Why is it important to sleep? Here is a list based on the latest scientific studies on the importance of good, deep sleep. Start prioritizing your sleep today
1. You live longer
Studies have shown that there are strong correlations between how much quality sleep we get and how healthy we are. Add deep, long quality sleep to good diet and exercise habits and you will extend your lifespan. Most importantly, you increase the quality of life in those years!
2. You will remember what a fantastic life you lived when you get old**
During sleep, the hypothalamus (think of a USB drive) sends waves to the frontal lobe (the hard drive) with all information from specific dates: emotions, experiences, images, etc. If the USB drive does not get the opportunity to store its information on the hard drive every night, it empties and the information is lost. This cannot be compensated by sleeping more the next day or over the weekend. This impact on the brain has been seen on brain scans and is linked to autoimmune diseases like Alzheimer's, even several years before the disease is detected, abnormalities have been demonstrated.
3. You will achieve your goals and become more creative
Our subconscious processes the information you received during the day while you sleep. If you have a situation or a problem that needs to be solved, your subconscious during sleep will help you find the solution if you consciously try to solve the problem and focus on the results you want to achieve just before you fall asleep. The state you are in then has similarities between hypnosis; in that state, we have the opportunity to influence ourselves positively (and negatively - our thoughts determine). Have you ever woken up with a smart idea?
4. You will feel happier
Even if you haven't reached your big goals yet, you will feel better due to the large release of happiness hormones that occur when you sleep. You develop patience, resilience to stressful situations, and you become more loving both towards yourself and others. What does success really mean if you don't feel happy? If you try to achieve success with sleep deprivation in your baggage, we recommend you to continue reading the list and think again about why you are trying to achieve success in your life.
5. Your relationships will improve
Lack of sleep often leads to irritation and anger. Brain scans have revealed a 60% increase in reactivity in the amygdala, which in turn triggers anger and outbursts. Studies have also shown that people who live longer have a rich social life and close relationships. Think, who wants to hang out with irritated and negative people?
6. You become a better leader
To be able to lead others, you must be able to lead yourself. You are a role model for many and not least your own children. Regardless of who you are and how many people are in need of you, you will be better equipped and prepared to handle situations from a calm and rational state and not aggressively react to situations with fear with a good night's sleep.
7. You will be healthier and more likely to recover faster from illness
Our bodies are perfect machines and need the right nutrition and environment to maintain the balance we need. A large part of our recovery takes place during the hours of sleep. If you only sleep four hours one night, the immune response and the number of disease-fighting cells decrease by 70%. The risk of having a heart attack or stroke increases by 200% if you are over 45 years old and sleep less than six hours per night, compared to people who sleep seven or eight hours per night.
8. You will probably lose weight if that is what you wish
In the evening, it's easy to eat something tasty in front of the TV on the couch. This, in combination with our metabolism slowing down, is not an advantage when you are overweight. Blood sugar goes up and the risk of developing diabetes and other inflammatory diseases increases. If you decide to go to bed instead, you avoid these unnecessary calories and you will feel much better when you wake up the next morning. Have you ever noticed that you woke up with anxiety? Anxiety can be a reason why we eat and suppress our feelings.
9. Your mental health
Emotions we felt during the day are safely processed during sleep through our dreams. This is important for us to feel emotionally balanced. When we sleep too little, our perception of the world and situations we are involved in changes. A small event is suddenly experienced as a big, scary problem and fear contributes to violence. For example, in children, aggression problems and lack of sleep are linked; in teenagers and young adults, lack of sleep is correlated with suicidal thoughts. Insufficient sleep is linked to relapses in addictions and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
10. Sex and love life
Without adequate sleep, we do not have a functioning sex drive. It is a fact that men who sleep less than five hours per night have significantly smaller testicles than men who sleep eight hours per night. Imagine for a moment that you decide to sleep seven to nine hours per night and that it has a positive effect on your sex drive. You probably know that an orgasm releases melatonin which helps us fall asleep better, that the love hormone oxytocin helps to reduce anxiety and depression as well as lowers blood pressure and improves digestion. These are the reasons why all living creatures sleep - we humans are the only creatures that actively put ourselves in sleep deprivation. There are driving forces and several good reasons why we should feel happiness and satisfaction like an orgasm gives - why do we want to starve ourselves of it?
Share the list with someone you think needs to be reminded of why sleep is crucial for good health and quality of life
