Why Is Enough Sleep Important?

 

Unfortunately, most of us do not get enough sleep.  There is always one more thing to do in the evening, or we're trying to fit in exercise, or wanting to stop by the store for groceries.  Even now, with the coronavirus, people aren't always getting enough sleep and it is important to have a certain amount of sleep every night.

There is this attitude that most people don't need a full eight to nine hours of sleep each night but can get by with between four and six hours per night.  That isn't quite true and we can have serious issues when we cut our sleep short.

When you don't get enough sleep at night, your body becomes less apt at fighting off illness because our immune system is compromised.  There appears to be a inverse relationship between lack of sleep and your immune system.  It is quite possible you'll lose additional sleep when you are sick if our body is sleep deprived.

Furthermore, research indicates that if you get less than 5 hours and more than 9 hours of sleep each night, it can impair your heart health.  You increase your chances of having a stroke or developing heart disease when you don't get enough sleep.  In addition, not getting enough sleep is associated with increased rates of certain types of cancer such as breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer.  It also increases your chances of high blood pressure.

There is also a problem with the functionality of your brain when you don't get enough sleep at night.  The lack of sleep can make you feel extremely foggy and interfere with your ability to think.  When you do not get enough sleep, your problem solving abilities decreased in addition to your memory being effected, and it interferes with your decision making and reasoning.  It also causes your reaction time to slow, and interferes with alertness thus tripling your chances of being involved in an accident.  There is research that a lack of sleep also interferes with your ability to learn.

Other studies indicate that people who sleep less than five hours per night are more likely to undergo weight gain and could eventually become obese. In addition, people increase their chances of ending up with diabetes as adults.   It also makes you moody and can make your temper ignite quicker.  Furthermore, a significant lack of sleep can lead to an increased chance of depression or interfering with your balance so you might fall more.

In addition, it can effect your skin by increasing the number of fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin color, and it could sag.  Finally, it can make you tired during the day so you are constantly dragging. So keep all these things in mind when you want to short yourself with sleep.  It is thought that most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep to be happy and healthy.  On Friday, I'll be discussing ways to help you sleep at night so you get enough sleep. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great night.