Research shows that about 50-70 adults in America suffer from a sleep disorder. Among this number, 4.7% report falling asleep while they drive, 37.9% fall asleep unintentionally during the day and 48% snore.
Why is sleep important? Sleep is essential because it plays a crucial role in our health and quality of life. Lack of sleep makes you feel tired, grumpy, unproductive, and with less focus and attention. When left untreated, poor sleep can affect your health and wellness in many ways.
It is, therefore, important to ensure that you get good sleep every day to remain happy and productive. Check out the following health benefits of sleep.
Reduces Stress
The American Psychological Association reports that most Americans would be happier if they could get an extra one to one and half an hour of sleep every night. While stress can interfere with sleep, sleep can help to reduce stress. Sleep can help you to relax and ease your worries, which in turn lowers the production of stress hormones in your body. When you are stressed, you feel agitated and anxious, and a good night’s sleep may be all you need to clear your head.
Improves Heart Health
When your body is resting, the blood pressure goes down, and this allows your blood vessels and heart to relax for a while. The less sleep a person gets, the longer their blood pressure stays up for several hours. It is imperative to note that high blood pressure can lead to stroke and other heart conditions. To save yourself from such trouble, ensure you get plenty of sleep.
Maintains Blood Level
During deep sleep, the level of glucose in your blood drops. If you don’t get adequate sleep, your body fails to reset, and the level of glucose remains elevated. Insufficient sleep affects insulin hormone and its ability to metabolize and regulate glucose. Ensure you allow your body to get long periods of deep sleep. This can save you from glucose issues such as type 2 diabetes. Doctors believe in the relationship between weight, sleep, and diabetes risk.
Controls Weight
In addition to regulating glucose levels, sleep also helps to control weight. You feel less hungry when your body is resting. Lack of sleep can mess with the hormones in your brain that are responsible for controlling appetite. As a result, you end up running for processed and unhealthy food choices. However, in a resting state, you feel less tempted to get up and eat. A balance of the time you sleep, eat, and go to bed is important.
It May Prevent Cancer
Exposure to light reduces the level of melatonin, according to researchers. Melatonin is the hormone that controls the sleep and wake cycle, and scientists believe that it can suppress tumors and protect against cancer. It is for this reason that you can increase your risk of cancer if you work very late at night.
It Improves Memory
Sleep plays a vital role in memory consolidation. In the sleep state, the body is resting, but the brain continues processing. Enjoying quality sleep allows your brain to make links and memories, and in turn, process things better.
Reduces Depression
Sleep affects the production of various chemicals in the body, such as serotonin. Any issues that cause an imbalance in the levels of serotonin will affect mood and cause depression. Lack of sleep desensitizes the serotonin receptors and makes you prone to depression. Sleep helps to improve serotonin levels, and this helps to reduce depression.
Reduces Inflammation
The stress hormone (cortisol) can trigger inflammation. Lack of sleep can cause stress and interfere with the effectiveness of cortisol to regulate the inflammatory response. Increased inflammation can create a great risk for diabetes and cancer. A good night’s sleep can keep inflammation in check by avoiding pro-inflammatory activity that occurs in poor sleep.
Maintains A Positive Attitude
Psychological health is just as significant as physical health when it comes to sleep. Sleep fosters a positive attitude. Good sleep will leave you feeling refreshed, happy, energized, and ready to tackle any issues disturbing you. You get to relax and allow your mind to process thoughts when you are asleep. It will help to boost positive energy and a positive attitude.
Allows Healing
Another health benefit of sleep is to allow your body to repair itself. The body produces more protein when you fall asleep, which directly influences its ability to heal the injuries you are sustaining. A study also shows that sleep plays an important role in healing damaged neurons in DNA.
Conclusion
The quality of our sleep directly affects the quality of our life. Getting enough sleep is essential for your physical and emotional wellbeing. You must get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every day. If you are having trouble falling asleep, you can try to engage in excises so that you feel tired by the end of the day. If you are an athlete, then a good sleep boosts your performance. But other treatments such as using testosterone are essential as well. It improves your stamina and endurance during training.
