Why is sleep important? 6 essential reasons

Sleep in a number of ways, regulates all essential physical and mental faculties. Its importance is as high as the need for a balanced diet and regular exercise.

In keeping up with the fast pace of contemporary living, making daily work commutes and juggling all personal endeavors, it becomes easy to overlook your sleep regime. Often the most neglected part of overall health, sleep drives both function and efficiency.

How much sleep do you need?

Even though each person’s need for sleep varies, healthy adults are conditioned for an average of 16 hours of efficient wakefulness. While 8 hours of sleep is the general approach, some people may get by with slightly less or even more. A reliable smartwatch can help clock those 8 hours in by efficient sleep tracking.

The science of good sleep

Every human body has its own internal ‘body clock’ that’s responsible for regulating daily sleep cycle. The so called, ‘body clock’ functions on a 24-hour basis, which in principle defines your circadian rhythm. Lack of sleep, exposure to natural light and your lifestyle, are all responsible for regulating your circadian rhythm.

A typical healthy person’s body governs its circadian rhythm by releasing a hormone called melatonin as natural light is lost towards the evening, inducing drowsiness. During sunrise another hormone known as cortisol is released in the body which increases energy levels and provides alertness. Proper regulation of these hormones via the right lifestyle changes can aid in achieving good sleep.

6 Essential reasons to get quality sleep

Here are 6 essential reasons to ensure that you get quality sleep consistently.

Weight Check

Several studies over the years have found a link between obesity and irregular sleep patterns. The effects of sleep deprivation and sporadic sleep can be mediated to gaining weight, via a number of factors.

Reduced motivation to exercise, constant hormonal imbalances and perpetual muscle soreness, can often be attributed to the lack of a good night’s sleep. Certain studies even point out, that people who are often sleep deprived tend to consume more calories, due to an increase in their appetite.

Improved concentration & productivity

Regulating several critical areas of brain function, a bad sleeping regime can hamper concentration, productivity, cognition and performance. Experts have even compared the negative impacts of a lack of sleep, to be somewhat similar to an alcohol induced stupor.

Conversely, good sleeping habits directly improve your problem solving abilities, alertness level, and can strengthen performance. Make use of smart wearables since they can aid in tracking your sleep, so that you can take charge of your regime, and function at optimal efficiency.

Lower risk of heart diseases

A well balanced sleep pattern directly helps the body in maintaining adequate blood pressure. If you deprive yourself good consistent sleep, you may be prone to high blood pressure, which correlates to heart diseases.

Furthermore, sleeping less than 7 to 8 hours may be a trigger to several chronic disabilities, and could even lead to a stroke.

Keeping depression at bay

A subject of immense research, the link between mental health and a lack of sleep is pronounced. Sleeping disorders including sporadic sleep patterns, excessive sleeping or perpetual sleepiness, can directly lead to chronic insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.

As per the research posted at Health line, over 90% people with depression have a common complaint about bad, irregular sleep. Since poor sleep can even lead to extreme chronic depression, it can increase the risk of suicide.

Boost immune function

Losing sleep, even for more than a few days can drastically bring down your immune system. Catching the common cold or the seasonal flu, on a work week when you haven’t slept well is extremely common.

If you cannot skip work, incorporating immunity boosting foods along with regular hydration will help in getting you by. A good night’s rest helps the immune system to repair and recover for the days ahead.

Higher emotional intelligence

Both emotionally and socially, a good sleep cycle makes you more receptive to other people’s micro expressions and their feelings. Poor sleep often leaves you numb to obvious social cues, which could lead to alienation.

Delayed emotional and cognitive responses due to a lack of sleep can give you a tardy or unprofessional reputation. In some cases there may even be a correlation to a lack of sleep and lowered empathy.