Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the cornerstones to living a healthy lifestyle, but it’s a message that falls on deaf ears sometimes. Don’t be one of those people who brags about being able to accomplish a lot despite being sleep-deprived—you’ll pay for it in the long run.
The reality is a lack of sleep is counterproductive. Research has clearly shown that adequate sleep—seven to eight hours a night for most people—helps us to stay sharp, perform mental tasks more effectively and commit information to memory, according to a recent post in the USNews.com health section.
Sleep also improves mood and quality of life. If you need any more convincing to prioritize sleep—and why would you?—here are four more reasons to put sleep at the top of your list.
Sleep keeps your appetite hormones in check
Your body has hunger hormones—ghrelin and leptin—and they’re thrown out of whack when sleep is cut short. Leptin, which is produced by fat cells, decreases your appetite. Ghrelin is a hormone that increases appetite. A lack of shut-eye means an increase in ghrelin levels, or appetite, and a decrease in leptin.
Studies have also shown that people tend to choose foods higher in calorie and fat, or comfort foods, after getting minimal rest. Health experts have said there is clearly a link between obesity and a lack of sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than 35 percent of adults are obese and about 30 percent get less than six hours of sleep a night (which is considered a “partial sleep deprivation”).
Sleep fights off colds
A 2015 study published in the journal Sleep revealed that people who regularly sleep six hours or less each day were four times more likely to get a cold than people who slept just an hour longer. The research revealed that inadequate sleep was the most important factor in predicting who would get sick after being exposed to the cold virus.
“Sleep is part of our own nature’s defense against illness,” M. Safwan Badr said in a September 2015 NBCNews.com health article. Badr is a doctor and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.
You only grow while you sleep
Athletes and hard-core workout aficionados might want to take notice of this one. If you want to get stronger and faster, you better not skimp on sleep. That’s because your muscles only grow while you’re in deep slumber. That’s right, the best exercise routine and nutritional plan won’t do you a lick of good unless you’re supplementing that with a great night’s rest.
If you’re in the gym hoisting some serious iron, you’re actually creating tears in the muscle fiber. For the muscle fiber to grow and get bigger, they must be repaired, and that only happens during sleep. An endurance athlete who completes a tough interval workout will only reap tremendous benefits from the exercise session if they get some serious shut-eye.
Why? Endurance training stimulates physiological adaptations, but in order to make the most of these adaptations, proper rest is required. Sleep not only helps you physically, but mentally as well. As we sleep, the brain recharges. Taxing workouts take a toll on us mentally.
A rested brain means a more motivated and focused brain. Without proper rest, it’s going to make it that much tougher to meet your exercise goals. So if you’re not making sleep a high priority, start now. Cut down on caffeine, which disrupts sleep quality and sleep quantity.
Cut down on alcohol, which inhibits REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Establish a regular bedtime routine, and make sure to turn off all electronic devices at least 15 minutes before bedtime. Several studies have shown that the light coming from the screen of your smartphone, tablet or laptop may stop the body from producing melatonin, a hormone that is essential to restful sleep.
