Adults and schooling teenagers simply have more duties to fulfill and less time for themselves. We often find ourselves working/studying long hours in the night compromising our much needed rest. Sleep is a powerful force that dispenses a multitude of life-changing benefits; from making us more productive, to prolonging our lives.
Health Benefits
Protect the heart
Sufficient sleep keeps the heart healthy as it lowers blood pressure. It’s crucial, considering how many people suffer heart attacks and, consequently, strokes due to the high pressure of the blood in their veins.
Reduce the risk of cancer
Hitting the sack early could be a preventative measure for life-threatening diseases such as cancer. The World Health Organization has officially classified night shift work as a probable carcinogen as it interferes with our circadian rhythm (otherwise known as the body clock). The Ivy League Harvard Medical School stated that good quality sleep reduces the risk of chronic life-threatening diseases.
This scientific analysis is supported by (the aforementioned) Walker, who states that sleeping less than the six or seven hours a night doubles the risk of cancer, with insufficient sleep being a key lifestyle factor determining whether of not someone will develop Alzeheimer’s disease. We need 7 – 8 hours of sleep per day.
Energy boost
During sleep, your body goes through different processes for muscle growth, hormones production, tissue repair. It recharges your energy and restores what you have lost after a long day. On the other hand, insufficient sleep results in a sluggish and exhausted feeling.
Improve the immune system
Those experiencing shorter sleep duration and insomniacs are more likely to have a depressed immune system, in comparison to someone who has the recommended seven-eight hours worth of sleep. The time you head to bed is more important than you may realize!
Physical Benefits
Improvement in skin conditions
Sleep is excellent for the skin and it shouldn’t be an overlooked as a fundamental part of the beauty regime. With a healthy body and nice skin, you obviously will feel more attractive. Sleep quality heavily impacts on skin function, with poor sleep accelerating the aging process and weakening the skin’s ability to repair itself at night.
Control body weight
There’s a stack of evidence that sleep is the crucial ingredient when it comes to weight management – sleep stops pounds being piled on. For decades scientists and doctors have explained that insufficient sleep affects the secretion of cortisol (a hormone that regulates appetite) and the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. This means if you’re sleep deprived, the higher the risk for weight gain or diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Mental Benefits
Relieve stress and anxiety
Sleep can be a game-changer when it comes to your mental health, even little changes such as sleeping naked can have real benefits. There’s a huge amount of scientific and medical evidence that proves that a lack of shut-eye has a significant negative impact on moods. It can result in greater stress levels, feelings of sadness, anger and mental exhaustion. In a major study of 10,000 people suffering from sleep disorders revealed that people with insomnia were five times more likely to develop depression and twenty times more likely to develop a panic disorder.
A good memory
A conscious mind will undoubtedly enhance your ability to analyze and absorb information. Sleep deprivation results in a struggle to focus and shorten attention span. Both animal and human studies have uncovered that good quality sleep, for the right amount of time (seven-eight hours), has a positive impact on both learning and memory. There’s a mounting body of research that sleep helps us to process and retain information long-term – it’s essential for learning new information. It protects newly acquired information and prevents us forgetting what we’ve learnt.
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