Sleep Boosts Immunity
You may be catching every cold and flu around, but it’s your bedtime that really does the trick. Prolonged lack of sleep can disrupt our immune system so we’re less able to fight off bugs!
Sleep can slim you
Sleeping less may lead to weight gain! Studies have shown that people who sleep 6 or fewer hours a day tend to put on more pounds than those with 7-hour stretches.
The risks for obesity are higher too, so if you’re struggling keep up your regular sleeping schedule tomorrow night (or any other).
It’s believed to be because sleep-deprived people have reduced levels of leptin (the chemical that makes you feel full) and increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger-stimulating hormone).
Sleep boosts mental wellbeing
Chronic sleep debt can lead to long-term mood disorders like clinical depression and generalised anxiety disorder in adults.
A single sleepless night may make you irritable or moody the following day, which is not surprising given that lack of proper rest has been linked with increased levels bad stress hormones throughout your body over time!
When people with anxiety or depression were surveyed to calculate their sleeping habits, it turned out that most of them slept for less than 6 hours a night.
Sleep prevents diabetes
Chronic sleep debt can lead to long-term mood disorders like clinical depression and generalised anxiety disorder in adults.
A single sleepless night may make you irritable or moody the following day, which is not surprising given that lack of proper rest has been linked with increased levels bad stress hormones throughout your body over time!
The connection between sleep and diabetes has been studied for years, but recently new research connects it with a surprising cause. When people don’t get enough good quality rest they are more likely to develop type 2 Diabetes because their bodies process glucose differently which can lead them into an energy crisis faster than normal.
Sleep wards off heart disease
The more you lack sleep, the harder your heart works to keep going. The link between long-standing sleeplessness and an increased workload on our vital organ may seem tenuous at best but studies show that there are serious consequences when this goes untreated including inflammation in addition to higher rates of hypertension or even stroke!
How to catch up on lost sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep, there’s only one way to compensate – getting more sleep.
It won’t happen with a single early night. If you’ve had months of restricted sleep, you’ll have built up a significant sleep debt, so expect recovery to take several weeks.
Starting on a weekend, try to add on an extra hour or 2 of sleep a night. The way to do this is to go to bed when you’re tired, and allow your body to wake you in the morning (no alarm clocks allowed!).
You might sleep up to 10 hours a night at first. After a while, the amount of time you sleep will gradually decrease to a normal level.
Don’t rely on caffeine or energy drinks as a short-term pick-me-up. They may boost your energy and concentration in the short term, but can disrupt your sleep patterns even further in the long term.
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