The young always have a bunch of things to do during the day because of the work or study, so they treat the night as their own exclusive time to have fun, scrolling movement in a Netflix queue or social media to check out what new things are happening among their friends. Thus, it is common for them to stay up late and shorten their sleep duration to make sure they won’t be late for their work or school. Maybe they don't think staying up late will have any huge impact on their bodies, and it can be fixed by catching up on sleep over the weekend. But in fact, while sleeping, the body performs a number of repairing and maintaining processes that affect nearly every part of the body. Lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can unknowingly and badly affect your body mentally and physically.
Have you ever learned what the benefits of adequate sleep bring to you? Here's why you should ensure the length and quality of sleep.
Makes your mood better
Sleep restores the body and increases energy levels, so waking up well-rested can have a positive impact on a person's mood. Conversely, people who do not get enough sleep are at a higher risk of experiencing mental distress. Chronic lack of sleep can lead to anxiety, depression and irritability.
Makes your heart healthier
Quality sleep promotes a healthy heart. During sleep, the heart rate slows down and blood pressure decreases. This means that during sleep, the heart and vascular system are able to rest. However, lack of sleep is a risk factor for unwanted cardiovascular events. Sleep deprivation causes blood pressure to remain high for long periods of time, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attack and heart failure.
Helps you regulate your blood sugar
Sleep affects the body's relationship with insulin, which helps blood sugar or glucose enter the body's cells. The cells then use the glucose for energy. Getting seven or more hours of sleep each night helps ensure that blood sugar is regulated in the body. Adults who get less than seven hours of sleep at night have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Without enough sleep, the body's resistance to insulin increases because the cells cannot use insulin properly, which leads to too much sugar in the blood.
Helps improve memory
Sleep is thought to help with memory and cognitive thinking. Renewing these connections in the brain during sleep helps individuals learn new information and form memories. High quality sleep improves concentration, problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities. In other words, a good night's sleep can increase productivity. Sleep deprivation can negatively impact the ability to think clearly, form memories, learn well and function optimally during the day. The ability to think quickly slows down after just one week of sleep deprivation. Sleep-deprived individuals do not perform well in activities that require quick reactions and attention to multiple tasks, such as driving.
Helps you restore your immune system
Sleep restores and repairs the body, making people feel refreshed in the morning. During sleep, the body produces the growth hormones needed for the development of children and adolescents. These growth hormones also repair tissues and cells in people of all ages. The body also produces cytokines during sleep that support the immune system in fighting infections. Sleep deprivation can affect the body's immune response to infection. Chronic sleep deprivation can make individuals more susceptible to common infections, such as colds, and chronic sleep deprivation can lead to a greater risk of immune deficiency.
Helps you relieve stress
Getting the right amount of sleep each night can help manage stress. When people wake up refreshed, they can avoid the stress that comes with working on insufficient sleep, such as poor performance, difficulty thinking clearly, and lack of energy. Quality sleep can also reduce anxiety, depression and other stress-related mental health problems.
Keeps you at a healthy weight
During sleep, the body naturally produces more appetite suppressants called leptin, while reducing the production of the appetite stimulant gastrin. However, on nights with too little sleep, gastrin production increases and leptin decreases. Thus, lack of sleep can lead to greater hunger.
After knowing that a good night's sleep can bring you a great number of benefits, if you or your bed partner has sleep problems such as snoring or lack of sleep, don't hesitate to see a doctor. BMC always cares about you and your family, and we want to help you understand sleep properly so that you can have a healthy life.
Resources: 1. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/benefits-of-sleep, Eight Health Benefits of Sleep, sleep foundation, Jay Summer, April 15, 2022 2. Hirshkowitz, M., Whiton, K., Albert, S. M., Alessi, C., Bruni, O., DonCarlos, L., Hazen, N., Herman, J., Adams Hillard, P. J., Katz, E. S., Kheirandish-Gozal, L., Neubauer, D. N., O'Donnell, A. E., Ohayon, M., Peever, J., Rawding, R., Sachdeva, R. C., Setters, B., Vitiello, M. V., & Ware, J. C. (2015). National Sleep Foundation's updated sleep duration recommendations: Final report. Sleep health, 1(4), 233–243. 3. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2021/20_0573.htm, Blackwelder, A., Hoskins, M., & Huber, L. (2021). Effect of inadequate sleep on frequent mental distress. Preventing Chronic Disease, 18. 4. https://medlineplus.gov/highbloodpressure.html, MedlinePlus: National Library of Medicine (US). (2018, April 19). High blood pressure. Retrieved April 5, 2022
