Tiredness a is part of life for many of us. Children, work, unexpected surprises and circumstances as well as unwanted stress and anxiety can all rob us of one of the most important things we need in our lives: sleep.
Sleep has more benefits than you may realize, so before you binge watch a new series on Netflix tonight, remember that sleep can benefit you more and in many ways.
Here are five benefits of sleep.
1. Sleep Boosts Your Memory
Getting adequate amounts of sleep each night helps improve memory. According to Dr. Rapoport, a professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, people receive information better and faster after receiving the amount of sleep one needs.
Performance increases with proper sleep, so if you’re trying to complete an assignment or learn something new, getting some shut-eye will help your brain retain and process the information easier.
2. Sleep Promotes Positivity
Sleep can help you see that the glass is half full. Many of us get the grumpies without enough sleep because the lack of rest affects our outlook and our mood.
During the phases of rest at night, both our minds and our bodies recuperate and can relax without stress or activity. Getting sleep at night, and good, restful sleep improves our outlook on life and increases our positivity because we feel refreshed.
Dr. Rapoport also mentions that not only does it improve our outlook, but it also gives us more energy throughout the day for both mind and body. Studies show that people who receive anywhere from 7 to 9 hours of rest every night are also less likely to develop depression.
3. Sleep Helps You to Relax and Rejuvenate
Rest also helps us be calmer, which many of us need after a hard day. During an evening’s rest, our heart rates stabilize, and our blood pressure drops as our body relaxes and focuses on system recovery.
Lack of sleep doesn’t allow our heart to take a much-needed break which can lead to complications such as diabetes, inflammation, and heart disease. During this nightly rest, our bodies produce white blood cells because the body has time to recuperate and do a system check and repair. Give your heart a break tonight and let it relax too.
4. Sleep Reduces Anxiety
Feeling stressed? You need more sleep! Sleep helps lower anxiety and stress levels which feed off each other.
Dr. Jean states that our health and lack of sleep accompany each other. Resting your mind can ease the stress and lower anxiety levels, and in the morning, many of us are aware of a noticeable difference in both anxiety and stress because resting is the ultimate cure for both.
5. Sleep Unclutters the Mind
Sleep can also help us relax by removing unnecessary data from our busy minds. During the day, our brains work full-tilt acquiring and sorting new or existing data. At night, our brains take a break and during the resting process, removes all unnecessary or useless data you do not need to remember for tomorrow.
This helps clear space in our minds during a sort of “uncluttering” process. Resting our minds at night also helps with prioritization, so you don’t choose what’s for lunch over finishing an important assignment the next day.
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Sleep has a slew of other benefits including making a tough decision easier to make, increasing our energy levels, which most of us need, and even plays a role in decreasing appetite which can benefit both your metabolism and weight. It also makes under-eye puffiness vanish while improving our mood. Doctors around the globe encourage getting 7 to 9 hours a night to see the ultimate benefits.
Would you like to be smarter, pleasant, energized and healthy? The answer to all of these is one thing: sleep. We are busy creatures jetting from chore to chore, from work to home, or to after school activities and much more in our busy schedules.
Our bodies and minds need a break, and they receive this rest during our time in our cozy beds at night. Skimping on sleep can negatively affect your health, your heart, and your mood, causing fatigue and reducing our awareness and creativity levels.
For less stress and a happier and healthier you, don’t skip out on some precious sleep time tonight.
– About the Writer –
Sarah is the Editor of Sleepy Deep. Feeling the repercussions of being an irregular sleeper for too long, she decided to do something about it. She learned why sleep is so important, how to maximize it, and now helps others who are struggling to find their right sleep routine.
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Hi good morning all I’m grateful for dis tips please I want ask, how many hours do someone need for sleeping
Hi Bariture,
As mentioned in the article, you should have at least six hours of sleep.
Thanks Sarah. Full agree on all of these points. Great sleep can solve a lot of issues in people’s lives. People just don’t realize how important sleep is and what the health consequences are of not getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis… -Nicky