We have all heard our elders tell us to sleep on time and how important getting your 8 hours in is. But, do we really know what sleeping for this magic number of hours does to our bodies? What good would sleeping for 8 hours actually do for us? Let’s find out today.
1. Better Concentration
Sleep affects various brain functions including cognition, concentration and productivity.
Getting more sleep will help you concentrate better and thus, get more things done in a day. You’ll have the energy to get more tasks done in a day. This will also help you academically as well as professionally.
2. Helps Avoid Weight Gain
According to studies, sleeping less may cause weight gain because it has a direct effect on our hormones. Sleep deprivation increases the levels of Gherin – a hormone that makes you feel hungry & decreases the hormone Lehrin which makes you feel fuller. Hence, higher levels of Gherin may lead to overeating.
3. Keeps The Heart Healthy
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sufficient sleep regulates your body’s blood pressure, hence, avoiding high blood pressure that may lead to heart diseases.
4. Builds Immunity
Sleep deprivation or lack of sleep may lead to compromised immunity. Studies have also shown enough sleep makes the antibodies in our bodies more efficient in responding to influenza vaccines.
In addition, some data has shown that getting sleep before getting your COVID19 Vaccination may increase the efficacy of the vaccine. However, this is based on preliminary data and a lot more research is required to confirm this.
5. Less Sleep May Lead To Mental Health Issues
Studies show that sleep deprivation and sleep problems like insomnia, sleep apnea, etc tend to increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
6. Sleeping More Will Make You Emotionally Intelligent
It is said that people who are well-rested are able to understand others’ emotions better. One study in the Journal of Sleep Research concluded that people have less emotional empathy when they are sleep deprived.
7. Less Inflammation
Sleeping more will reduce the risk of inflammation in your body. Thus, preventing inflammatory bowel diseases that are often caused by sleep deprivation.
8. Improves Athletic Performance
Enough sleep improves muscular power and endurance, reflexes and reactions time, etc. Whereas, sleeping less demotivates you to work out.
While getting enough sleep has a plethora of benefits, oversleeping is also a thing (and not a good one). Oversleeping or hypersomnia may result in heart diseases, thyroid issues, depression, and also increases the risk of diabetes. Too much of anything isn’t good so it’s good to keep a balance.
How many hours of sleep are you able to get every night? Tell us!
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Sources used in this article include Healthline & Medical News Today.
