Getting enough sleep is essential for the human body, which helps in maintaining overall health and well-being. Even if you exercise daily or eat a balanced diet, your body may not function properly if you don’t get enough sleep. Sleeping less than 6-7 hours each night may create a greater risk for many diseases ranging from mental to physical ones. Now let’s break down the top 11 reasons why getting a good night’s sleep is essential.
1. Increases productivity
Sleep is critical for several brain functions, including cognition, performance, concentration, and productivity. All of these functions of the brain can be exacerbated by a lack of good sleep at night. Did you know that sleep deprivation has the same effect on our bodies as alcohol intoxication? Furthermore, if you get enough sleep, your problem-solving abilities and memory performance will improve, allowing you to function more effectively and increase productivity.
2. Maximize Athletic Performance
Getting 7-8 hours of sleep helps boost athletic and physical performance. That boost can make a considerable impact on an athlete’s career overall. Many studies have demonstrated that obtaining adequate sleep improves motor skills, response time, muscular endurance and power, reaction time, and problem-solving abilities. However, having less sleep increases the risk of injury and diminishes motivation to exercise. So getting the recommended quantity of sleep will boost your performance to the next level.
3. Strengthens working of the heart
Not getting proper sleep can lead to a variety of health problems, one of which is heart disease. Sleep deprivation can result in high blood pressure and heart attacks. This is because when you sleep less, your body produces cortisol, a stress hormone that causes your heart to work harder. Like your immune system, your heart needs adequate sleep to function effectively and efficiently. So, get enough sleep if you want to keep your heart healthy and your life disease free.
4. Lowers the weight gain
Obesity, weight gain, and sleep deprivation all have a connection. People who sleep less than 7 hours per night are more likely to become obese than those who sleep more. Sleep loss causes the release of ghrelin, a hunger hormone, salt retention, and inflammatory diseases which contribute to weight gain. Furthermore, a lack of sleep lowers overall energy levels, increasing weariness and making you less willing to engage in physical exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
5. Helps in rejuvenating
While you sleep, your body works hard to repair the damage caused by stress, intense exercise, and other potentially detrimental factors throughout the day. Your body goes through a regeneration process during the night. So it becomes utterly important to sleep on a mattress that provides you accurate support and it can be done through a comfortable mattress. You can do some research by going through accurate mattress reviews and finding the best one for you which will satisfy your sleeping requirements. When you sleep, your body produces protein, which is the building block for cells. This allows the cell to repair the body’s damage from the day and keeps your body healthy.
6. Increase Inflammation
Sleep deprivation has severe consequences for our bodies. Sleep deprivation causes an increase in inflammatory chemicals and cell damage. Poor sleep exacerbates our bowel movement since it causes long-term inflammation in the digestive tract. Thus, getting enough sleep is essential for every organ of your body to work efficiently. Over time inflammation can also cause deadly diseases such as obesity, heart disease, a specific type of cancer, Alzheimer’s, depression, and other diseases.
7. Less Calorie Consumption
People who get proper sleep get fewer cravings than those who sleep less. Sleep deprivation alters the control of hunger hormones, which is assumed to cause the inability to regulate appetite. When you receive less sleep, the level of the hormone leptin, which controls your hunger, drops. Your body needs a correct quantity of sleep to retain the necessary alertness and energy. When you don’t receive it, your body replaces sleep with a high level of food consumption specifically foods that are higher in calories. As a result, you consume more than the recommended quantity, becoming obese and unhealthy.
8. Reduces stress
Reduction in sleep can make you go into stress mode. Your body’s systems are on high alert, which may raise your blood pressure and cause the release of stress hormones. Sleep deprivation is also connected to mental health issues such as sadness and anxiety. Insomnia and sleep apnea are other health problems related to a lack of sleep. If your sleep-related mental issues worsen, you should seek the help of a medical professional.
9. Affects diabetes
Sleep deprivation leads to not getting insulin resistance, which means the body cannot properly utilize insulin hormones. According to a study, sleeping less than 5 hours every day increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 48%. Sleep deprivation can result in physiological changes such as impaired insulin sensitivity, changes in hunger hormones, and increased inflammation. It also causes behavioral changes, including poor decision-making and binge eating, increasing the risk of diabetes. Other concerns, such as obesity, heart disease, and metabolic syndromes, are likely to exacerbate diabetes.
10. Boost the immune system
Short-term sleep tends to damage and disrupt the immune system. Experts have discovered that those who sleep for 7 hours or less are more likely to acquire a cold than those who sleep for 8 hours or more. When you sleep, your immune cells and protein need to recuperate from fighting off anything coming their way. According to an American Academy of Sleep and Medicine study, those who get enough sleep help the vaccine operate even more successfully.
11. Affects Social Interactions
Sleep deprivation impairs your capacity to regulate emotions and interact socially. When we are weary, it is more difficult to control our emotions and behavior in front of others. Tiredness also affects our ability to respond to humor and demonstrate empathy. People who suffer from chronic sleep deprivation tend to withdraw from social events and experience high levels of loneliness. Prioritizing sleep will help you repair your relationships with loved ones and become more social.
Conclusion:
To improve your lifestyle through exercise and eating a healthy diet is only a half battle won, you must also prioritize obtaining enough sleep every night. Sleep deprivation can cause a ton of health problems, including heart disease, obesity, and cancer. So, at the very least, strive to obtain a minimum of 7-9 hours of sleep per night to improve your mood and overall health.
