What’s So Important About a Full Night’s Sleep?
You’ve heard for years that you should aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. But why? What does shutting off your Netflix binge for some shuteye really do for you? Let’s find out:
1. Boost Your Immune System
When your body gets the sleep it needs, your immune system gets the rest it needs to fight off whatever comes its way — like colds or the flu. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that proper sleep can also make vaccines more effective too.
2. More Sleep, Less Weight Gain
While ensuring you get those 7-8 hours won’t instantly result in you dropping pounds, it does help you prevent weight gain. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces ghrelin, an appetite-boosting hormone while decreasing the production of leptin, the hormone that signals to your brain that you’re full. With these hormones out of whack, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of mindless eating and junk food cravings, which can lead to weight gain.
3. Improve Your Heart Health
Not getting enough sleep can lead to heart health problems like high blood pressure or heart attacks. That’s because lack of sleep can cause your body to release cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers your heart to work harder. Just like your immune system, your heart needs rest in order to function powerfully and properly.
4. Better Sleep = Better Mood
If you want to “get up on the right side of the bed” everyday, it starts with getting adequate rest. Why? When you get enough sleep, you wake up feeling rested, which allows your energy levels to increase. When you have energy, little challenges won’t annoy you, which leaves you in a happier mood!
5. Increase Productivity
You might think it’s better to stay up late finishing a project or task, but by putting off a good night’s rest can actually have an adverse effect on your work ethic. Sleep has been linked to improved concentration and higher cognitive function. One restless night can leave you discombobulated, making it more likely that you’ll make mistakes coffee can’t fix. Speaking of coffee, reaching for that afternoon cup of coffee to prevent your crash could set you up for another sleepless night due to extra caffeine.
6. Lack of Sleep Can Be Dangerous. Literally.
According to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, you’re twice as likely to get in a car accident when you’re cruising on six to seven hours of sleep compared to if you get a full eight hours. Sleep less than five hours and your chances of a crash quadruple! That’s because your reaction time slows way down when your brain isn’t fully rested.
7. Improves Memory
Even though sleep gives your body the rest it needs, your mind is still hard at work. It’s actually processing and consolidating your memories from the day. If you don’t get enough sleep, who knows where those memories go.
The bottom line: Adequate sleep is necessary. Dr. Roy Kohler, a sleep medicine specialist at SCL Health in Montana conducted a study that determined people who get less sleep tend to be heavier, eat more, have a higher BMI, and are more likely to be diabetic.
While there will certainly be nights where you can’t get a full 7-8 hours, I hope this is enough evidence to convince you to aim for a full night’s sleep as often as possible so your mind and body can fully reap all the benefits.