Why Is Sleep So Important?

Sleeping consists one third of our day so there must be a reason for it! It is what keeps us alive, what keeps us healthy and surviving! Think of it this way; when you sleep, your body repairs itself, it strengthens your bones, your skin, and re-enforces your cardiovascular, endocrine, immune and nervous system. The needed daily sleep time is estimated between 7-8 hours so we will be listing some of the most important benefits of that precious time.

1)      Enhances Learning And Memory

When you sleep, then wake up and study, your brain is rested which means that it is ready to absorb any given information and stimulus like a sponge. After many ours of studying on the other hand, you need a good night sleep to allow your brain to “digest” all the information and for your memory to process it in the most effective way. That is why pulling an all-nighter is a bad idea! According to studies it decreases response time to 50%.

2)      Increases Creativity

Sleeping 7-9 hours daily and regularly has been proven to increase creative thinking. It is no coincidence that some of the greater minds, like Thomas Edison, came up with their greatest ideas after waking up or after dreaming.

3)      Benefits Your Health And Increases Life Expectancy

The “Whitehall II Study” conducted by British researchers indicated that sleep deprivation over an extended amount of time doubles the risk of death from a cardiovascular disease. It is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s and cancer, both of which threaten life expectancy. Additionally, imbalanced sleeping affects the way the body metabolizes sugars which could potentially lead to diabetes.

What is very interesting is that sleeping is vital in maintaining one’s weight. Leptin, which is the hormone that makes you full and regulates fat storage decreases when the individual is experiencing sleep deprivation. On the contrary, ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates hunger rises, leading to increased appetite. That’s why a good night rest is vital for your overall health and longevity.

4)      Increases Productivity

A 2017 Harvard study observed students for a month and after comparing their sleeping patterns concluded that the ones who got adequate and regular sleep had better GPA’s than the ones who didn’t. Seven to eight hours of sleep make people more productive, motivated, focused, energetic and better at time management. RAND Corporation suggested that sleep deprivation costs the U.S. economy 411 billion a year and one million lost work days. In a larger scale, it has costed nations around the world about 2 % of their GDP.

So keep your sleeping hours in check and have a great week!