Health Benefits of Sleep

We may all have our differences, but every human in the world needs sleep. Why is sleep important? Every system in your body relies on good sleep to recover from the day and get ready for the next one. (7)

The benefits of sleep include better immune health, easier weight management, a healthier heart, improved mood, and a lower risk of mental health disorders and stress. (7) Sounds pretty good, right? To get these sleep benefits, experts say adults need seven to nine hours of snoozing a night. (4)

Below, we’ll dig into the details of all the beautiful benefits of sleep, and let you know how to get them for yourself.

Note: The content on Sleepopolis is meant to be informative in nature, but it shouldn’t taken as medical advice, and it shouldn’t take the place of medical advice and supervision from a trained professional. If you feel you may be suffering from any sleep disorder or medical condition, please see your healthcare provider immediately.

Why Do We Need Sleep?

Your body craves good quality rest each night, and we can’t over-hype the benefits of sleep. “Sufficient sleep is vital for our overall health, safety and well-being and it’s one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle, along with good nutrition and regular exercise,” says Dr. Muhammad A. Rishi, sleep medicine physician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (4)

But why do we sleep at all? During sleep, your body has a chance to recover from the mental and physical stresses of the day, says Rishi, repairing muscles, organs, and cells throughout your body. Good sleep also regulates hormones that help your metabolism, immune response, and other essential body functions, Rishi adds. (7)

Sleep helps every part of you, including your brain. While you snooze the night away, your brain can organize your daily experiences, solidify new information, and regulate your mood for the next day. (8) Recent research suggests your brain may even go through a self-cleaning process during sleep, clearing out the cobwebs and setting you up for next-day success. (9)

Health Benefits of Sleep

Whether you love sleep or wish you didn’t need so much, you may ask yourself, “Why is sleep important?” It turns out, the benefits of sleep reach every system in your body and can offer enormous health rewards, like a brain boost, less inflammation, stronger immune system, and even better athletic performance. (7) (10)

Supports the Immune System 

While you snooze the night away, your immune system gets busy making infection-fighting cells and repairing damaged tissues throughout your body and brain, says Rishi. When you don’t get enough, you make it easier for infections like a cold for flu to invade. (7) (11) In fact, studies have shown that people who don’t get enough high-quality sleep get more upper respiratory infections than those who do. (2)

Helps with Weight Management 

Perhaps surprisingly, your sleep health can do a lot for your weight. “Sleep affects weight management by regulating hormones that control hunger and appetite,” says Rishi. (4) 

When you get overtired, Rishi adds, your body craves high-calorie foods (a lot of them). Missing out on sleep can also leave you with less energy and motivation during the day to exercise. (4) 
On top of this, sleep deprivation can slow down your metabolism, causing your body to hold on to more fat. (12) But when you get good sleep, your body can work with you to keep excess weight off. (13)

Decreases Inflammation in the Body

Long-term inflammation in your body can lead to all sorts of unwelcome issues like heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and lung conditions. (14) Sleep deprivation can lead to high inflammation, but adequate sleep boosts anti-inflammatory hormone production, says Rishi, which protects you from all those nasty effects. 

And on that note, here’s an important heads up to the ladies: according to one small study, extra inflammation from sleep loss may be more common in women, experts say, so don’t be shy about prioritizing your sleep. (15)

Boosts Athletic Performance 

“Sleep plays a crucial role in boosting athletic performance and overall health for several reasons,” says Rishi. Athletes push their bodies hard, and sleep provides essential time to repair tissues and recover. (11)

Additionally, the increased brain power that comes with good sleep can help athletes improve their reaction times and accuracy, and also plays an important role in mental health by helping them regulate their emotions on and off the playing field, says Rishi. (16) (17) Sleep improves muscle strength, speed, and can even protect athletes from risk of injury during an athletic event. (10)

Supports Cardiovascular Health

When you sleep, your heart rate and blood pressure lower, giving your cardiovascular system a much-needed break. (11) When you don’t get enough high-quality slumber, your heart doesn’t get the rest it needs, which can lead to heart problems like hypertension (chronic high blood pressure) and heart disease. (2) (7) In fact, research shows people who sleep six hours or less each night have higher blood pressure than those who sleep more. (18) (19)

Regulates Blood Sugar

We all have sugar (glucose) in our blood, which our bodies regulate through a hormone called insulin. (20) “Sleep helps maintain proper insulin sensitivity, which is crucial for effective blood sugar regulation,” says Rishi. (11)

Sleep also affects other hormones that affect insulin, like cortisol and growth hormone. (21) (22) Missing out on sleep can disrupt how your body processes glucose, leaving you with higher sugar levels that can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. (2) (7) On the flipside, getting good sleep can protect you from high blood sugar and the risk of diabetes. (11)

Improves Mood

For anyone who has found themselves feeling crabby after a poor night’s sleep, it’s probably no surprise that quality sleep can keep your emotions more stable, allowing you to manage stress and respond to any challenges more effectively. “When sleep is compromised, it can lead to increased irritability, mood swings and heightened emotional reactivity,” says Rishi. (17)

When sleep deprivation goes on for months, it can prompt mood disorders like anxiety, and it may make symptoms harder to manage; however, focusing on good sleep health can protect you from these symptoms and improve your mood. (23)

“Additionally, sleep supports cognitive functions like problem-solving and decision-making, which are essential for maintaining a balanced mood,” Rishi adds. (16)

Helps You Manage Stress

“When sleep is insufficient, cortisol [(stress hormone)] levels can become elevated, leading to increased feelings of stress and anxiety,” says Rishi, adding that poor sleep also lowers your brain’s ability to process and manage stress, making it harder to cope with daily challenges. (3)

Just to make it extra “fun,” when missing sleep makes you stressed, that stress can keep you getting enough sleep. (3) But you can break this vicious cycle by adopting good sleep hygiene habits to manage your stress and get better rest, says Rishi. (6) Keep reading for sleep tips below!

Reduces Anxiety and Depression 

Your mental health and sleep quality are closely linked. As we mentioned earlier, sleep deprivation changes your brain activity, increasing any symptoms of anxiety or depression you already have, along with putting you at higher risk of developing these and other mental health disorders. (11) 

“Conversely,” says Rishi, “improving sleep quality can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, as it supports better emotional regulation and cognitive function.” (6)

Improves Cognitive Performance 

Sleep gives your brain the opportunity to “fire on all cylinders.” Excellent slumber helps your brain process and organize all you’ve learned during the day, saving it for future use, says Rishi. But it also gives you executive function superpowers, which means you can more effectively plan and use critical thinking and complex reasoning during the day. (16)

Experts have also discovered that during sleep, your brain goes through a self-cleaning process that removes toxins that have built up during the day, which could otherwise impact how well your brain functions. (8) “A lack of sleep can lead to reduced cognitive performance, increased errors and slower reaction times,” adds Rishi. 

Drowsy driving, for example, can slow your computing power and make operating a vehicle more risky. (24) Good sleep, on the other hand, can boost your brain power and help you respond to situations quickly. (7)

Tips For Improving Sleep Quality

If these benefits sound tempting, you’re in luck — we can help you get them. To improve your sleep amount and quality, says Rishi, try to incorporate these sleep hygiene tips: (25)

• Stick to your schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This will regulate your body’s internal clock and make good sleep easier to get.
• Create a bedtime routine: Choose pre-bed activities that help you unwind, like reading a book or taking a warm bath.
• Use mindfulness to relax: Try practicing stress-reducing techniques like meditation, mindfulness, and deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and body after a full day.
• Curate your sleep space: Adjust your bedroom with a comfy mattress and bedding, making sure it’s cool, dark, and quiet when you need to sleep.
• Ditch the screens: About an hour before bed, turn off your electronics. The blue light from your favorite devices can confuse your brain into thinking it’s time to stay awake.
• Keep snacks light: Large meals can keep you up by causing acid reflux, but light snacks are A-okay.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol: These two fan-favorites can disrupt your sleep if you consume them too close to bedtime.

This list can get you started, but feel free to experiment on your own. Everyone is different, and you may find some tricks that lull you into a good night’s rest better than anything else.

FAQs

The Last Word From Sleepopolis

Life keeps getting busier, and we have more and more opportunities to skimp on sleep. Experts say since the turn of the 20th century, we have been getting less and less Zzzs, and we know missing sleep can lead to all sorts of issues from anxiety to heart attacks. (4) 

But this doesn’t have to describe you! We can’t live well without enough sleep, and the more often you can get seven to nine hours a night, the better every part of you will function. You can start prioritizing your nightly snooze fest tonight and build better sleep habits for your best health.

Sources

Abby McCoy

Abby McCoy is an RN of 16 years who has worked with adults and pediatric patients encompassing trauma, orthopedics, home care, transplant, and case management. She has practiced nursing all over the world from San Fransisco, CA to Tharaka, Kenya. Abby loves spending time with her husband, four kids, and their cat named Cat.