10 REASONS WHY GOOD QUALITY SLEEP IS SO IMPORTANT
I truly cannot stress how important it is to get consistent good quality sleep. Sleep is crucial for hormonal balance, mental health, immunity, and proper cellular functioning, just to name a few! It is just as important as a healthy diet, practicing mindfulness and maintaining physical fitness. Here are 10 reasons why you should hit the hay early, practice good sleep hygiene and make bountiful rest a priority!
Why you need a good night’s rest…
1. Athletic performance
Muscles grow and repair themselves at their highest rate while you are asleep. This is when your body is at its most anabolic state. Blood flow increases and the hormones needed for growth and repair are upregulated during your slumbering hours. It is crucial for those looking to increase strength and performance to incorporate high-quality sleep into their daily regime. It’s also why children and teenagers need more sleep than adults; to keep up with their rapid growth!
2. Mental health
Poor sleep is linked to depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders. The Harvard Health newsletter states that “traditionally, clinicians treating patients with psychiatric disorders have viewed insomnia and other sleep disorders as symptoms. But studies in both adults and children suggest that sleep problems may raise risk for, and even directly contribute to, the development of some psychiatric disorders.”
3. Concentration and awareness
Research by Williamson and Freyer has shown that the mental impairment of sleep deprivation is equivalent to that of being legally drunk! Specifically, 17 hours without sleep can affect your awareness and concentration similar to that of the effects of having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%, which is considered legally drunk according to US law. For reference, that’s about 4 drinks for a 170 lb man or three drinks for a 140 lb woman.
4. Immunity
The National Sleep Foundation states that, “Without sufficient sleep, your body makes fewer cytokines, a type of protein that targets infection and inflammation, effectively creating an immune response.” They go on to state that cytokines, which “are both produced and released during sleep,” are lacking if you skimp on getting enough rest, leaving you more susceptible to illness. “Chronic sleep loss even makes the flu vaccine less effective,” they conclude, “by reducing your body’s ability to respond.”
5. Healthy insulin response
Think of insulin as a bunch of tiny keys floating around in your body that have a very specific function: to unlock the doors that allow fuel into your cells. Fuel, in the form of glucose, can only be converted to energy once inside the cell. When you are sleep-deprived, you become insulin-resistant. This means that only some of the keys work, so only some of the glucose is being converted into energy needed to sustain bodily functions. The glucose that cannot “get into” the cell sticks around in the form of high blood sugar, which can contribute to metabolic disease.
6. Disease prevention
According to the CDC, adults who sleep less than an average of seven hours per night are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression and obesity.
7. Weight management
Sleep deprivation alters appropriate functioning of the hunger hormones; ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin makes you feel hungry. Leptin makes you feel full. When these hormones are unregulated, hunger and cravings increase, which often leads to weight gain for those who don't get enough sleep.
8. Anti- aging
Quality sleep has been shown to increase telomere length, which is directly linked to your biological age. Telomeres serve as a protective coating on the ends of your chromosomes. The longer your telomeres, the more biologically youthful you are. They protect DNA from mutations, and negative gene expression which helps prevent disease and aging.
9. Good Looks!
Sleeping well not only reduces your cellular age, it makes you look younger and BETTER! We can all relate to looking “haggard” after a rough night of sleep.
10. Inflammation
Getting too little sleep has been shown to increase excessive chronic inflammation. This leaves your body in a perceived constant state of alert, releasing inflammatory mediators that over time contribute to the deterioration of mental and physical health.
