What No One Told You About Health Benefits Of Sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep has always been considered important for a healthy lifestyle but the science behind it was never that clear. There were a lot of myths and pseudo-science, backed up only by anecdotal evidence. In recent years, increasing numbers of official academic studies have been done on the effects of sleep on humans. The negative effects of lack of sleep are well known but what are the real health benefits of sleep? This article aims to tell you about some lesser-known health benefits of sleep that no one told you about.

Your Heart’s Health

Looking after your heart is one of the most important things you can do. Recent studies have shown that getting a good night’s sleep can help maintain a healthy heart, and you can find out more here if you are unsure how much sleep you should be getting. Strokes and heart attacks occur more often in the morning and this is believed to be linked to the quality of sleep you are getting. If you are managing to get a full 7-9 hours sleep a night then this should regulate your blood pressure and lower your cholesterol levels, both of which will decrease your likelihood of having heart problems. Sleep’s impact on your heart’s health is a lesser-known health benefit.

Preventing Cancer

The numbers of people being diagnosed with cancer have increased dramatically in the last 20 years. Now, it is estimated that one in two people will suffer from cancer of some sort. There have been studies that show that if you work late, especially those who work night shifts, have an increased risk of breast or colon cancer. This is believed to be due to melatonin. Melatonin is the chemical that regulates your sleep/wake cycle. If you are exposed to excess light when it is meant to be dark outside, your production of melatonin decreases. Melatonin appears to have the ability to suppress tumor growth. Before going to bed, make sure your bedroom is dark and try to avoid using any screens for at least an hour before you sleep. By doing this you should produce a normal amount of melatonin and help yourself prevent cancer growth.

Stress Relief

It might seem obvious that getting enough sleep is going to make you less stressed. The reality is that it is the lack of sleep that makes you more stressed. What’s worse, if you get into a bad sleep habit and become more stressed, this stress will make it harder to go to sleep. More stress increases blood pressure which, as mentioned above, is not good for you. Stress also produces cortisol which can make you feel panicked. Spending time doing some deep relaxation before going to bed should help you reset your stress levels and give you a better night’s sleep. In turn, a better night’s sleep will make you less stressed. It can be a difficult cycle to break but getting a good night’s sleep will relieve you of long-term stress.

Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation is widely considered to be the root cause of many different illnesses. Not only heart conditions but also cancer and diabetes too. Inflammation generally occurs when the body is put under stress. As mentioned above, the benefit of sleep is that it reduces stress levels. You will not only feel more relaxed but potentially decrease your risk of developing a life-threatening disease. Aside from those more serious illnesses, it is believed that long-term inflammation is one of the root causes of why peoples’ bodies deteriorate as they get older. Making sure you get a good night’s sleep will help reduce the amount of inflammation your body suffers.

Improves Your Memory

By now, you should see the importance of getting enough sleep each night. The next thing to consider is the quality of sleep you are getting. Sure, you might be spending eight hours in bed each night, but do you find yourself waking up refreshed and alert? If you are constantly tossing and turning through the night then the quality of your sleep is probably not very good. Being able to have a few sleep cycles throughout the night, where you go into ‘deep’ sleep is really important for your health. In particular, deep sleep has a big impact on your memory. When you are in deep sleep, you are dreaming most heavily and this is the state where your brain consolidates all of the events that occurred that day and makes links to other things in your mind. This process of consolidation plays a big part in your ability to remember things. Achieving deep sleep every night will greatly improve your memory.

Help You Lose Weight

Now, this might sound like pseudoscience but the evidence for sleep helping you lose weight does exist. When you have disrupted sleep, this can affect the hormones that regulate your appetite. If you are struggling to lose weight, or are putting on weight, it might be because you aren’t getting enough sleep. The idea here is that by getting enough sleep you won’t be as hungry so you won’t put on extra weight. In theory, if you manage to change your sleep habits and start getting a good amount, you may find it easier to lose weight. The ability to lose weight is a lesser-known benefit of sleep.

Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite

The science of sleep has been shrouded in mystery for a long time. Due to a lack of research and solid evidence, the exact benefits remained unknown. Nowadays, there is a lot more time and effort being put into understanding the power of sleep and the health benefits it has. By getting a good night’s sleep you could; have a healthier heart, help prevent cancer, relieve stress, reduce inflammation, improve your memory and lose weight. All of these things have been shown to be true through scientific studies, but usually, come with some other caveats. The overwhelming consensus is that sleep is essential to maintain a healthy mind and body. Make sure that you always go to bed with a decent amount of time before you have to get up again.