It is critical to have a decent night’s sleep for your health. It is just as vital as eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet and getting enough exercise.
Though individual sleep requirements differ, most adults require between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can jeopardize your health and safety, so it is critical to prioritize and safeguard your sleep on a regular basis.
1. It may Assist you in Maintaining or Losing Weight
Short sleep, defined as sleeping less than 7 hours per night, has been linked to a higher risk of weight gain and a higher body mass index (BMI) in numerous studies.
In fact, a study published in 2020 indicated that persons who slept less than 7 hours each night had a 41% higher risk of becoming obese. Meanwhile, sleeping for extended periods of time did not raise the risk.
Numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise, are thought to influence the effect of sleep on weight gain. Sleep deprivation, for example, raises ghrelin levels while lowering leptin levels. Ghrelin is a hunger hormone, but leptin makes us feel satisfied. This may make us feel hungrier and lead to overeating.
Various studies have revealed that those who are sleep deprived have a larger appetite and consume more calories. Furthermore, sleep loss may cause you to seek foods that are richer in sugar and fat, due to their greater calorie content, to compensate for a lack of energy.
RELATED: The Relationship Between Sleep and Weight
2. It has the Potential to Enhance your Heart
Sleep deprivation, both in terms of quality and quantity, has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. A meta-analysis of 19 research indicated that sleeping less than 7 hours per day raised the risk of dying from heart disease by 13%.
Another study indicated that each 1-hour drop in sleep was related with a 6% greater risk of all-cause mortality and heart disease when compared to 7 hours of sleep. Furthermore, short sleep appears to raise the risk of high blood pressure, particularly in people who have obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing is interrupted while sleeping.
3. It can Help you Focus and be more Productive
Sleep is necessary for a variety of brain functions. Sleep deprivation has a detrimental impact on cognition, focus, productivity, and performance .
A research on overworked physicians serves as an excellent illustration. Doctors with moderate, high, and very high sleep-related impairment were shown to be 54 percent, 96 percent, and 97 percent more likely to report clinically significant medical errors, respectively .
Similarly, obtaining adequate sleep can help children, adolescents, and young adults perform better in school. Finally, both children and adults have been proven to benefit from enough sleep in terms of problem-solving abilities and memory capacity.
4. Sleep Deprivation has been connected to Depression
Poor sleep quality and sleeping problems are closely linked to mental health issues such as depression. In one study of 2,672 people, those with anxiety and depression were more likely to have poor sleep scores than those who did not have anxiety or depression.
People with sleeping disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea have been shown in other research to have higher rates of depression than those who do not.
It is critical to discuss with your healthcare provider if you’re having difficulties sleeping and your mental health is deteriorating.
Read about Sleep Deprivation & Contagious Loneliness
5. Has the Ability to Improve Athletic Performance
It has been proven that getting enough sleep improves athletic performance. Getting enough sleep has been demonstrated in numerous studies to improve fine motor skills, reaction time, muscular power, muscular endurance, and problem-solving abilities.
Furthermore, not getting enough sleep might raise your risk of injury and decrease your motivation to exercise. As a result, obtaining adequate sleep may be just what you need to boost your performance.
6. It has an Impact on Sugar Metabolism and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Short sleep is linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, which occurs when your body can’t properly utilize the hormone insulin. In fact, a study of 36 research involving over 1 million people indicated that getting less than 5 hours of sleep and getting less than 6 hours of sleep raised the risk of type 2 diabetes by 48 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
Sleep deprivation is known to cause physiological changes such as lower insulin sensitivity, increased inflammation, and changes in hunger hormones, as well as behavioral changes such as poor decision-making and increased food consumption, all of which raise the risk of diabetes.
Also, sleep deprivation is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome. These factors also increase your risk of diabetes.
7. Aids in the maintenance of a Healthy Immune System
Immune function has been found to be harmed by a lack of sleep. Participants in one study who slept less than 5 hours per night were 4.5 times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept more than 7 hours. 5.24 times more likely were those who slept 5–6 hours.
According to some evidence, getting enough sleep can help your body’s antibody responses to influenza vaccines. Preliminary research suggests that obtaining enough sleep before and after a COVID-19 vaccination may boost vaccine effectiveness. More research is still needed to fully comprehend this probable link.
8. Inflammation is connected to a lack of sleep
Inflammation in the body can be exacerbated by a lack of sleep. Sleep is essential for the proper functioning of our central nervous system. It’s implicated in the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which are both stress-response systems.
Sleep deprivation, particularly disturbed sleep, has been shown to activate inflammatory signaling pathways and increase levels of inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.
Obesity, heart disease, some types of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and type 2 diabetes are just a few of the chronic illnesses that can arise as a result of chronic inflammation.
9. It has an impact on Emotions and Social Interactions
Sleep deprivation impairs your capacity to control emotions and interact socially. We have a tougher difficulty managing our emotional outbursts and behaviors in front of others when we’re weary. Weakness in our ability to respond to humor and demonstrate empathy may also be a result of exhaustion.
Additionally, persons who are sleep deprived on a regular basis are more likely to withdraw from social gatherings and experience loneliness. Prioritizing sleep could help you strengthen your interpersonal interactions and become more social. If you’re experiencing feelings of loneliness or emotional outbursts, don’t be reluctant to seek help from a friend, family member, or healthcare professional.
Suggestions to a Better Sleep
Decent sleep habits (also known as “sleep hygiene”) can aid in getting a good night’s sleep.
Some habits that can help you sleep better include:
- Consistency is key. Every night and every morning, including weekends, go to bed and wake up at the same hour.
- Ascertain that your bedroom is calm, dark, soothing, and at a pleasant temperature.
- Remove all electrical devices from the bedroom, including televisions, computers, and smartphones.
- Before going to bed, avoid large meals, coffee, and alcohol.
- Make an effort to exercise. Physical activity during the day can make it easier to fall asleep at night.