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Sleep is very important and getting a sufficient amount of it can provide you with an array of benefits. Just like eating and breathing, sleep is an essential element of day-to-day life that you can’t live without.
So, why is sleep important and what benefits can it provide?
Below, you’ll find 11 lucrative benefits of sleep and discover how it can dramatically improve the quality of your life and wellbeing.
1) Weight Loss
One of the key benefits of good sleep is that is can help you with your weight loss goals.
Studies have found that obese and overweight individuals tend to suffer from unhealthy sleeping patterns. Additionally, some studies have found that individuals with a short sleeping duration are 89% more likely to develop obesity.
The rationale behind these findings come from various sources, including hormonal influences, lack of motivation as a result of fatigue, and caloric consumption.
In specific reference to caloric consumption, when you are lacking in sleep, the hormones relating to healthy appetite are skewed and, as a result, sleep-deprived individuals will inevitably consume more calories.
2) Improved Cognitive Abilities
Sleep is also important if you’re looking to boost your cognitive abilities.
A good night of sleep can work wonders in improving your memory, perception, attention, and much more. There have been various studies indicating that people make more performance-based errors when sleep-deprived and some studies have related the effect similar to intoxication!
Memory has also been found to be affected by sleep deprivation, with children and adults experiencing improved recall and comprehension following an adequate amount of sleep.
Long story short, if you get enough high-quality sleep, you’ll get a significant improvement in your mental abilities.
3) Reduced Risk of Stroke and Heart Disease
A noticeable health benefit to sleep is the positive preventive effect it has on strokes and heart disease. This finding is derived from the evidence that suggests lack of sleep can influence major health risks, including other severe chronic diseases.
Studies have found that individuals who get less than 7-8 hour sleep are more prone to getting these issues in later life. If you want to avoid these nasty problems and live a longer, fuller life, look to get a sufficient amount of sleep each night.
Our post about everything you should know about Sleep Apnea, as well as 'how a lack of sleep affects your heart health' will give you more information.
4) Boosted Mood and Reduced Depressive Symptoms
Sleep is incredibly beneficial if you’re looking to boost your mood. Since depression and sleep deprivation are closely linked, it has been found that sleep can improve your overall mood and wellbeing.
Depression exists with a lot of sleep-related issues and is generally comorbid with a wide range of health problems. By getting a sufficient amount of sleep, you can effectively enhance your happiness and feel emotionally better throughout the day.
5) Improves Your Social Savviness
One interesting benefit sleep provides is that it allows you to function socially. Specifically, sleep might appear to be important when it comes to recognizing and registering emotion in others. In essence, sleep deprivation has the ability to create apathy.
As a result of this lack of empathy and emotion perception, we can find it difficult to interact with people and relate to them. Thus, leading to a deficit in social agility.
Sleep, therefore, becomes important in regulating your social abilities as much as your mental abilities. If you want to sharpen up your communication and boost your empathy, getting more sleep might be the answer.
6) Reduces Inflammation
Inflammation can affect us both in early and later life. There is a wide range of reasons why it can come about but did you know one reason may be the result of a lack of sleep?
In particular, insufficient sleep has been heavily linked to inflammation in the digestive tract. Sleep has become so strongly linked with later inflammation that sleep analyses can be performed and used as a predictive indicator for the issue.
With improved sleep, you can reduce the risk of inflammation and reduce the risk of relapse if you’ve had it before, so make sure you get yourself a good mattress for a good night’s kip.
7) Boosts Your Immunity
Do you find yourself getting colds and getting sick on a regular basis? If you’re not getting enough sleep, you may have found your answer.
Some research has found that you could be three times as likely to catch a common cold when you’re running on less than 8 hours of sleep. The less sleep you get the worse your immune system will be when it comes to fighting disease.
Even the slightest loss in sleep can result in a deficiency in immunity functioning, so make sure you’re getting the sleep you need so you can start the day healthy!
8) Stable Blood Sugar
During deep sleep, the glucose in your body begins to drop and gives you a bit of a break from constantly breaking down sugar. Without enough sleep, your body can be permanently switched on and this may result in the development of type 2 diabetes.
You should attempt to achieve deep sleep for as long as possible when in bed as this will allow your body to have the necessary break it needs in order to keep the cell’s needs met.
9) Longer Life
With all the issues that come along with not getting enough sleep, it may come as no surprise that getting insufficient sleep can result in a lower life expectancy.
One huge benefit to sleep is that it can effectively add years on to your life if you’re getting between 7-8 hours a night. In fact, studies have found that older women who get less than 5 hours of sleep a night are more likely to die earlier when compared with older women who got more.
As well as all the early issues that can occur with sleep deprivation, it’s not hard to see how it can have an effect in the long-term. If you’re looking to get the most out of life, it’s important you get your rest.
10) Improves Physical Performance
If you’re an avid gym user or maybe an inspiring athlete, you’re going to be interested in this next sleep benefit.
Sleep is crucial if you’re heavily invested in fitness and getting a good night’s rest can significantly boost your muscle building and athletic efforts. Sleep contributes towards muscle recovery and repair during periods of rest and a lack of it can result in you feeling more rundown the following day.
Additionally, if you’re lacking in the sleep department, you’re more likely to dip in motivation to work out and keep up with a strict diet, resulting in a cascade of issues that can spiral you out of your fitness regime.
As well as adequate sleep, ensuring your joints and muscles are supported during your slumber can also contribute towards athletic-based results. Utilising orthopaedic mattresses is a sufficient way to support your bones and posture during the night, it’s worth checking out their benefits if you’re after peak performance.
11) Reduces Stress
Find yourself incredibly stressed on a day-to-day basis? Sleep might be your problem.
Sleep is important for maintaining your blood levels and if you’re not getting enough sleep, you could be experiencing poor level control resulting in stress. Some experts agree that stress and poor sleep are very correlated.
If you have a high-pressure job, sleep is essential if you’re looking to remain calm and collected when completing your tasks. Make sure you get a good rest and you’ll be able to tackle the day with a level head.
