A good night's sleep is incredibly important. In fact, it is just as important as healthy eating and exercising. Unfortunately, there are many factors preventing us from getting that good night's rest that we all long for. These things throw off our body's natural sleep cycle (circadian rhythm). As a result, quality of sleep has decreased significantly.
Here are a few reasons why sleep is important:
1. Poor sleep is linked to higher body weight
People with shorter sleep durations tend to weigh more than those who get adequate rest. In fact, those who get less sleep at night are at a much higher risk of of obesity. Its said that the effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors, including hormones and the motivation to exercise. Bottom line, if you wish to improve your weight, consider getting good quality of sleep.
2. Good Sleep can Improve Concentration and Productivity
Sleep is veryimportant for various aspects of brain function.These include cognition, concentration, productivity, and performance. All of these, and more, are negatively impacted by sleep deprivation.
A study on medical interns provides a good example.
Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep.
Another study found that short sleep can negatively impact some aspects of brain function to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication.
On the other hand, good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory performance of both children and adults.
3. Sleep is Known to Improve Athletic Performance
Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance. In a study on basketball players, longer sleep was shown to significantly improve speed, accuracy, reaction times, and mental well-being.
Less sleep duration has also been associated with poor exercise performance and functional limitation in older women.
A study in over 2,800 women found that poor sleep was linked to slower walking, lower grip strength, and greater difficulty performing independent activities
Though I just spoke about 3 ways sleep can improve your health, there is a number of ways sleep can have a positive impact on your life. So go ahead, and try implementing more sleep into your routine, and I guarantee you will feel a lot better!
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