beautiful dreams is one of the best feelings ever! However, that is not all there is to it, as there are many health benefits of a good night’s sleep to your body and mind, and some of these benefits can actually surprise you. You can tell whether the person you are talking to slept well or not from the way they look, and that is how lack of sleep, even for just one day, can show on your body. In this article, we will tell you more about the numerous benefits of sleep and provide you with reasons why sleeping well can improve your overall health.
Table of Contents
Reduce Heart Disease Risks
When you get enough sleep, your body becomes able to regulate and reduce the risks of having high blood pressure, and balanced blood pressure reduces the risk of heart disease. However, it is not just about how many hours you get to sleep during the night. The quality is also of utmost importance. Adults should have 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Moreover, a good night’s sleep can protect you from having other conditions like apnea, for example, that are related to the duration and quality of your sleep.
Better Concentration & Increased Productivity
Sleep is directly related to your productivity and focus during the day. Regardless of the task, you have to carry out for the day, not having enough rest directly impacts your productivity rate. That is why when you don’t have a comfortable sleep at night, you wake up the next day unable to focus at work or school. Moreover, a recent study has shown that student’s performance and behavior at school are directly affected by their sleeping patterns. In other words, having a healthy sleeping pattern enables your brain to function properly, as it is strongly related to cognition, concentration, and productivity levels.
Increased Emotional & Social Intelligence
Even your social and emotional intelligence is at risk if you don’t get adequate sleep. A study has shown that our emotional empathy toward emotional stimuli is reduced if we don’t get enough rest. Lack of sleep makes it difficult for people to understand other people’s expressions and emotions. So next time you go tell someone how you feel about them, make sure that they had a good night’s sleep the day before.
Prevents Depression
For a long time now, scientists have been studying the relationship between mental health and sleep, and they have found that depression is linked to lack of sleep. Moreover, one study has shown that sleeping less is one of the factors that contribute to many deaths by suicide. Another study suggests that people who suffer from insomnia and other sleep disorders might show signs of depression. Therefore, getting enough sleep is very important for our mental health.
Lowers Inflammations in the Body
Reduced body inflammations and good sleep quality are connected. A study has shown that lack of sleep can contribute to inflammatory bowel diseases, which in turn causes sleep deprivation. Having enough rest and maintaining a good sleep quality can improve your overall health and lower inflammation.
Boosts the Immune System
Boosting the immune system is one of the most important benefits of sleep. Immunity is our first line of defense that fights off viruses, infections, and illnesses. More research is needed to find out exactly how sleeping and the immune system are related. However, some researchers have found that there is a connection between both, as our bodies repair themselves and recover during sleep.
Maximize Athletic Performance
Athletic performance is increased by adequate sleep. When you get enough sleep, your exercise performance, speed, and reaction times increase significantly. In older women, less sleeping time negatively affects their walking speed and grip strength,. Lack of sleep makes it harder for them to do independent activities. Therefore, sleeping for longer hours can improve your physical and athletic performance.
You can not lead a happy and healthy life without getting enough sleep. We need different sleeping hours during different stages in life. For example, older adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each day, while teens should have at least 8-10 hours. However, it’s not only about how long we sleep, as the quality is also very important. Sleep deprivation or poor sleeping quality can lead to many mental and physical illnesses like heart diseases and depression. On the other hand, sleeping well makes us look and feel better, and improves our daily productivity. Because of all of these reasons, never underestimate the power of a good slumber!
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