A recent study has concluded that proper sleep reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression. This study has led the National Sleep Foundation to recommend about 7-9 hours of sleep every night for adults.
Most experts agree that sleep is crucial to your health. It allows your body to rest and heal from the day’s activities. Poor sleep often results in lowered immunity; hence people become more prone to sickness. In the U.S, sleep deprivation is a common cause of death apart from obesity, drug abuse, and alcohol.
Benefits of sleep
During the day, the body comes into contact with many toxic elements from the environment. For this reason, the body uses sleep to rejuvenate. When a person is asleep, their body gets rid of the day’s contaminant and protects them from further exposure.
Sleep can also help you feel energized and rested. During sleep, the brain secretes hormones like ghrelin, leptin, melatonin, and cortisol which help you feel good in the morning. The duration of sleep usually depends on the age and genes of an individual. As we get older, we tend to need less sleep. For example, an infant sleeps up to 22 hours a day. However, an adult needs about 8 hours of sleep to enable them to function fully.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), insufficient sleep decreases NK cells’ effectiveness. As a result, this increases the likelihood of developing tumors.
Other studies have found that treating depression with sleep disorders can alleviate symptoms of depression. A 2016 study even shows that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy often improved sleep quality in patients struggling with sleep disorders and depression. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a treatment designed to eliminate undesirable behavior by dealing with the feelings and thoughts of the behavior.
How to improve sleep
Some people struggle with getting proper sleep. Therefore, experts give a few tips for how to sleep better. One piece of advice is to have a set schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day so that your body knows when to rest. You could also try creating a better environment when you are about to fall asleep by turning off the lights and limiting the noise in your room.
