For a long time, sleep was a mystery, but it’s not the big unknown anymore. Modern studies have shown us the role sleep plays in our lives, and it’s critical.
You’ve probably seen how it feels when you don’t get enough sleep or don’t keep to a sleep schedule. The physical effects are obvious and can be damaging to your overall health.
Keeping a healthy sleep schedule is usually emphasized by health professionals.
If you’re wondering why it’s that important, take a look at these benefits of a healthy sleep schedule.
Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
Healthy sleep is not just about getting enough shuteye but remaining consistent and creating a regular sleep pattern.
When you sleep five hours one night and seven on another night, your sleep schedule becomes irregular. Scientists have now discovered irregular sleep increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
That makes a healthy sleep schedule vital to your heart health. Basically, you start protecting your heart without doing much except getting quality sleep.
Weight Loss
Various studies have linked sleep to weight gain, with some suggesting that sleep deprivation is a risk factor for obesity.
When you don’t have a healthy sleep schedule, you’ll tend to struggle with sleep deprivation, which creates an unhealthy balance of the hormones ghrelin and leptin.
Ghrelin causes the feeling of hunger, while leptin makes you feel full. Lack of enough sleep increases your ghrelin levels and lowers your leptin levels. That imbalance can make you overeat.
By maintaining a healthy sleep pattern, it becomes easier to lose or maintain weight.
Improves Mood
Sleep has an impact on your mood. On days when you don’t sleep well, you’re likely to be crankier than usual.
The effect on your mood has to do with the shift in energy levels associated with sleep. If you sleep well, your energy reserves get restored, and you wake up well-rested and in a good mood.
Lack of enough sleep will have a completely different effect on you. Since you’ve cut short your rest, you wake up tired and in low spirits. With a good sleep pattern, you get quality sleep, which helps to improve your mood.
Improves Productivity
Lack of enough sleep can heavily impair brain function, affecting your memory, concentration, and overall productivity.
Since sleep benefits different aspects of your brain, you can follow a regular sleep schedule to improve your mental health. You’ll be able to think and perform your daily tasks better.
If you’re struggling with performance at the workplace, you may want to consider creating a healthy sleep schedule to boost productivity.
Regulates Blood Sugar
People with diabetes are at risk of blood sugar spikes when they don’t get quality sleep. That is because sleep can affect the balance of hormones in the body and may tamper with insulin production.
It is thought that sleeping less heightens the risk of getting type 2 diabetes and may cause insulin resistance. Other issues like low insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and hormonal changes are also diabetes risk factors.
The connection between diabetes and lack of sleep is caused by the inability of cells to use insulin properly, resulting in increased blood sugar.
You can support your body in regulating blood sugar and lowering the risk of diabetes by consistently sleeping at least seven hours.
Repairs the Body
One of the main roles of sleep is restoring and repairing the body, allowing you to feel refreshed when you wake up. The growth hormones produced while you sleep repair tissues and cells, supporting normal body function.
With a healthy sleep schedule, you provide your body the opportunity to heal and function well.
The Bottom Line
The value of sleep for your body can’t be understated. It’s just as important to sleep well as it is to eat a balanced diet or stay hydrated.
You may struggle to fall asleep, which is one of the leading causes of irregular sleep schedules. Take advantage of available solutions for sleeping better, like sleep hygiene, mindful meditation, and relaxation techniques.
Natural remedies like medical cannabis can also treat sleep issues. Some marijuana strains have become popular insomnia remedies. Taking the correct dose every night can aid your sleep. Marijuana Doctors has a guide on weed measurements to help with dosage.
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