Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep

It’s a universally acknowledged fact that sleeping is good for you. Even without knowing its health benefits or what harm a lack of proper sleep can do, we all know that if we don’t get enough sleep, we feel terrible. We’re cranky, and there are those ugly dark circles under our eyes and if it’s been too long since we had a good night’s sleep, we even start getting sick. It is often something that we ignore when there’s work to do or when there’s an addictive TV series we have to binge-watch. We all have read or heard somewhere that our body needs at least eight hours of sleep every night, but it’s advice we mostly ignore, ditching sleep in favor of something or the other. In reality, sleep should take priority, but no one knows what exactly are its benefits. So here are some of the major ones.

Improved Memory

Our brain is surprisingly active when we’re asleep, although our body is getting the rest it needs. No one knows how it happens, but scientists have theorized that the brain is busy organising and storing your memories when you’re off in Dreamland. Whether you’re trying to learn a new language or trying to remember whose birthday it is, a good night’s sleep has been known to help. It’s also been observed that lack of sleep can result in lower concentration levels, memory problems and slower mental processing. In short, if you want to improve your memory, rest well.

Healthy Weight

Research suggests that people with shorter sleep duration weigh more than those who get enough sleep. While just sleeping is not enough for weight loss, it definitely helps in the process. Sufficient sleep helps regulate the levels of the satiation hormone leptin which tells us when we’ve eaten enough, and also the hormone ghrelin which triggers our appetite. Getting adequate sleep also keeps your cravings for high-calorie foods at a minimum.  

Sleeping Gives Nicer Skin

The term “beauty sleep” is  not just a fun phrase to use. It holds more meaning than you knew all the times you used the phrase. Sleep promotes the secretion of the growth hormone, our body’s natural anti-ageing solution, not to mention the added benefit of being well-rested and so looking fresh and radiant. The lack of sleep produces dark circles under the eyes, which no beauty product can fix as well as a good night’s sleep.

Reduced Stress and Improved Mood

A lack of proper sleep affects the secretion of various hormones, including cortisol, which is commonly called the stress hormone. If you don’t get enough sleep, the body loses its ability to regulate the secretion of these hormones, making you much more stressed out than you should be. It also leads to anxiety, depression and various other problems. So getting a good night’s sleep will definitely reduce your stress levels, and the results will reflect in your mood. You’ll be much more cheerful if you get enough sleep than if you don’t.

Health Benefits Of Sleeping

A healthy amount of sleep helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels controls your blood pressure, reduces inflammation and much more. These have varied health benefits. Unregulated blood sugar can cause diabetes and inflammation causes all sorts of problems like heart disorders, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, premature ageing, etc. Sleep prevents all this and also improves your immunity by producing hormones, proteins and chemicals which help fight off infections.

Hence, sleeping is evidently an essential part of our life, and its benefits don’t end with the ones mentioned. They are just the most prominent things you’ll gain out of a good night’s sleep, and other advantages include improved concentration and productivity, better emotional stability and maybe even longer life.