Why Sleep Is Essential for Your Health, and Well-Being

Why Sleep Is Essential for Your Health, and Well-Being

Getting enough sleep is essential for maintainingour optimal health and well-being. Our healthdepends on having a good night sleep it’s as vital as regular training and nutrition. With the raise in technology and spending time on social media way into the late hours of the morning we have drifted away from the necessity for getting adequate sleep.

Let’s look at many of the health benefits that we’re missing out on to getting a good night’s rest.

Improved Productivity & Concentration

In the early 2000s there were several studies that scientists performed on sleep deprivation.

What was concluded is that sleep has links to several brain functions, including:

• concentration
• productivity
• cognition

Risk of Gaining Weight

Several studies throughout the years have linked obesity and poor sleep patterns.A lack of sleep may affect our desire or ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it may or may not be a direct contributor to weight gain.

Enhanced Calorie Regulation

Comparable to gaining weight, there is evidence to suggest that getting a good night’s sleep can help us consume fewer calories during the day.When we dont get the adequate amount of sleep, it can interfere with our body’s ability to regulate our food correctly.

Better Athletic Performance

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adequate sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours a night. Sleep is as important to athletes as ourfood.One of the reasons for this requirement is that the body heals during sleep.

Other benefits include:

• better performance intensity
• more energy
• better coordination& balance
• faster speed
• better mental function

Lower Risk of Heart Disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), getting adequate sleep each night allows the body’s blood pressureto regulate itself.Doing so can reduce the chances of sleep-related conditions such as apnea and promote better overall heart health.

More Social & Emotional Intelligence

Insufficient sleep can adversely affect a variety of cognitive abilities, ranging from simple alertness to higher-order executive functions. Although the effects of sleep loss on mood and cognition are well documented, there have been no controlled studies examining its effects on perceived emotional intelligence (EQ) and constructive thinking, abilities that require the integration of affect and cognition and are central to adaptive functioning.

Preventing Depression

Depression and sleep are closely connected. Almost all of us with depression experience sleep issues. Keeping this in mind poor sleep can contribute to the development of depression and that having depression makes a person more likely to develop sleep issues. This relationship can make it challenging to know which came first, sleep issues or depression.

Stronger Immune System

The immune system is critical to overall health. It is fundamental to healing wounds, warding off infections, and protecting against chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Some research shows how better sleep quality can help the body fight off infection.