‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.’ – This is more than a saying we’ve grown up listening to.
Prioritizing good sleep is good self-love. Your mind & body, as well as your emotional state, are balanced, the mood is boosted, and you can’t imagine the incredible benefits you bring to your life by sleeping. And guess what, you get rid of under-eye circles for free!
By the way, sleeping is the essential need of mankind that is getting underrated because of the hustle & bustle we’re moving with. Also, let us tell you that sleeping benefits you only if it is quality sleep. Yes! Sleeping access may not do any good, but not sleeping enough may put your life at risk in the long run.
How much should you sleep?
A child needs at least 9 to 11 hours of daily sleep. Similarly, a teenager is expected to stay asleep for around 9.5 hours, while an average human must sleep for at least 7 to 8 hours. When considering pregnant women, full 8 hours of sleep plus an hour of nap is ideal during the day.
This isn’t what we say as the ideal sleeping time according to age, but what experts are saying over the years. Moreover, women also believe in beauty naps.
What happens if you don’t get enough sleep?
When we’re sleeping, our brain & body is the undercharging mode, just like we charge our smartphone. So, what happens if you don’t charge your phone & have to leave urgently? You’ll be upset, right. Similarly, if you don’t sleep well, innumerable effects can be seen in your physical & psychological activities.
We’ve figured out some common effects observed with people who’re sleep deprived:
- Weakened immune system
- Weight gain
- Increased risk of a certain type of cancers, diabetes, etc.
- Lack of concentration
- Forget important meetings
- Dull romantic life
- Poor Productivity
- Increased chance of car accidents
- Looseness of the skin, wrinkles & fine lines appears, etc.
If you find any of the above-mentioned symptoms with you, it’s time to pause & ask yourself – “Am I sleeping enough?” We’ll serve you some brain food with a quick look at the vital benefits that walk into our lives when we get an adequate amount of sleep.
8 Surprising Benefits of Healthy Sleeping Habits
- Sleeping improves your memory
While we’re asleep, a process called consolidation is activated within. Our brain revises the ideas we’ve been keeping in our minds when we’re awake. Thus, your capabilities to learn something new also increases as you wake up fresh after a sound sleep.
- Increases chances of a Longer Life Span
Sleep is directly associated with your life span. In other words, the quality of sleep affects the quality of your life. So, it’s easy to conclude that your mind & heart are happier when you sleep better.
- Inflammation is curbed
Do you know how dangerous inflammation is for your health? It is connected with heart diseases, arthritis, diabetes, premature ageing, etc. Thus, sleeping for less than 6 hours increases inflammatory protein levels in your bloodstream. Besides this, people suffering from sleep apnea or insomnia can be benefitted from medicines like Modalert and Waklert that promotes wakefulness during the day & brings your sleeping schedule back on track.
- Your Creative Side is revealed
As you sleep, your brain reorganizes and restructures the consolidating memories. This triggers your hidden creativity & you’re likely to engage yourself with a cheerful mind that’s ready for the adventure.
- Boosted Productivity
Do you want to know the shortcut to be the most productive person in the room? Sleep. Your productivity levels are greatly enhanced when you get ample sleep. You don’t yawn frequently & are 100% active & focused in whatever you do. You’ll witness this change slowly & gradually.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you think you’ve gained some weight & want to get rid of it, you really need to reschedule your sleeping timings. Besides exercising & sticking to a strict diet plan, implementing a sleep strategy means a lot for both men & women. If you don’t know how sleep & weight are connected, then let us tell you that sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same sectors of our brain. When we’re sleepy-head, some hormones go up in our bloodstream & they are the same hormones driving appetite.
- You’re relieved from stress
Stress & sleep both affect your heart health directly. By sleeping well, you don’t let stress impact your blood pressure, which, in turn, helps you to not harm your heart health.
- Accidents are avoided
Let’s agree that we are consistently rushing in our lives. Sleeping ultimately lost attention & when we drive with such sleeplessness, accidents will likely occur. This specifically applies to people who’re night-driving. It’s very difficult to cope-up with the lack of sleep. But, if you’re successful in completing at least 8 hours of sleep, accidents can be avoided.
After reading about such amazing benefits, you must be curious to learn how to get better sleep.
8 Ways you can get better sleep
- Make sure you go to bed at the same time daily & get up at the same time, including at weekends.
- If you’re habituated to daytime napping, don’t nap for more than 20 minutes. And if possible, avoid napping after 3 PM.
- Stay away from drinking alcohol or having caffeine (or coffee) late during the day.
- Say no to nicotine.
- Adopt a habit of exercising regularly, but not before 2-3 hours of sleep.
- Ensure that you have a gap of at least 2 hours between dinner & sleep. You may have lighter meals before bed, but it is ideal to avoid heavy meals.
- When you’re in your bedroom, do everything that makes you feel warm, cosy, and comfortable. It’s great if you can make it a quiet place that helps you fall asleep faster.
- Listen to relaxing music, meditate for a few minutes, and stay away from your smartphone right before going to sleep.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to give attention to your sleeping routine & ensuring that it’s going well. Just like you give importance to other routine activities, don’t ignore or compromise on quality sleep. Do it because you deserve it. If you cannot sleep well due to one or more reasons, feel free to consult a doctor & seek medical attention.