Six Benefits of Sleep

Have you ever had trouble falling asleep, and seemingly the moment you succeed in commencing your slumber.... BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The 6:00 am alarm wrenches you from your dark and quiet peace back to reality. You may feel sharp and ready for action at first, but as the day wears on, fatigue and grogginess cloud your senses and your thinking. Apart from feeling refreshed and energetic throughout the day, sleep may add many surprising health benefits to your lifestyle.

Sharper Brain: When you're low on sleep, your brain has a difficult time concentrating, learning, and memorizing. The adverse of this is if you get enough sleep, (7-8 hours is recommended by professionals) it allows for your brain to rest and recover, and prepare itself for the next day.

Mood Boost:  Sleep allows your brain to process emotions, more specifically filter out the negative ones. A lack of sleep raises chances of developing a mood disorder, and studies find that patients with insomnia are much more likely to develop depression.

Healthier Heart: During sleep, your blood pressure goes down, giving your circulatory system rest. With less sleep, your heart and arteries are working harder for longer, and may lead to heart disease and stroke.

Athleticism: Sleep allows for your muscles to rest, grow, and recover. Getting enough sleep boosts reaction times, energy, and motivation, allowing for you to get to the finish line.

Immune System: A lack of sleep alters the patterns in which your immune cells ward off harmful bacteria and viruses. This lowers the effectiveness of your immune system, and leads to you getting sick, tired, fatigued, exhausted, and worn out more easily.

Weight Control: Sleep deprivation alters the hormones in your brain, leptin and ghrelin, that control appetite. If you're well rested, you're less hungry. With less sleep, you will be less likely to resist unhealthy foods and less active. Together, these symptoms will lead to weight gain.

These are only a few of the benefits of getting an optimal level of sleep (7-8 hours). But of you don't believe me, experiment with different levels of sleep for yourself!

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Also in Hug Patrol Chronicles