why is sufficient sleep so important?
In a world that often glorifies busyness and productivity, it is essential to recognise the great value of sufficient sleep. Prioritising restorative sleep is not a luxury; it is a fundamental necessity for our physical health, cognitive abilities, emotional wellbeing, and overall quality of life. By embracing healthy sleep habits, we empower ourselves to perform at our best, maintain optimal health, and navigate life’s challenges with clarity, vitality, and resilience.
In addition to being a vital element of our own health and wellbeing, sleep has tremendous effects on our mental and physical appearances as well. Sufficient sleep is essential for the body’s restorative processes. During sleep, the body repairs and rejuvenates itself. It is a time when muscles and tissues are repaired, growth and development occur, and the immune system is strengthened. Proper sleep supports the healing of injuries, enhances athletic performance, and helps regulate various bodily functions, including metabolism, appetite, and hormone production
How much sleep do I need?
There has been countless studies of how much sleep we really need. General consensus, as mentioned in this article from the Sleep Foundation, stated that adults need at least 7 hour of sleep per night, but in recent times new research has shown that there are many factors to take into consideration when finding the optimal restoration time for the individual. The Sleep Foundation also mentions that women need more sleep than men, on average 11 minutes more per night. This is due to the different hormonal build-up in the sexes. Women are in fact more than 40% likely to experience insomnia than men, a condition that is closely linked with anxiety and depression. In addition, women goes through different hormonally impacted stages than men such as menstruation, pregnancy and menopause where we need additional sleep to compensate for the changes in our bodies.
Additional benefits of sleep
Sleep is awesome and if I have not yet convinced you here are some more amazing benefits of the much needed shut eye time.
Enhanced physical and immune health: Sleep supports a healthy immune system. During sleep the body produces cytokines, which is a type of protein that assists the body to fight inflammation, infections and stress. Sufficient sleep boosts immune function, reduces the risk of infections such as colds and other illnesses. In addition, chronic sleep deprivation has links to increased susceptibility to chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even certain types of cancer.
The conclusion?
Regardless of how busy we are, how much is going on at work, plans we have with our friends and family, we need to prioritise sleep. Sleep should not be considered a luxury activity reserved for the wealthy or considered a ‘lazy’ habit. We absolutely need sleep to function as humans beings and the more adequate sleep we get, the better we will be in our awaken time, ready to perform, focus and be present with the ones we love.
