It's crucial that you prioritize and safeguard your sleep on a daily
basis because sleeping for less than seven hours each night can jeopardize your
health and safety.
Your health depends heavily on getting a good night's sleep. In
actuality, it's equally essential to both a healthy diet and exercise.
Even though everyone's needs are different, most adults need between 7
and 9 hours of sleep every night. However, up to 35% of American adults report
not getting enough sleep.
You can read this article for nine reasons why you should sleep more.
Here are Reasons Why you Should Get More Sleep
1. Help you keep off or shed pounds
Numerous studies have linked short sleep, which is defined as sleeping
less than 7 hours per night, to an increased risk of weight gain and a higher
body mass index (BMI). According to a 2023 analysis, adults who slept for fewer
than 7 hours a night had a staggering 41 percent higher risk of becoming obese.
Lengthier naps did not raise the risk, though. Numerous elements, including
hormones and exercise motivation, are thought to have an impact on the
relationship between sleep and weight gain.
For instance, lack of sleep causes ghrelin levels to rise while leptin
levels fall. Leptin and ghrelin are the two hormones that affect our feelings
of fullness and hunger, respectively.
We might overeat as a result of this feeling of increased hunger. Numerous
studies have demonstrated that people who lack sleep have a greater appetite
and a propensity to consume more calories.
In addition, a lack of sleep can make you crave foods that are higher in
sugar and fat because they have more calories, which can help you make up for a
lack of energy.
The fact that you might not feel motivated to work out in the gym, go for
a walk, or engage in any other physical activity you enjoy makes matters worse.
So, putting sleep first may help maintain a healthy body weight.
A shorter sleep duration is linked to a higher risk of obesity and weight
gain. Sleep deprivation may make you hungrier and make you consume more
calories. You're particularly more likely to consume foods that are high in
sugar and fat.
2. Can increase productivity and focus
Many aspects of brain function depend on sleep. Lack of sleep has a negative impact on cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance. A specific study on overworked doctors gives a good example. Clinically significant medical errors were found to be reported by doctors with moderate, high, and very high levels of sleep-related impairment 54%, 96%, and 97% more frequently, respectively. Similar to this, children, adolescents, and young adults with poor sleep quality may struggle in school.
Finally, it has been demonstrated that both children and adults who get enough sleep have improved problem-solving abilities and memory performance. The ability to solve problems and improve memory can both benefit from adequate sleep. Poor sleep, on the other hand, has been linked to impaired cognition and judgment.
3. Increases athletic performance
It has been demonstrated that sleep improves athletic performance. Numerous
studies have demonstrated that getting enough sleep can improve problem-solving
abilities, reaction time, muscle power, and fine motor skills. Additionally,
getting insufficient sleep may make you more vulnerable to accidents and less
inclined to exercise.
Therefore, getting enough sleep might be what you need to improve your performance. It has been demonstrated that getting enough sleep enhances a variety of physical and athletic performance factors.
4. May improve your heart
Heart disease risk may be impacted by the quantity and quality of your sleep. Sleeping for less than 7 hours a day increased the risk of dying from heart disease by 13%, according to one analysis of 19 studies. Another study discovered that, in comparison to 7 hours of sleep, each hour less was linked to a 6 percent higher risk of heart disease and all-cause mortality.
Additionally, a lack of sleep may raise the risk of high blood pressure,
particularly in people who have obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that
causes breathing to stop while you sleep.
In fact, a study found that people with a sleep duration of 5 hours or
less per night had a 61 percent higher risk of developing high blood pressure
than those with a sleep duration of 7 hours or more.
Unexpectedly, it has been demonstrated that adults who sleep
excessively—more than 9 hours—have a higher risk of developing high blood
pressure and heart disease.
A greater risk of heart disease and high blood pressure is associated
with sleeping less than seven hours per night.
5. Has an impact on sugar metabolism and type 2 diabetes risk
Short sleep is linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and insulin
resistance, which is when your body has trouble utilizing the hormone insulin. In fact, a review of 36 studies involving
over 1 million participants found that getting less than 5 hours of sleep or
less than 6 hours of sleep each night increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by
48 and 18 percent, respectively.
It is believed that lack of sleep increases the risk of developing
diabetes by causing behavioral changes such as making poor decisions and eating
more food, as well as physiological changes such as decreased insulin
sensitivity, increased inflammation, and changes in hunger hormones.
A higher risk of obesity, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome is also
linked to sleep deprivation. These elements also raise your risk of developing
diabetes. The risk of type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to chronic sleep
deprivation, according to numerous studies.
6. Depression and poor sleep quality are related
Poor sleep and sleeping disorders are closely associated with mental
health issues like depression. According to a study with 2,672 participants,
people with anxiety and depression were more likely to report having poorer
sleep quality than people without these conditions.
In other studies, those with sleeping problems like insomnia or
obstructive sleep apnea also report having higher rates of depression than
those without.
It's crucial to consult your healthcare provider if you're having trouble
sleeping and you notice your mental health has declined. Particularly for those
who have a sleeping disorder, a lack of quality sleep is strongly associated
with depression.
7. Helps maintain a strong immune system
Immune system function has been shown to be compromised by sleep deprivation. In one study, participants who slept less than 5 hours a night had a 4:5 higher risk of getting a cold than those who slept more than 7 hours. 5-6 hours of sleepers had a 4 point 24 times higher likelihood.
The body's immune system responses to influenza vaccines may also be
enhanced by getting enough sleep, according to some data.
According to recent preliminary data, getting enough sleep before and
after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination may increase the vaccine's effectiveness.
However, more study is required to fully comprehend this potential connection.
Your immune system can function better and you can fight the common cold
by getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Further study is required, but
it might also increase the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.
8. Increased inflammation has been linked to poor sleep
Inflammation in the body can be significantly impacted by inadequate
sleep. Our central nervous system's regulation relies heavily on sleep. The
sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis,
two stress-response systems, are particularly affected by it.
Sleep loss, particularly from sleep disruption, is known to activate
inflammatory signaling pathways and increase levels of unfavorable markers of
inflammation like interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein.
Numerous chronic conditions, including obesity, heart disease, certain
types of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, depression, and type 2 diabetes, can
develop over time as a result of chronic inflammation.
Inflammation levels are associated with disturbed sleep. Your risk of
acquiring chronic illnesses like heart disease, depression, and Alzheimer's
disease can rise as a result over time.
9. Social interactions and emotions are affected
Losing sleep makes it harder to control your emotions and interact with
others. We struggle more when we're exhausted to control our actions and
emotional outbursts in public. Our capacity to respond to humor and demonstrate
empathy may be impacted by fatigue.
Additionally, people who consistently lack sleep are more likely to
withdraw from social interactions and feel lonely. Making sleep a top priority
could be a crucial step toward enhancing social skills and interpersonal
relationships.
Never be afraid to ask a friend, family member, or healthcare provider
for support if you experience loneliness or emotional outbursts. View the
resources on this list to learn more. Your social skills and capacity for
emotion processing may suffer from sleep deprivation.
10. Sleep deprivation can be harmful
Lack of sleep can be harmful to both the individual and others.
Our ability to concentrate on tasks, our reflexes, and our reaction times
all suffer when we are tired. In fact, having a severe lack of sleep is similar
to drinking too much alcohol.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 25
people have fallen asleep while operating a vehicle. The likelihood of falling
asleep behind the wheel increased with less than six hours of sleep.
According to a 2018 study, those who slept for 6, 5, 4, or less than 4
hours had risk of causing a car accident that was 1.3, 1.9, 2.9, and 15.1 times
higher, respectively. According to this study, every hour you lose sleep raises
your risk of being in a car accident.
Furthermore, according to the CDC, staying awake for longer than 18 hours
is equivalent to having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of zero-point five
percent. This rises to 1.00 percent after 24 hours, which is higher than the
permitted driving limit.
Lack of sleep may increase the risk of workplace injuries and mistakes in
addition to the risks associated with driving. The safety of everyone depends
on getting enough sleep.
Your risk of being hurt at work or in a car accident rises when you
experience severe sleep deprivation. Your capacity to make important decisions
may be seriously impacted.
Final thought
Maintaining good sleep hygiene is one of the cornerstones of health,
along with proper nutrition and exercise. Negative health effects of sleep
deprivation include an increased risk of heart disease, depression, weight
gain, inflammation, and illness.
The majority of research indicates that for optimum health, you should
get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night, though individual needs vary. It's
time to give sleep the consideration it deserves, just as you would your diet
and exercise regimen.
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