Quality rest: The power of good sleep

In addition to affecting every aspect of health, sleep quality is genuinely interdisciplinary.

In our modern society, sleep is not always viewed as a necessity. Nevertheless, getting enough good sleep is vital for everyone [1].

Advantages of sleeping well

Enhances your immunity

When you sleep enough, your immune cells and proteins get the rejuvenation they need to fight off diseases like colds and flu. Proper sleep can also increase the effectiveness of vaccines, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine [2].

Prevents weight gain

Sleeping eight hours won’t result in weight loss on its own, but it can prevent your body from gaining weight. A lack of sleep stimulates your body to produce ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite.

A hormone called leptin, which signals fullness to your body, is also decreased. When you mix them together, you’ve got one dangerous snacking combo.

Furthermore, when you don’t sleep enough, you get more stressed and lack the energy to resist junk food cravings. The mere thought of it seems exhausting, right?

Increases your heart’s strength

Not getting enough sleep can lead to heart health problems like high blood pressure and heart attacks. Sleep deprivation triggers the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that causes your heart to work harder. In addition to your immune system, your heart needs rest to function properly and powerfully.

Improves your mood

The old saying, “Getting up on the right side of the bed,” may hold some truth, although it doesn’t actually matter which side of the bed you roll out of, the sleeping itself can improve your mood.

Feeling rested is the result of a good night’s sleep. Your energy levels soar when you are well rested and life’s little challenges won’t bother you as much.

You are less angry when you are not annoyed. You’d be better off going to bed on time, and everyone around you will thank you for it.

Quality rest: The power of good sleep — Photograph: leszekglasner/Envato

Promotes productivity

Putting off a good night’s sleep could have an adverse effect on your work or school performance. Concentration and cognitive function can be improved through sleep, which can help you succeed at work.

However, one restless night can leave you frazzled, making it more possible that you’ll make mistakes that you can’t fix with coffee. The more fatigued you feel, the more likely you will reach for that afternoon cup of coffee.

You may feel better afterward, but the extra caffeine late in the day could lead to another sleepless night – talk about a counterproductive cycle!

Boosts exercise performance

A study was conducted on the effects of sleep deprivation on basketball players, and guess what they discovered? When they didn’t sleep well, they weren’t outstanding basketball players.

If you’re thinking, “Well, I’m only MVP in my dreams,” think again. Sleep affects all types of exercise performance.

Under-the-cover recovery helps with hand-eye coordination, reaction time and muscle recovery. Plus, depriving yourself of good sleep can harm strength and power.

Enhances memory

Although sleep gives your body a rest, your mind is still working hard. You are processing and consolidating your day’s memories.

Who knows where those memories go if you don’t get enough sleep? Or worse, your mind might create false recollections.

Overall, sleep is a good thing – and it’s necessary. Sleep medicine expert Roy Kohler, MD, of SCL Health in Montana, confirms what we already know: people who get less sleep tend to be heavier, eat more, have a higher BMI and are more likely to be diabetics.

Sleeping seven hours a night ensures that adults are able to function normally during the day, are alert, can concentrate and are less moody and tired. It is inevitable that your sleep patterns will fluctuate, but here’s to hoping this is enough to convince you that seven to eight hours of sleep will benefit your mind and body.

What is the recommended amount of sleep?

Depending on one’s age, sleep needs vary from person to person. People typically require less sleep as they age.

According to the CDCTrusted Source, the breakdown is as follows [3]:

Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
School-age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours

Sleep quality is also essential, as well as the number of hours. Poor sleep quality is characterized by:

Unexpectedly waking up in the middle of the night.
Still not feeling well-rested after an adequate number of hours of sleep.

Tips for improving sleep

Some things a person can do to enhance the quality of sleep are [4]:

Avoid sleeping in when you have had enough sleep.
Getting to bed around the same time each night.
Taking more time outside and being more active during the day.
Controlling stress through exercise, therapy, or other means.
Rest is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and wellbeing. It is necessary for the body to get enough sleep so that it can repair itself and be ready for another day of activity.

In addition to preventing excess weight gain, heart disease and increased illness duration, adequate rest may also improve health [5].

[1] https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2018/09/the-benefits-of-getting-a-full-night-sleep/
[2] https://aasm.org/healthy-sleep-and-immune-response-to-covid-19-vaccination/
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353#improving-sleep
[5] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353#healthy-heart