Are you making sleep a priority? You may not be getting enough sleep as it is. The American Sleep Association estimates that between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder.
You need to make it a priority to get enough sleep. The consequences of regularly running up a sleep deficit can be severe.
Getting Adequate Sleep Must Be a Core Focus of a Healthy Lifestyle
When it comes to adequately and consistently prioritizing one’s health, it is fair to say that we all have our own different ways of approaching health and wellbeing. While for some individuals the prioritization of health and wellbeing is obviously something that they place quite highly, for others the chaos of life can often get in the way of their approach towards health and wellbeing. This is not to say that they do not care as much as others do, but rather that they find it more challenging to balance prioritizing their own health and wellbeing with other aspects of their busy lives.
One aspect of health and wellbeing that is not given nearly as much overall attention and emphasis as other aspects of health and wellbeing is sleep health. So often, we let the chaos of our lives really impact the routine and efficiency of our sleep cycles and that is really where other health issues do tend to come into play quite often. If we are more consistently active with our approach towards sleeping well and the way that we prioritize it in our everyday lives, we are likely to see more positive impacts begin to take shape as time goes on. So, it really pays to understand why investing in your sleep is crucial to long term wellness.
Getting enough sleep can be even harder during this pandemic, since we are under so much stress. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that we can do to prioritize it. Here is why getting more sleep is important.
Physical health
It often goes unsaid that sleep can affect your fertility. For those who are constantly burning the night oil, their reproductive systems on both genders. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body naturally represses certain sex hormones that will result in poor semen, which greatly lessens the chances of pregnancy. The increase in cortisol can also result in embryo failing to attach to the uterine wall or cause early miscarriage and prevent women from carrying to term. Aside from that, a lack of sleep will also cause you to put on weight. Without adequate amounts of sleep, your body produces less leptin, which is a hormone that gives you the feeling of being full. It goes without saying that if you are unable to feel full, you will eat more. Furthermore, studies show that people who stay up at night often snack regularly and paired with one’s metabolism slowing down due to not having enough sleep, often results in weight gain.
Mental health
Sleep health is important for mental health. The importance of mental health is really fundamental when it comes to figuring out how sleep health impacts our overall health and wellbeing. The importance of mental health really comes down to the fact that when you don’t get enough sleep, your mental capacity is obviously quite low compared to the way it is when you are well rested. Getting enough sleep allows you to focus on mental clarity and function and so that effectively and successfully gives you a way to move forward with your day with relative ease and transparency without having to struggle mentally to get through it.
Memory function
Sleep health plays a significant role in memory function. Memory function is tied in really strongly with sleep health because when you’re asleep, the gunk that builds up throughout the day in your brain that has a strong correlation with your memory function is able to be sifted and work through in a healthy way. If you are not getting enough sleep, your brain doesn’t have enough time to focus on revitalising and replenishing from the day just had and working towards getting me ready for the day that is yet to come. In essence, memory function goes hand in hand with sleep health..
Cognitive function
Of course, cognitive function also plays a distinctive role in why sleep is so important. When you get enough sleep, your kidney dysfunction is effective and applicable in all the right ways. However, if you want to get enough sleep, we all know that feeling when you wake up and you feel sluggish and like your coordination is often things just don’t feel right. This is when it is really important to focus on getting more sleep that you could need to function and be positively influenced rather than being decidedly worn down. Whether this means having to invest in a tongue holder or sleep apnea machine to help you sleep better through the night, it is an investment that is well worth it.
Sleep is extremely important to humans and can create all kinds of problems if one has inadequate sleep. Scientists have yet to find out the reason why we need sleep, but the evidence is clear, it repairs and moderates our bodies in ways that range from memory, to physical health. Being in peak conditions require that we sleep for at least 7 – 8 hours every night. Doctors also recommend sleeping early, around 10PM because that’s when our body is in full restorative mode.
Sufficient Sleep is Vital to Your Health
You need to make it a priority to get plenty of sleep each night. The aforementioned benefits will help you understand its significance.