Inadequate rest at night can have a disastrous effect on a person’s physical and mental well-being. In essence, proper sleep is as crucial to our health as eating a balanced diet and regular exercise is.
Unfortunately, there are various aspects in our lives that affect our natural sleeping patterns. In modern-day living, both the quantity and quality of our slumber have seen a severe decrease. However, according to an article written by Real Simple, small things, such as adjusting your sleeping position, can be the key to a better night’s rest.
To emphasize the importance of adequate sleep, we’ll explore five reasons why getting proper rest is essential.
Improved Concentration and Productivity
An inadequate night’s sleep leaves one waking up feeling groggy, irritated, and tired, severely affecting a person’s concentration and productivity while awake.
Scientists have conducted many research studies into sleep deprivation over the years. As a result, they proved that rest is directly linked to various brain functions, including:
- Productivity
- Cognition
- Concentration
- Performance
These studies also revealed that:
- A child’s sleeping pattern can directly impact their academic performance and behavior
- Healthcare interns that work 24-hour shifts are 36% more prone to making serious medical errors than those assigned to a schedule that allows for more rest
- Inadequate rest negatively impacts specific brain functions to an equivalent of alcohol intoxication
On the flip side, adequate sleep proved to enhance memory performance and problem-solving skills in adults and children.
Increased Calorie Regulation
People suffering from sleep deprivation are more prone to gaining weight. In addition, there’s also evidence suggesting that getting proper rest can help people consume fewer calories during the day. The reason being that one’s sleep pattern affects the hormones responsible for a person’s appetite.
Therefore, if an individual gets inadequate rest, it can disrupt their body’s natural ability to manage food intake correctly, resulting in consuming more food than the individual’s body requires.
Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
Hypertension is a significant risk factor for heart disease. However, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), getting proper rest every night enables the human body to regulate blood pressure. In turn, it promotes a person’s overall heart health and reduces your chances of developing sleep-related conditions like apnea.
Increased Emotional and Social Intelligence
Several studies involving facial recognition tests show that rest is linked to social and emotional intelligence. Poor sleeping habits reduce a person’s ability to interact socially. In effect, a person who suffers from sleep deprivation has a reduced capacity to recognize emotions and expressions in other people.
It’s also been proven that a person has reduced emotional empathy when they’re sleep-deprived.
Increased Inflammation as a Result of Inadequate Sleep
Inadequate rest is also known to affect swelling in a person’s body severely. It’s known to activate undesirable markers of both cell damage and inflammation.
There’s also a strong link between sleep deprivation and long-term swelling of the digestive tract in conditions commonly known as inflammatory bowel disease. Additionally, people with Crohn’s disease that don’t get adequate rest are twice as likely to experience a relapse than patients that sleep well.
To Wrap Up
Sleep is a crucial yet often neglected component of our overall well-being and health. It enables our bodies to repair themselves and prepares us to be ready and fit for the next day. Adequate rest boosts our immune system, preventing heart disease, weight gain, and various other common diseases.
It also helps to improve our concentration and emotional and social interaction. Without proper rest, it’s virtually impossible to achieve optimal health.