Good sleep at night is critical for your health.
It is, in fact, just as important as eating well and exercising.
Unfortunately, there are numerous factors that can disrupt natural sleep patterns.
People are sleeping less than they used to, and the quality of their sleep has deteriorated.
Here are ten reasons why getting enough good sleep is essential.
1. Poor sleep is linked to higher body weight
Sleep deprivation is strongly linked to weight gain. People who sleep for a short period of time tend to weigh significantly more than those who get enough good sleep.
In fact, a lack of sleep is one of the most significant risk factors for obesity. Children and adults with short sleep duration were found to be 89 per cent and 55 per cent more likely to develop obesity, respectively, in one large review study.
Numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise, are thought to mediate the effect of sleep on weight gain.
Getting enough good sleep is critical if you’re trying to lose weight.
In both children and adults, a lack of sleep is linked to an increased risk of weight gain and obesity.
2. Good sleepers tend to eat fewer calories
Sleep-deprived people have a larger appetite and consume more calories, according to studies.
Sleep deprivation disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones, which is thought to contribute to poor appetite regulation.
This includes higher levels of ghrelin, the appetite-stimulating hormone, and lower levels of leptin, the appetite-suppressing hormone.
Hormones that govern hunger are affected by a lack of sleep. Those who get enough sleep consume fewer calories than those who do not.
3. Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity
Good sleep is essential for many aspects of brain function. Cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance are all included. Sleep deprivation has a negative impact on all of these.
A study of medical interns is an excellent example. Interns on a traditional schedule with more than 24 hours of work made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed for more sleep.
Another study discovered that lack of good sleep can have a similar negative impact on some aspects of brain function as alcohol intoxication.
Good sleep, on the other hand, has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and memory performance in both children and adults.
A night of good sleep can improve problem-solving abilities and memory. Sleep deprivation has been found to decrease brain function.
4. Good sleep can maximise athletic performance
It has been demonstrated that getting enough sleep improves athletic performance. Longer sleep was shown to improve speed, accuracy, reaction times, and mental well-being in a study of basketball players.
In older women, less sleep duration has also been linked to poor exercise performance and functional limitations. Poor sleep was linked to slower walking, lower grip strength, and greater difficulty performing independent activities in a study of over 2,800 women.
Sleeping for longer periods of time has been demonstrated to enhance several areas of athletic and physical performance.
5. Poor sleepers have a greater risk of heart disease and stroke
Sleep quality and duration can have a significant impact on a variety of health risk factors. These are the factors thought to be at the root of chronic diseases such as heart disease.
A meta-analysis of 15 studies found that people who don’t get enough sleep have a much higher risk of heart disease or stroke than those who get 7–8 hours of sleep per night.
Sleeping for fewer than 7–8 hours each night has been related to an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke.
6. Sleep affects glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes risk
Sleep deprivation has an effect on blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity in rats. In a study of healthy young men, limiting sleep to 4 hours per night for 6 nights in a row resulted in prediabetes symptoms.
After one week of increased sleep duration, these symptoms subsided. In the general population, poor sleep habits are also strongly linked to negative effects on blood sugar levels.
Sleeping less than 6 hours per night has been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
In healthy people, sleep deprivation can develop prediabetes in as little as 6 days. Many studies have found a substantial relationship between insufficient sleep and type 2 diabetes.
7. Poor sleep is linked to depression
Poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders are strongly linked to mental health issues such as depression. Sleep quality is said to be a problem for 90% of people who suffer from depression.
Sleep deprivation has even been linked to an increased risk of suicide. Those who suffer from sleeping disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea have significantly higher rates of depression than those who do not.
Poor sleeping habits are closely connected to depression, especially in individuals who suffer from a sleeping problem.
8. Sleep improves your immune function
Even minor sleep deprivation has been shown to impair immune function. One large two-week study tracked the progression of the common cold after giving people nasal drops containing the cold virus.
They discovered that those who slept for less than 7 hours were nearly three times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept for 8 hours or more. If you get colds frequently, getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night could be very beneficial. Eating more garlic can also help.
Getting as least 8 hours of sleep every night might boost your immune system and help you battle the common cold.
9. Poor sleep is linked to increased inflammation
Sleep can have a significant impact on inflammation in your body. In fact, sleep deprivation is known to activate inflammatory and cell-damaging markers. Sleep deprivation has been strongly linked to long-term inflammation of the digestive tract, as seen in inflammatory bowel disease.
According to one study, people with Crohn’s disease who were sleep-deprived were twice as likely to relapse as those who slept well. Sleep evaluation is even being recommended by researchers to help predict outcomes in people with long-term inflammatory issues.
Sleep has an impact on your body’s inflammatory reactions. Sleep deprivation has been related to inflammatory bowel disease and might raise your risk of illness recurrence.
10. Sleep affects emotions and social interactions
Sleep deprivation impairs your ability to interact socially. Several studies using emotional facial recognition tests confirmed this.
According to one study, people who hadn’t slept had a lower ability to recognise expressions of anger and happiness. Sleep deprivation, according to researchers, impairs your ability to recognise important social cues and process emotional information.
Sleep deprivation can impair your social skills as well as your capacity to perceive other people’s emotional expressions.
The Bottom Line
Good sleep, like nutrition and exercise, is one of the pillars of health. You simply cannot achieve optimal health if you do not prioritise your sleep.