A Few Reasons Why Sleep is Important

Have you heard people brag about pulling all-nighters?  They’ll say things like “I only need five hours of sleep a night” or “I’ll sleep when I’m dead?”  Well, I’m here to tell you that your body needs sleep!  Did you know that driving while sleep-deprived can be just as bad as driving while intoxicated?

There are so many benefits to sleep, but I’m just going to give you five of them for now.

1. You Will Look Better

Isn’t that enough of a reason to get 7-9 hours of sleep, on average? Who wants to walk around with big puffy circles under their eyes every day?

2. Sleep has a Major Impact on Weight Loss and Maintenance

There are two regulatory hormones in our bodies that sleep deprivation impacts, Ghrelin and Leptin. Ghrelin tells your body when to eat. If you don’t get enough sleep, this hormone increases. Leptin tells you when to stop eating. If you don’t get enough sleep, leptin levels decrease.

So imagine that you’re running on 3 hours of sleep, you’ve got ghrelin telling you it’s time to eat all day, and leptin is slacking off, so you’re eating way too much.  If you consistently don’t get enough sleep every night, this habit will start to show in your waistline and on the scale!

Getting enough sleep will help you eat the right amount of food. And, eating the right types and amounts of food can also help you sleep better at night.

3. You Will Think More Clearly

When you’re tired, your brain will not function as it should. If you’re not a morning person and you force yourself to take morning classes, I’m sure you will feel it. If you’re tired in the afternoon, and you’re trying to think, your brain won’t work as well.

4. You’re More Pleasant to Be Around

Quite frankly, you’re much more pleasant to be around when you’re well-rested. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re just going to be tired and irritable.

5. Life Sucks When You’re Tired

I don’t know how else to say it. There will be days when you’re more tired than usual, but you don’t want “tired” to be your average running pace through life.

If you have trouble sleeping, here are five tips to help you sleep better tonight:

• Meditate or perform deep-breathing exercises before bed. It will clear your head and calm down your whole system.

• Stop drinking caffeine after Noon. Caffeine blocks your “sleep receptors,” and keeps your brain whirling all night long, so kick that afternoon coffee habit to sleep peacefully.

• Do not watch TV in bed. Sleep experts say that it’s hard to get to sleep if your television is flashing lights in your face just before bedtime, especially if you’re watching violent or intense programs.

• Sleep at temperatures between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts say that this is the best temperature range to get the deepest sleep.

• Buy the best bed you can afford. A good mattress makes all the difference!