“Once my assignments are over, I can snooze my alarm over and over again.”
“As soon as I settle all my debts and start a new job, I will be able to sleep peacefully.”
Do any of the above statements ring a bell? Our relationship with sleep tells a lot about our health. When we are younger, we have more energy thus missing on a couple hours of sleep does not make a huge difference in our energy level. As we grow older, the accumulated amount of sleepless nights start to affect our health. Believe it or not, recuperating sleep has a long and significant impact on our lives. It is time that we start prioritizing a good night sleep. Below are some of the benefits of sleeping soundly…
1. Loss of weight
People who are trying hard to lose weight should consider changing their sleep pattern. It is said that people who are poor sleepers produce the ghrelin hormone, which is known to boost appetite in the body thus encouraging them to eat more and gain weight. On the other side, deep sleepers always manage to maintain a healthy weight and BMI. Sleep deprivation also decreases your leptin hormone which makes you feel like you are full all the time. If you are working hard to shed that extra weight, along with your healthy diet, make sure that you consider getting 8 hours of sleep. Your weight will meet your target real quick!
2. Boosting your memory
If you ever feel bad about sleeping in for a couple of hours or taking a nap, do n’t! Researchers from Zurich University have proved that there is a linear relationship between your memory capacity and a deep sleep. They said that during sleep, our brain classifies all our knowledge and information accordingly. With a good night’s sleep, the brain is able to do enhance our memory. If you are a victim of interrupted sleep, you will find it difficult to memorize things.
3. It helps you to focus better
When you suffer from sleep deprivation, your focus and attention become fussy. Have you ever fallen asleep at work or while driving and wake up with a shock? This experience is known as micro sleeping which is caused by chronic fatigue. It is a dangerous thing especially if you are a driver. When you are sleep deprived and have trouble focusing, your driving skill is equal to drunk driving which might cause involuntary accidents. It is better to stay over or get a friend to drop you home if you feel too tired to drive. Lack of focus also makes you lack behind in your job and daily routine.
4. Feel Healthier
A lot of things happen in your body while you are asleep. Resting helps your body heal. People who are sleep deprived often find themselves victims of inflammatory infections which causes chronic pain in the body. It also increases stress hormone cortisol which makes you feel angry and irritated. High-stress hormone cortisol increases the risk of heart attack and high blood pressure. You will feel that you are sick every time. On the contrary, 8 to 9 hours of sleep boost immunity, regulate your blood system, support muscle repair and boost your mood.
5. Make better decisions
Lack of focus and attention works well with sleep deprivation. When it comes to decision making, especially life-changing decisions, it is a must that we give it our full attention. Lack of sleep affects an important part of the brain which is the right prefrontal portion. This part of your brain is responsible for reward and delay gratification. The desire for immediate award increases with lack of sleep. If you have an important decision to make, better sleep on it first.
6. It reduces your risk of Depression.
Nowadays, mental health is becoming a vital issue. Serotonin is a chemical in your body which controls your emotions. Lack of sleep affects this chemical and disbalance all the emotions which leads to depression. It has been estimated that 90 % of people who suffer from depression complain about not being able to sleep properly. One of the best ways to prevent depression is to make sure that you get 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily. Poor sleep has also increased the risk of death through suicide.
If you have trouble falling asleep, you can increase your magnesium intake through supplements or vegetables such as spinach, kale, avocado, and others as deficiency of magnesium can lead to insomnia or troubled sleep. In order to have a great night’s sleep, your body and mind should be relaxed and magnesium is known for its soothing effect. It regulates neurotransmitters which send signals to our brain. It also controls your hormone melatonin which regulates your sleep cycle. Thus, it prepares your body and mind for a good sleeping time.