Everyone knows the wonderful feeling of waking up refreshed. There is nothing like a good night’s sleep or a mid-day cat nap. Seep is good.
It is a shame sleep, and especially restful sleep, is becoming a luxury.
Catching your nightly zzz’s is, in fact, just as important in maintaining a healthy mind and body as having your daily five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Not having enough sleep is not only superficial, like feeling tired and grumpy.
According to studies carried out at Harvard University, chronic sleep deprivation can bring on a number of cardiovascular illnesses such as stroke. It can also contribute to the development of diabetes and is linked to obesity and excessive weight gain, since sleep deprivation can play havoc with your body’s ability to produce the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite.
In the end, winning is sleeping better.
Jodie Foster
If that’s not enough to convince you to stop burning the candle at both ends, here are five quick and compelling reasons to go to bed on time:
5 Reasons Sleep is Good
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BETTER SKIN
Your body repairs itself during sleep so more sleep = glowing skin.
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BETTER BREATH
Sleep deprivation causes gums to bleed, which in turn causes halitosis (tip – mints can make this problem worse)
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HELP KEEP CELLS HEALTHY
Your body produces melatonin in its sleep which in turn is the hormone that keeps tumors from growing.
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BOOST IMMUNITY
Sleep deprivation chips away at your immunity, which makes you more prone to infections and being sluggish.
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HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
Next time you work late and get stuck on a problem, sleep on it. Studies have shown that our brain processes information from the day during sleep. This is why we often wake up with the solution to a problem the next day or find it much easier to figure it out the next day.
Sleep at a good hour to allow your body to rejuvenate. Kids especially need a lot of sleep, and given many kids having to get up in the early hours of the morning for school, late nights should be a rare treat, and not an every day occurrence.
To help get restful sleep, be sure to turn off your wifi, remove electronics from the room (if not, then at least six feet away from the body), refrain from working on the computer or reading on your smartphone and tablet before sleep, and explore what relaxation techniques work for you.
