Why is Sleep so Important
Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain healthy and stave off diseases. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly.
Sleep allows muscle tissue time to recover between workouts. Sufficient sleep is also important in having the energy to exercise. Not getting enough sleep can lead to being less physically active during the day and reduced muscle strength during workouts.
Most adults need 7 or more hours of good-quality sleep on a regular schedule each night.
Getting enough sleep isn’t only about total hours of sleep. It’s also important to get good-quality sleep on a regular schedule so you feel rested when you wake up.
Between 10 pm to 2 pm, we produce the greatest amount of melatonin that influences HGH secretion. HGH is used to help the body burn fat, repair collagen, Regenerate body tissue, improve body density, enhance immunity, and repair cells.
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Some of the many benefits health professionals associate with getting a good night’s rest.
Better productivity and concentration
Sleep recommendations
Spending more time outside can improve sleep quality.
Sleep needs vary from person to person, depending on their age. As a person ages, they typically require less sleep to function properly.
The breakdown is as follows:
- Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
- Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
- Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
- Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
- School-age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
- Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
- Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
- Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
- Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours
As well as the number of hours, the quality of sleep is also important. Signs of poor sleep quality include:
- Waking in the middle of the night.
- Still not feeling rested after an adequate number of hours of sleep.
Some things a person can do to improve sleep quality are:
- Avoid sleeping in when you have had enough sleep.
- Going to bed around the same time each night.
- Spending more time outside and being more active during the day.
- Reducing stress through exercise, therapy, or other means.
Sleep is a vital, often neglected, component of every person’s overall health and well-being. Sleep is important because it enables the body to repair and be fit and ready for another day.
Getting adequate rest may also help prevent excess weight gain, heart disease, and increased illness duration.
Side effects of not getting enough sleep
If you experience daytime sleepiness, it’s a sign that you’re not getting enough sleep at night. You might also experience accidents, irritability, and forgetfulness.
Not getting enough sleep on a regular basis can also lead to more long-term health consequences. These include:
- getting sick more often
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- diabetes
- heart disease
- obesity
- depression
Side effects of getting too much sleep
While the side effects of not getting enough sleep have long been established, the health consequences associated with too much sleep.
You might be sleeping too much if you find yourself needing more than 8 to 9 hours of sleep on a regular basis, and perhaps needing naps on top of this amount.
Sleeping too much can lead to many of the same side effects as sleeping too little, including:
- depression
- irritability
- cardiovascular issues
However, such effects may not always be attributed to the act of sleeping too much itself. The excess sleep you require might instead be a sign of a related underlying health condition.
Some of the possibilities include:
- anxiety
- depression
- sleep apnea
- Parkinson’s disease
- diabetes
- heart disease
- obesity
- thyroid disorders
- asthma