Sleeping is a normal routine for all living things. It helps to make the bodily functions like growing and replenishing of lost energy, work efficiently.
People of all ages need sleep. It is an essential aspect of survival. It also gives your body the time and energy to build or repair tissues and to give it rest for renewed strength.
Here are some of the known health benefits of sleep:
1. It helps to promote cardiovascular health.
Lack of sleep can trigger high blood pressure and cholesterol. These are two of the main causes of strokes and heart attacks. You need seven hours of sleep for every 24 hours. This can help to give you a healthy heart and normal blood pressure.
2. It helps to prevent certain types of cancer.
Recent researches suggest that exposure to light during nighttime can reduce the production of melatonin – an essential hormone that induces drowsiness. Normal levels of melatonin in the body can help to prevent the growth of cancer cells, especially the ones that affect the colon and the breast.
3. It helps to reduces stress.
Lack of sufficient sleep and rest can cause stress. Stress can cause blood pressure to rise. This can lead to the development of other diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and sleep apnea.
4. It helps to alleviate inflammation.
One of the most important health benefits of sleep is its ability to alleviate inflammation and swelling of the body. These can lead to complications such as heart problems, diabetes and cancer.
5. It helps to boosts your memory.
As we have all experienced, lack of adequate sleep makes our brain “foggy” which makes concentrating difficult. This can lead to memory problems.
If you have sufficient amounts of sleep, your brain will be able to organize your memory, process new knowledge and improve your understanding and retention.
You should make it a habit to take sufficient amounts of sleep each night. Chronic sleep deprivation can weaken your body’s resistance and endurance. It can also lead to a lot of health issues which include obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and cancer.
While sleep is necessary to keep you healthy, you should also know that excessive sleeping is not healthy as it can indicate the onset of sleeping disorders known as hypersomnia or Kleine-levin syndrome.
