The Importance of Good Sleep to Your Health

There are 50-70 million US adults who have a sleep disorder. Sleep Statistics also states that 37.9% of people stated they unintentionally fell asleep during the day at least one time each month.

A good night’s sleep is incredibly important to your health. Unfortunately, many people never get the chance to sleep well due to disruptions, busy working schedules, health issues and even uncomfortable beddings.

Don’t worry if you have had a lack of sleep in the past. You can adopt several practices to increase your hours of sleep, your deep sleep, and help you sleep faster and improve your health in general. This article provides helpful techniques that you can try to fall asleep fast and improve the quality of sleep you get. But first, let’s look at the main benefits healthy sleep can do for your overall health.

1. Weight Management

Enough sleep can help you reduce the temptation to eat unhealthy food. When you stay awake for long hours, you mess with ghrelin, leptin and other brain cells which control your appetite. Unless you are keen, you can end up consuming unhealthy food and add excessive weight. A good night’s sleep can help you manage your appetite and control your weight, helping your daily routine.

2. Cancer Prevention

Health experts believe that excessive bright light exposure can reduce the level of melatonin in the body. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates sleep and is also believed to suppress the growth of cancer tumors. When sleeping, it’s advisable to keep off light and other sources of light to increase the production of melatonin in your body and live a healthier life.

3. Stress Reduction

Your body can quickly become stressed if you don’t get sufficient sleep. The more you stay awake, the more your blood pressure increases, and the more your body produces stress hormones. Enough sleep allows your brain cells to relax and deprive you of any stress which causes a sleepless night.

4. Sharper Brain

A peaceful sleep makes you more alert and energized on the following day. Ideally, enough sleep gives your brain enough time to store your memories and pull them up later. It also lowers your blood pressure and allows your body to rest. That’s why your brain becomes sharper, and your body energy increases when you get enough sleep. This also helps create a sleep pattern for your body.

5. More Glow

People with sleep issues may have body cell issues. Body cells become easily worn out during the day due to excessive ultraviolet rays and other hazardous exposure. Excess stress and sleep deprivation can also damage your body cells. If you stay awake for long hours, you can end up hurting your body cells which means that you can quickly become weak with time. Adequate sleep allows the body cells to produce more protein and repair themselves.

6. Depression Reduction

Too much stress can result in depression if you don’t get enough sleep. When you sleep, the body produces a chemical known as serotonin which prevents depression. Sleep deficiency interferes with the production of this hormone and makes you more prone to depression.

7. Healthier Heart

Blood pressure goes down when you sleep. A lower blood pressure gives your blood vessels more time to rest than when you stay awake 24/7. High blood pressure can cause adverse effects to your health, including stroke or even heart disease. 

How to Improve Your Sleep

The first step of improving your sleep and getting adequate sleep is to understand the things which disrupt you. Is it your work? Is it your sleeping environment? With this knowledge, you can quickly develop great strategies and sleep schedules to get back your standard sleeping quality and live a healthier life. Here are helpful tips on how you can improve your sleep:

1. Pay Attention To Your Diet

At times, your diet may be the reason why you never get enough sleep. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid heavy meals before you sleep. The heavy meals can give you discomfort and disrupt you later on at night.

Also, you should avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants. Though the drinks may make you sleep at first, they can interfere with your sleep later on at night.

2. Stick To A Regular Sleeping Schedule

You should have a regular sleeping schedule based on your age and the type of work you do. If you can’t manage to sleep at night, schedule 9 to 10 hours during the day to sleep. Make sure you go to bed at exactly that time one a regular basis so that your body can get used to the pattern. With consistency, your body will soon get used to your sleeping pattern, and you will say goodbye to poor sleep or sleep loss.

3. Create A Peaceful Environment

Maybe, the reason why you don’t get enough sleep is because your environment is not conducive enough. The main sleeping disturbances include excess noise or excess light. If you always sleep with your lights on, try switching them off to see if there will be any change. Similarly, limit any noise getting into your room when sleeping. You can also try relaxation techniques to create your own peaceful environment.

4. Limit Your TV Or Phones Usage

Smartphones, TV, or even computers can disrupt your sleep. They can tempt you to keep using them at night and reduce the number of hours you sleep per day which causes different effects of sleep. If you are addicted to them, try keeping them in a different room when sleeping.

5. Get Another Mattress

When did you last change your mattress? Perhaps, you have been having sleeping problems simply because your mattress is too old and is no longer comfortable. A good mattress should support your back and the other parts of your body for you to rest well, enhancing your sleep quality. So, don’t hesitate to invest in a new mattress while still making your bedroom comfortable for a peaceful sleep.

6. Try The Breathing Exercise

A breathing exercise can help you get sleepy, especially if stress is the leading cause of poor sleep. One helpful breathing exercise is the 4-7-8 technique which involves breathing for four seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds and exhaling for 8 seconds. You can add this as part of your bedtime routine.

This rhythmic breathing can make you less anxious and promote your sleep.

7. Listen To Music

Music may not always work for everyone, but perhaps, it can be a part of relaxation exercises for you, especially when you are stressed. Just make sure the music is not too loud to avoid disrupting the other people.

8. Get A Shower

A cold or hot shower can help you sleep fast. Assuming that you had a long day at work, the shower will optimize your body temperature and bring in the correct sleeping mood.

According to health experts, an adult should sleep for at least eight hours per day. No Bull Mattress is ready to help you get quality sleep by offering the best mattresses. We understand the importance of peaceful sleep to the human body, and that’s why we strive to provide the best quality mattresses at an affordable price.

Contact our team today to get a recommendation for the best mattresses according to your age and health.

SOURCES
https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/sleep-statistics/
https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-disease
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324417