Getting enough sleep is essential because it directly affects your mental and physical health. In fact, sleep is as vital as regular exercise and eating a balanced diet.
Due mostly to the hustle and bustle of the lives we lead, many of us don’t prioritize getting enough sleep. Yet, it is important that people make an effort to get enough sleep regularly.
Sleep deprivation can put your health at risk. Studies show getting More Sleep sleep on a regular basis can help improve all sorts of issues, from your blood sugar to your workouts.
You know what they say, Health is Wealth, which is why it’s essential that you prioritize your sleep on a daily basis.
4 reasons why you need to get more sleep.
- Proper Brain Function
Not getting enough sleep can prevent proper brain function, impairing your judgment and reasoning skills. Without enough sleep, it’s tough to focus and take in new information. When we get a good sleep, we are more alert and clear-headed. Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory.
- Better Productivity and Concentration
Research has linked getting enough sleep to better concentration, productivity, and cognition.
There were several studies that scientists did in the early 2000s that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation.
What the researchers concluded is that sleep has links to several brain functions, including:
- concentration
- productivity
- cognition
3. Weight Control
Sleep deprivation affects our body’s ability to regulate ghrelin and leptin (appetite hormones). For instance, sleep deprivation increases levels of ghrelin and decreases levels of leptin. Ghrelin is a hormone that makes us feel hungry while leptin makes us feel full. This may cause us to feel hungrier and overeat
Research suggests that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories which can eventually lead to being overweight or obese.
Adequate sleep helps with hormonal balance. So, prioritizing sleep may support healthy body weight.
- Lower risk of heart disease
While you sleep, your blood pressure goes down, giving your heart and blood vessels a bit of a rest.
The less sleep you get, the longer your blood pressure stays up during a 24-hour cycle which is at risk to high blood pressure which can lead to heart disease, including stroke.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), getting adequate rest each night allows the body’s blood pressure to regulate itself.
How much sleep is enough?
Sleeping more than the adequate time can cause more harm than good. Research found that people who slept longer had more calcium buildup in their heart arteries and less flexible leg arteries, too.
Sleep needs vary from person to person, depending on their age. As a person ages, they typically require less sleep to function properly.
According to the CDC, the breakdown is as follows:
Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours
Summary
Among what constitutes overall to being healthy, is sleep. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair itself, maintain hormonal balance, and keep the circulatory and immune systems functioning properly
Not getting enough sleep can cause harm to our bodies, being at the risk of heart disease, depression, weight gain, inflammation, and sickness.
Just like you prioritize your diet and physical activity, it’s time to give sleep the attention it deserves.
