Sleep : 5 Health Benefits Of A Good Nights Sleep

Most of us are aware that we should be getting an average of 8 hours sleep per night ‘because it’s good for us’. Ever wondered how it’s beneficial?

Getting a solid nights sleep is important for a number of functions:

1. Growth and repair
If you are very active, or following a fitness plan, your body’s tissues are repairing and healing themselves while you are in the land of nod. Insufficient rest on an ongoing basis can lead to

overtraining syndrome, which has whole host of negative physiological and psychological effects.

2. Regulation of appetite.
It is thought that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep.

3. Reduces stress.
When we are deprived of sleep, our bodies produce stress hormones to keep us going. Fine in the very short term, but these stress hormones raise blood pressure, and unfortunately, they also make it harder to sleep.

4. Reduces inflammation.
Another side effect of the increase in stress hormones is systemic inflammation. This is bad news for anyone with arthritis, breathing related illnesses, and even those who are trying to lose weight.

5. Improves memory.
While we sleep, a process called memory consolidation takes place. This is where your brain takes the sensory input, feelings and memories from the day, and links new information to existing knowledge. Even though it’s not known exactly how this happens, it is believed that we store information in the junctions between neurons (nerve cells).
- Naps help you learn.
Taking short naps has been proven to improve memory of recently learned information. So if you’re studying for an exam, take regular 20 minute naps.