When you’re sleep deprived, your brain isn’t fully functioning, which increases the risk of something like forgetting to pay attention to what you’re doing. In addition, sleep deprivation is a major contributor to obesity and diabetes. It’s easy to see how poor sleep can have serious long-term consequences for your health. Do yourself a favor: get enough sleep and be healthy all year long! Here are some ways that sufficient sleep benefits your body in both short-term and long-term ways:
1. Sharper Brain
Short-term sleep loss can lead to increased levels of stress hormones, which in turn causes poor performance on mental tasks requiring concentration. In contrast, adequate sleep keeps you calm and relaxed during the day, which allows your brain to function at its best.
2. Leaner Body
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body loses weight due to a stress response that occurs during sleep deprivation. When you’re well rested, your metabolism burns energy efficiently without storing fat.
3. Mood Boost
Short-term sleep loss can cause a drop in your mood, which interferes with your ability to perform well. Sleep ensures that your body and immune system function optimally throughout the day, which helps you maintain good mental health.
4. Feel Younger
Studies show that more sleep benefits your physical health and aids in maintaining a youthful appearance. Sleep improves blood pressure regulation, which helps reduce the risk of developing hypertension, stroke and heart disease.
5. Healthier Heart
Sleep deprivation can cause problems with your heart, as well as increase the risk of heart failure. Lack of sleep promotes inflammation, which causes blood clots to form in the vessels that feed your heart. These blood clots can lead to a heart attack or stroke. In addition, when you sleep well and are healthy, you can get the rest that your body needs to heal itself so that once you do get sick it’s less likely to be fatal.
6. Better Memory
Inadequate sleep affects how well memory functions throughout the day. People who don’t get enough sleep have difficulty remembering things they read and experience increased anxiety during memory tasks requiring mental concentration like solving puzzles or taking tests.
Adequate sleep is critically important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing a wide range of health problems. The benefits of sleep go far beyond helping you perform at your peak in the classroom and on the playing field.
