Here's why you need enough sleep
Many of us are not getting the sleep we need. It is recommended that the average adult gets between seven and nine hours of sleep per night in order to be fully rested and functional the next day. With long work hours that lead to a lack of social time, or just time alone, more and more of us are drifting away from our required amount of sleep and closer to the four-hour mark. The thing is, you need to get enough sleep, and here are the reasons why – as well as what a lack of sleep can do to you.
The Importance of Getting Enough Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is excellent for your mental and physical health. Sleep helps the healing and repair of heart muscles and blood vessels, as well as maintaining a healthy balance of hormones to keep your hunger levels at bay and also ensure general stability. It helps to maintain your immune system and even ensures that your blood sugar levels stay stable. It can even help to lessen the symptoms of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
Getting enough sleep is important for your emotional wellbeing as well. It leaves you feeling more balanced emotionally, which also makes you less prone to things like mood swings and general sadness. It also helps to improve concentration because you are well rested which, in turn, leads to boosted levels of productivity. So, you are likely to perform better at work or school if you are getting enough sleep.
Getting a good night’s sleep can also help and encourage muscle growth in your body. Sleeping for around eight hours is like fasting for your muscles, and this is catabolic to them, encouraging them to grow, alongside the release of hormones, so that you can make them stronger.
How a Lack of Sleep Can Affect You
One of the biggest things a lack of sleep can cause is the prevention of the immune system from building itself up to fight disease. If your immune system is not given a chance to recover and strengthen itself, you could end up getting sick more often and become more susceptible to common viruses.
A lack of sleep has also been linked to impaired memory and concentration levels. While the impaired memory starts off as a short-term thing, if sleep deprivation continues it can become permanent and result in permanent damage to your memory and ability to retain information.
Interestingly, not getting enough sleep can also cause you to put weight on. People who are deprived of sleep do not produce enough leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full, and so are inclined to eat more. They have a much higher chance of obesity as a result.
It can have a very negative effect on your mood, causing outbursts of rage and anger, as well as general periods of being emotional. For those with anxiety and depression, these conditions can become much worse for the person to deal with when they aren’t sleeping enough.
In conclusion, sleep is a vital part of our lives, and it is something that we all need to get the right amount of. Eight hours is the average amount of time a person needs to sleep each night, and while some may need a little more or less, it is important that you find the right time frame for you. With so many benefits to getting enough sleep, and some pretty awful effects of suffering from sleep deprivation, it’s time you found your ideal sleep routine.