Getting enough sleep is incredibly important for people of all ages. Due to a number of factors that interfere with the quality of your sleep that can't be easily fixed by finding the best mattress to buy online, a fluffier pillow, and a warmer blanket, most people find themselves struggling to get enough sleep.
Quality sleep is proven to eradicate your body's exhaustion, leaving you feeling almost euphoric, completely rejuvenated, and ready to tackle the events of a new day. Most importantly, it has several health benefits. This means that it is essential to ensure you get enough sleep every single night.
What Factors Affect Your Sleep Quality
- Irregular Sleep Patterns: Going to bed and waking up at different times every day ends up affecting your ability to fall asleep in the long run
- Snoring: Most people think that it is normal to snore; however, excessive snoring not only prevents your partner from sleeping peacefully but can also prove to be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea
- Sleep Environment: It is crucial to ensure that your bedroom is quiet and doesn't have excessive lights. Blue light from electronics enhance alertness, and using them right before you go to bed will make it difficult for you to initiate sleep
- Mental Health Disorders: Anxiety and depression are common mental health disorders that are known to cause insomnia
- Alcohol and Caffeine: Caffeine stimulates the body, which makes it hard to fall asleep while alcohol interferes with your ability to stay asleep throughout the night
- Sleep Disorders: Sleep disorders make it difficult for your mind and body to relax, making it problematic to fall and stay asleep. Frequent arousals and frightening dreams are among the nighttime symptoms of narcolepsy, which can affect your sleep quality
- Medication: Many prescribed drugs like diuretics increase the need to go to the bathroom, which makes it difficult to stay asleep. Sleeping drugs can also have side effects such as daytime drowsiness and eventually cause inadequate sleep
What Are the Health Benefits of Enough Sleep
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- Sleep Enhances Physical Fitness
You already know that exercising improves the quality of your sleep, but in turn, adequate sleep also allows you to work out better. Studies show that when an athlete is sleep-deprived, their ability to perform well in sports deteriorates.
- Sleep Boosts the Immune System
According to a study published in April in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, individuals who get less than 5 hours of sleep every night are more susceptible to contract colds and other infections. This study supported the fact that getting a good night's rest can boost your immune system, making you healthier and less likely to develop colds and other infections.
- Sleep Helps Prevent Migraines
Sleep deprivation, stress, and fatigue are all known causes of frequent migraines. When your body is subjected to stressful and exhausting circumstances and topped off with lack of sleep, you are bound to experience intense and continuous headaches. If you are prone to getting migraines, you should consider getting more sleep each night since enough sleep can prevent the occurrence of migraines.
- Sleep Keeps Your Appetite Hormones in Check
Your body has hormones that constantly create feelings of fullness and hunger. Human laboratory studies have shown that when sleep is cut short, hunger hormones such as leptin, insulin, and ghrelin are disrupted. Further studies indicated that feelings of hunger increase when an individual is sleep-deprived, while those who get enough sleep have a tendency to make healthier food choices.
- Sleep Improves Blood Sugar Control
When you aren't getting enough sleep, you are likely to end up with pre-diabetic conditions. The free fatty acids in your blood will elevate and hinder the body's insulin from decreasing your blood sugar. Generally, quality sleep leads to lower blood sugar, while sleep deprivation causes higher blood sugar levels, especially in males.
- Sleep Helps Control Your Weight
Several observational studies have deduced that inadequate sleep in both children and adults can result in obesity. Sleep deprivation leaves you feeling drained and sluggish, which means you are less likely to make healthy eating decisions or even put in an effort to exercise. Lacking adequate sleep lowers your metabolism rate while getting enough sleep increases your metabolism making you more active throughout the day.
Ensure You Get Adequate Sleep
Just like regular exercising and good nutrition, quality sleep is also a pillar of health. Without enough sleep, it is impossible to achieve optimal health. To get enough sleep, you should consider cutting down on caffeine afternoon, adding exercise to your daily routine, creating a sleep schedule you can stick to every day, limiting your alcohol and nicotine consumption, ensuring your sleeping environment is cool, quiet, and dark and seeking a sleep specialist's help if need be.