Adults need at least seven to nine hours of quality of sleep every night. Quality means continuous and restful sleep, in contrast to intermittent sleep of the same amount. Getting any less sleep just for one night can affect you the next day, causing tiredness and fatigue. An occasional lapse like this shouldn’t be worrisome, but if it becomes chronic, this might increase the risk of diseases.
From a health standpoint, here are the top reasons why you need quality time between the sheets.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), getting adequate rest each night allows the body’s blood pressure to regulate itself.
A review of 15 studies found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep seven to eight hours per night.
Thought our bodies shut down when we sleep? Not at all. When we sleep, our bodies perform essential tasks to “clean up” our system. Many biological processes happen. The brain stores news information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganize, supporting healthy brain functions. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins.
According to Sleep Foundation, sleep allows the brain and body to slow down and engage in processes of recovery, promoting better physical and mental performance the next day and over the long-term.
Having no sleep or inadequate sleep is a bane for working adults. You feel tired, groggy, and unable to concentrate. Even drinking inane amounts of coffee wouldn’t help, leaving you feeling nervous and fidgety instead.
When we sleep, the brain undergoes a “detox”. At night, the brain processes what happened during the day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. It also clears waste from the brain, kind of like the auto cleanup in our gadgets, making space for new data and information for the next day.
That’s why when don’t get enough sleep, we deal with a temporary brain fog that affects our memory and concentration.
Sleep is good for the immune system
But sleep isn’t just essential for the brain. “Sleep affects almost every tissue in our bodies,” says Dr. Michael Twery, a sleep expert at NIH (News in Health). “It affects growth and stress hormones, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health, and the immune system.”
Sleep deprivation is bad for the immune system. When we sleep, T cells in our bodies fight off infections. T cells, according to Stoyan Dimitrov, a researcher at the University of Tubingen (source: Healthline), are a type of immune cells that fight against intracellular pathogens, such as virus-infected cells like flu, HIV, herpes, and cancer cells.
When we skip sleep, we don’t allow our immune cells to perform optimal work. Our bodies are not only tired, they’re also weak and prone to infections. If you want to protect yourself from COVID-19, getting adequate sleep is essential.
Good for weight and calorie management
Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain. Researchers have found that people who sleep fewer hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese.
According to research, sleep deprivation causes ghrelin and leptin, hormones which regulate appetite, to go haywire. Ghrelin increases appetite, while leptin increases the feeling of being full after eating.
During sleep, ghrelin decreases because you’re using less energy than when you’re awake. Lack of sleep therefore elevates ghrelin and suppresses leptin. This imbalance makes you hungrier, causing you to eat more calories than your body needs.
Conclusion
Sleep is vital, yet it’s often neglected in this modern world with its hustle and bustle. But sleeping is as necessary as breathing and eating. It is essential in maintaining good physical and mental health. Lack of sleep can lead to a web of health problems, not to mention reduced productivity at work and at home.
If you haven’t been getting enough sleep, determine the underlying causes of your sleep problem, and take steps to get quality shuteye every night.
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