Here are Some of the Benefits of Getting Quality Sleep

We all experience the occasional night’s broken sleep, perhaps because of stress or drinking too much coffee, but we usually make up for lost sleep the following night. It is a different story if you find you are counting sheep night after night and start to feel the effects of sleep deprivation. Sleepless nights are no joke, and sleep deprivation can affect your general health. As a guide, most adults need between seven and nine high-quality hours of sleep every night.

Read on to discover some of the benefits of getting a restful night’s sleep and what can happen if you continually fail to get enough sleep.

1. Lose or Maintain Your Weight

Many studies have associated getting fewer than seven hours of sleep a night with a higher body mass index and an increased risk of gaining weight. It is thought to be linked to hormonal changes as a lack of sleep increases the production of ghrelin, a hormone that increases feelings of hunger, while decreasing leptin levels, a hormone that helps us to feel full. Insufficient sleep can lead to a dip in energy levels, so you crave higher fat or sugary foods for a quick boost. When you feel tired, it can be harder to motivate yourself to exercise.

2. Improve Your Productivity and Concentration

Good quality sleep is essential for proper brain function. It can help enhance your memory and problem-solving skills. Children, adolescents and young adults find studying easier, improving their academic performance.

3. Improve Your Athletic Performance

When you are well-rested, studies have shown your fine motor skills, muscular endurance, and power can increase, helping you take your athletic performance to the next level. In contrast, if you are tired, you are more at risk of injuring yourself.

4. Protecting Your Heart Function

Inadequate sleep could increase your risk of developing heart disease. Researchers analysed nineteen studies and determined that less than seven hours of sleep a night could increase the risk of heart disease by 13%. A lack of sleep also increases the risk of other problems such as high blood pressure, especially in people with obstructive sleep apnoea. This condition frequently interrupts breathing and disturbs sleep. However, when it comes to heart disease and high blood pressure, getting more than nine hours sleep every night can also increase the risk of developing these health problems.

5. Maintaining Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

People who don’t get enough sleep can have a greater risk of developing Type II diabetes, where the body cannot utilise insulin properly, resulting in insulin resistance. It is thought that this is due to the physiological changes caused by sleep deprivation, including increased inflammation, hormonal changes and potentially a greater food consumption of unhealthy, fat-laden or sugary foods, which can lead to insulin resistance. Additionally, a lack of sleep can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that include heart disease, Type II diabetes, and stroke.

6. A Lower Risk of Depression

Mental health issues, including depression, are linked with poor quality sleep. One study discovered that people with depression and anxiety were more likely to have worse quality sleep compared to those without depression.

7. A Healthier Immune System

When you don’t get enough sleep, it can impair your immune system, so you are less able to fight infections like colds and flu. One study discovered that people who had less than five hours of sleep each night were more than four and a half times more likely to catch a cold than those who had more than seven hours. There is also some evidence that getting enough sleep can improve your body’s antibody response to flu and possibly COVID19 vaccines, although more research is needed.

8. A Lower Risk of Inflammation

Sleep is essential for helping regulate the central nervous system, especially the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the stress-response system. A lack of sleep can lead to higher levels of inflammation and the production of inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Increasingly, chronic inflammation in the body is linked with serious chronic health conditions that include Alzheimer’s disease, some cancers, heart disease, depression, obesity and Type II diabetes.

9. Balancing Your Emotions

When you are sleep deprived, it is harder to balance your emotions and hold them in check when you interact with others. People suffering from a lack of sleep can find it harder to control emotional outbursts, show empathy to others and respond to social situations appropriately. Also, people who continually feel tired are more likely to become socially isolated and can experience loneliness. When this is a problem, it is a good idea to ensure a good night’s sleep becomes a priority, so it is easier to be more social and improve relationships with others.

Sleep Deprivation Can Be Dangerous

It is important to recognise that a lack of sleep can become dangerous for those who feel excessively tired and those around them. When you are tired, focusing properly on important tasks is harder, and your reflexes are affected, so reaction times are slower. Sleep deprivation has been compared to drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) discovered that one in twenty-five people had fallen asleep while driving. Those most likely to fall asleep reported having less than six hours of sleep per night. The risk of an accident increases with each hour of lost sleep. The CDC also discovered that staying awake for more than eighteen hours is comparable with a blood alcohol limit of 0.05%, increasing to 1% after staying awake for twenty-four hours, which is well over the legal driving limit.

Next time you are tempted to binge-watch that series on Netflix, or have that extra cup of coffee late at night, pause for a moment and think how great you will feel in the morning if you resist. Instead, you could wake up well-rested, alert and ready to enjoy the day ahead.