As part of your health and fitness journey, you should be ensuring that you sleep well. Many people forget that getting a good nights’ sleep is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. Below are 7 reasons sleep is good for you.
One of the most important reasons sleep is good for you comes in the form of extra energy. Having enough energy for your day is crucial, especially when you are working out regularly. Your workouts will be much more beneficial if your body is well-rested. This is because while you sleep your body repairs the minor damages done during the day, allowing your muscles to feel rejuvenated. Additionally, when you have had a good nights’ sleep your coordination ability and speed is increased.
Getting a decent night's sleep can actually help in your weight loss journey. Those who are well rested often find they snack less. This is due to your body being able to regulate the leptin and ghrelin hormones in your brain, which are responsible for appetite. When these hormones are balanced, you may also find it easier to resist the temptation of unhealthy foods.
If you are running low on sleep, you likely find yourself struggling to focus. That’s because when you don’t get enough sleep your brain struggles with cognition, concentration and memory. Therefore, getting the recommended 7-8 hours sleep a night can greatly improve your concentration and productivity at work. Not to mention, your ability to recall previous information will be heightened when you are well-rested.
The quality and duration of sleep can have a huge impact on your health. Both lack of sleep and poor quality of sleep can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. By getting adequate sleep each night, your blood pressure is able to regulate, which not only helps with heart health but can also help reduce the chances of sleep apnea. Deep sleep can help to reduce the amount of glucose in your system, giving your blood sugar a reset and therefore lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Sleeping well can make a significant difference to your mood and emotions. As you sleep, your brain processes the emotions from the previous day. If sleep is cut short, you may wake up feeling anxious, stressed or sad. This is due to your brain not having the time to fully process and access. Additionally, when you are tired you may not have the mental capacity to process situations adequately, meaning you feel more stressed or anxious throughout the day. Studies show there is a link between sleep quality and depression. It is a bidirectional relationship, meaning that poor sleep can increase depression, while depression can also make it hard to sleep. However, having an evening routine to help you wind down before attempting to sleep can help you to fall asleep, and most importantly stay asleep.
A lack of sleep not only makes you feel sluggish but also affects your immune system. Having a lowered immune system increases your chance of getting sick. Your immune system helps reduce inflammation in your body while you are sleeping by releasing cytokine proteins. Ideally, 7-8 hours of sleep should give your immune system enough time to regulate your cytokine level and fight infections and inflammation.
Getting enough sleep helps your ability to interact socially. Poor sleep often affects the ability to recognize social and emotional cues, leading to the inability to connect with others. This can also cause loneliness as sleep-deprived people often avoid socializing with others.
Along with exercise and diet, sleep is an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle. If you have trouble sleeping, you may want to consider discussing medication or CBD oil with your doctor. They may prescribe medication or advise of an over-the-counter option from the pharmacy. Now, there are more reasons sleep is good for you than listed above. However, these are the top 7 effects of getting a good nights’ sleep and reasons sleep is good for you. Be aware that some of these benefits will not happen overnight, your body will react best to a regular sleep schedule.
