By: Svetlana Pasarić |
Quality sleep protects against stress, strengthens the immune system and stimulates creativity |
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We all know that we function much better throughout the day if we had a good night's sleep.
Not only that - good and regular sleep has an incredible positive impact on our health.
On the other hand, lack of sleep increases our risk of developing many diseases.
Which aspects of our lives sleep affects
Stress
If our body is not getting good and regular sleep, it raises an alarm, which is followed by the rise in blood pressure and an increased production of the stress hormone - cortisol. A high blood pressure increases the risk of a range of diseases.
Cortisol also has many adverse effects on the body, associated with depression, osteoporosis, metabolic disorders, etc.. On the other hand, quality sleep allows you to deal more easily with stressful situations during the day.
Weight Loss
It was confirmed that people who sleep less than 7 hours have an increased risk of obesity. In addition, sleep deprivation negatively impacts the balance of hormones that control appetite.
Productivity and attention
Good sleep improves attention, fills you with energy and has a positive impact on our productivity during the day. Quality sleep helps us to be safe and careful. Hundreds of people are killed in traffic accidents every day because of the lack of sleep.
Memory
Memory management happens during a night's sleep, when the body processes information from the previous day and connects events, sensory experiences and feelings. Lack of sleep can lead to memory loss.
Depression
Lack of sleep is directly related to low levels of serotonin in the brain. It is known that people with a lack of serotonin have a higher risk of depression. The night's sleep plays an important role in the functioning of our brain and directly affects mood.
Immunity
Lack of sleep can literally make us sick because our immune system becomes weakened and cannot effectively fight viruses and bacteria.
Regular sleep not only helps a faster recovery from illness, but also protects us from getting sick! It is known that our immune system works best during a night of sleep.
Beauty
The term "beauty sleep" makes perfect sense, because while we sleep our body regenerates and recovers. This process involves the renewal of skin cells and muscle tissue. Lack of sleep accelerates the aging process, causing the skin to lose its firmness and elasticity, the formation wrinkles and dark circles around eyes.
Heart health
Lack of sleep is associated with an increased blood pressure and cholesterol, which are major factors in heart disease, stroke and many other diseases.
Prevention of diabetes
People, otherwise fit and healthy, developed temporary insulin resistance (a symptom that is associated with type 2 diabetes) after not getting a good night's sleep for a few nights! This shows that regular and quality sleep protects us against diabetes.
Intellectual power
Regular sleep helps the brain process information quickly and well, allowing you to easily understand new concepts. A good night's rest enables a greater intellectual power during the day. Our concentration improves and we learn more easily.
Coordination
If you are involved in sports or other activities that require good coordination, quality sleep will help you to be in the best shape. Sleep also affects muscle building and endurance.
Creativity
Many artists and scientists have come up with brilliant discoveries while they were asleep or just after waking up from a deep sleep. Not only that - many experiments have shown that sleep is crucial for creative problem solving.
Longevity
Studies have shown that people who have regular good night's sleep live longer - possibly because of the health benefits listed above.
How much sleep do we need?
Every person is unique. Therefore, the need for sleep can vary from person to person.
While someone will feel rested after 6-7 hours of sleep, others will need to 8 or 9 hours to get the same feeling.
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