6 Effective Health Benefits of Sleep

“Sleep”! The thought itself is so relaxing, especially at the end of a tiring day. Why is it so? Why is there so much pleasure in a good sleep? Is it only psychological or does it hold much more to it? This article will reveal in detail how important it is to have a healthy sleeping pattern and a sound sleep.

In the current scenario, we all live busy lives. It is not just the adults but even kids are slogging through sleep. It has taken a toll on our health both mentally and physically. People who are working extensively are so sleep deprived that the stress and anxiety prevent them from sleeping even when they want to. They have to take sleep medicine for a sound sleep. This situation is alarming and it is, therefore, crucial to know the benefits of sleep and take corrective action in life.

Amount of Sleep Required:

Getting enough sleep is just as important as working out. So, now you can imagine the impact of restful sleep. There is a very scientific estimate of how much sleep an individual of a particular age requires.

Age Group (years)	Hours of Sleep
Infants	14-17
3-5	10-13
6-16	9-10
16-26	8-10
26-64	6-8
65+	9-10

If you analyze the pattern above, the sleep requirement is at its peak in infancy. As you grow up, the necessary sleep gradually reduces. After a certain age, it again increases. For healthy & quality sleep, you must take conscious measures to sleep these many hours a day.

Quick Benefits of Sleep:

The hours of sleep per night largely determine how you feel for the consecutive day. Moreover, it is necessary to maintain a balance of adequate sleep. Excessive sleeping can make you lazy and lethargic. On the other hand, not sleeping enough can leave you feeling tired all the time without your knowledge. The prolonged inadequacy of sleep affects so severely that it can lead to multiple diseases.

On the bright side, if you sleep well on a regular basis, there are multiple problems that you can keep at bay. Here is a list of what benefits of sleep you can enjoy.

1. Keeps You Healthy And Hearty

Sleeping plays a vital role in improving your health physically and mentally and so does the sleeping pattern. Regular exercise and a healthy diet give you a good push for a calming sleep.

And a good sleep will eventually help you for a good start of your day. If you develop a habit of sleeping at fix time, it will prevent sleep disorders like insomnia.

2. Sleep helps recuperate

Our body gets fatigued from time to time due to activities we carry out throughout the day. When we sleep our body can attend to other issues that our body is facing. In simple terms, it’s the time where energy is diverted toward repairing & healing the wear and tear.

The body releases hormones that encourage tissue growth to repair blood vessels. Good sleep also helps you to overcome emotional barriers like pain, anxiety, and stress that make you feel rested.

3. Better Heart-Health

Lack of sleep increases the risk of diseases like heart attack, cardiac arrest and so on. Regardless of your weight, age, smoking, and exercising habits, a sleeping pattern also surprisingly plays a pivotal role in preventing heart disease.

Sleep decreases your chances of high blood pressure and diabetes as it regulates the blood sugar levels by controlling it. A healthy heart helps you to tackle sleep apnea, which happens due to health problems such as obesity and heart failure.

4. Helps you to control your weight

Unfortunately, it won’t help you to lose weight but yes it can definitely help you to control it by controlling the hormones that affect your appetite and reduces your craving for high-calorie foods.

When you sleep for the apt amount of time, your body only consumes as much as necessary and prevents the craving to eat unnecessarily. However, if you oversleep, there are chances of weight gain.

5. Boosts Your Immune System

Immunity of your system is what protects you from suffering from various diseases. A strong and immune system will fight bacteria and viruses. You won’t be falling sick with the common cold and other ideal ailments.

Falling asleep naturally might not occur with everyone. In order to maintain your sleep for a number of hours a night, you must go to bed on time.

6. Improves concentration

Our brain is subjected to a lot of thinking and analysis throughout the day. While the brain is never completely at rest, sleeping helps the neurons to function better after rest. Studies show that there has been a significant difference in the memory and focus of people who sleep well than those who are subjected to irregular or wrong sleeping patterns.

Thus, realizing the benefits of sleep one must make the necessary changes in lifestyle like avoiding too much caffeine intake in the form of tea/coffee, alcohol or cigarettes a few hours before sleeping (4-5).

Live an active lifestyle. Avoid the use of mobile phones or laptops in bed when you are trying to sleep. You need to signal your brain to sleep and these gadgets make it all the more active.

In conclusion, for a healthy body and mind, it is necessary that you have a sound sleep. So, take the utmost care to sleep well.