Getting less than 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis can eventually lead to sleep deprivation and health consequences that may affect your entire body. A good night’s rest not only helps you feel energized but also improves your brain function, mood, productivity, and heart health.
That’s why you must prioritize getting enough sleep daily and don’t compromise on it to catch up with work or your social life. You could also consider a getting new bed if your old one doesn’t feel comfortable anymore – you can check https://heydiscount.co.uk to see if there are any coupons available.
Here’s why and how you should give your body all the sleep it needs.
Sleep Is Important for Emotional Health
The way you feel during the day has a lot in common with how well you sleep at night. If you’re not getting enough sleep or its quality is poor, you may get easily irritated, more forgetful, and fatigued. On top of that, you might also find it challenging to perform well at work or in school and even experience mental health issues.
An analysis of 21 different studies has found that people who don’t sleep enough or experience insomnia are at much higher risk of developing depression or anxiety disorder than those who get enough rest and don’t have problems sleeping. So, ensure you get enough rest each day!
Sleep Can Impact Your Weight
Whenever you get a night of good sleep, you feel well-rested, and therefore you’re less likely to crave junk food or calorie-dense meals. On the other hand, if you toss and turn for the whole night or go to bed too late compared to when you have to be up and running again, you feel less energetic and tired. Because of this, you might eat more than usual and reach for sweet and salty snacks to beat the overall sluggishness.
What is more, sleep deprivation may also cause an imbalance in the hormones responsible for controlling your hunger (leptin and ghrelin). This, in turn, can increase your cravings for high-calorie or sugary foods, leading to rapid weight gain.
Adequate Sleep Boosts Brain Function
When you’re asleep, your brain uses this time to rest and prepare for the next day. More specifically, it allows your neurons, or nerve cells, to reorganize. This process allows your brain to work well when you wake up.
After a night of proper sleep, your focus, creativity, and decision-making abilities become enhanced. Furthermore, your learning abilities and problem-solving skills also experience a boost.
Lack of Quality Sleep Can Impact Your Heart Health
While it’s essential to eat well and exercise to keep your heart in good shape, quality sleep is also vital for its health. Insufficient or poor-quality sleep is closely related to conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular plaque buildup (resulting in decreased blood flow to your heart), and increased cholesterol levels.
Moreover, sleep apnea — a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts — can cause you to be at a higher risk of developing heart arrhythmias, heart failure, and coronary artery disease.
How To Get Better Sleep at Night?
Some people find themselves tossing and turning every night, waiting for the sleep that doesn’t come. If that sounds like the problem you’re experiencing, and you’re taking your health and the importance of a good night’s sleep seriously, you can try to adopt some habits that encourage better sleep.
Here are some beneficial practices you can follow:
Create a restful environment. The room you’re sleeping in should provide an ideal space for sleeping. That means no distractions in the form of a TV, temperature between 60 and 67° F, and room darkening shades to limit the light exposure.
Invest in a good mattress. A high-quality mattress will not only be a long-lasting investment but will also help you avoid back pain. The more comfortable you’ll be when sleeping, the more rested and refreshed you’re going to be in the morning.
Limit daytime naps. If you can’t avoid napping, don’t let your naps last longer than 30 minutes, and don’t fall asleep late in the day unless you work the night shift and need to make up your sleep debt.
Stick to a sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. A consistent sleep schedule can reinforce your body’s sleep-wake cycle.
Conclusion
Sufficient sleep is necessary for both your mind and body to function correctly. Though individual needs vary, consistent sleep of seven to eight hours a night is recommended for adults for staying alert and concentrated during the day. While there are times when life gets in the way and losing a few hours of rest can’t be avoided, you must ensure it doesn’t become a repeating pattern.
Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain and heart disease, support your mental health, and boost your brain functions. If you’re experiencing problems with falling and staying asleep, you might need to consider investing in a high-quality mattress, limiting daytime naps, sticking to a more strict sleep schedule, or trying to turn your bedroom into an environment that encourages good night’s sleep.
Deep sleep will improve your performance and effectiveness over the long run while reversing conditions that are caused by sleep deficiency. Sleep deprivation is affecting a significant number of people across the world. If you are one of them, practicing what you’ve read here will change your life completely. Start today by calling Alaska Sleep Clinic! You have nothing to lose.
