Getting enough sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. You can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease and keep a healthy weight with its assistance.
It also improves memory and executive function, which involves complex thinking. Getting more sleep can also improve your mood.
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Better Immune System
Sleep helps your immune system work properly and is an integral part of a healthy body. It boosts the efficiency of T helper cells, which fight invading viruses, bacteria, and other foreign antigens as part of the body’s defense.
It also strengthens the interaction between T cells and integrins, which help them attach to foreign antigens. However, if you don’t get enough sleep, your body’s stress hormones (adrenaline and noradrenaline) inhibit this interaction, making T cells less efficient in attacking foreign antigens. Some common issues you’ll face when trying to get a good night’s sleep are sinus conditions, obstruction or sleep apnea. You can ask for help from the best sleep apnea doctor in Houston to resolve these problems.
Increased Energy
Our bodies must get a good night’s sleep to perform at their peak. And, like eating a nutritious diet and regular exercise, getting more sleep has surprising health benefits.
Among those benefits is increased energy. Studies have shown that people who get enough sleep feel energized and alert the next day, which can increase their productivity.
Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
A new study from Columbia University in New York found that getting more sleep can significantly lower your risk of heart disease. Specifically, people who got more sleep had a 74% lower chance of cardiovascular conditions than those who slept less.
The researchers examined data from a sizable group of men and women aged 50 to 75. The participants completed a sleep exam and provided their sleep scores. After that, the researchers kept an eye on them for eight years.
Better Mental Health
Quality sleep improves the way our brain works, allowing us to focus better and have more patience with the challenges of relationships, work and studies.
A recent study found that getting enough sleep can help people with chronic mental health disorders like depression or anxiety.
During sleep, our brain processes memories and emotional information. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, for example, the brain consolidates positive emotions that have been stored.
Lower Risk of Inflammation
Studies show that people who get less than six hours of sleep a night have higher levels of inflammation. It can cause numerous health problems, including heart disease and diabetes.
The body works hard while asleep, so getting a good night’s rest is essential. It protects your health in several ways, but one of the most surprising is that getting more sleep can reduce your risk of inflammation!
Better Mood
A great night’s sleep can help you recover from a stressful day. That’s because your body produces chemicals that regulate mood and emotions.
That’s a big deal because stress can make you more likely to feel anxious and depressed.
But not getting enough sleep can have a severe impact on your mood. Research suggests that sleep loss makes it harder for the brain to regulate emotions, resulting in heightened emotional reactions to daily situations.
Better Memory
Getting a good night’s rest improves several cognitive skills, including memory. It is specially true when it comes to learning new information.
Several studies have shown that people perform better on tests and in the workplace when they get enough sleep.
Short naps of 30-60 minutes have also been found to boost memory, lasting up to a week. These benefits may be due to the brain’s ability to consolidate memories while you sleep.
