Getting the recommended 8 hours sleep a night can be a real struggle. Especially during times of stress-induced anxiety over the unknown. Below are some incentives to highlight why sleep is necessary to living a happier and healthy life.
Sleep Helps You Strengthen Your Memory
When you get your 8 hours of sleep a night, your brain will be able to process new information and consolidate it – this is a process known as ‘memory consolidation’. Many researchers have shared the notion that there is a positive relationship between getting enough sleep and being able to comprehend and consolidate abstract patterns within information you encounter. A process of ‘memory organisation’ occurs when we create and file away memories within our minds, through making summaries and arrangements that relate and correspond with one another. Without sleep, there is a greater chance of having a weaker memory and being forgetful. To be able to allow our minds a fighting chance to consolidate and organise information and experiences within our brains, ensure that you give yourself enough time to rest and get a good night’s sleep.
Sleep Affects the Way Your Body Reacts to Carbs
I’m pretty guilty of craving a carb-filled food binge whenever I’m having a stressful day. While eating carbs can make you feel more relaxed and sleepy in the short-term, carb consumption will put a negative strain on the quality of your night’s sleep. Studies have outlined that carbs may increase REM sleep, but will greatly negatively impact your chances for deep sleep. However, not all carbs are ‘bad carbs’. Complex carbs, that are fueled with fibre (such as lentils and oatmeal), are not as rapidly processed as simple carbs (ice-cream and cookies), and will overall encourage a better night’s sleep – so long as you don’t eat too close to your bedtime. Adding to the relationship between sleep and carbs, researchers have suggested that there is a strong correlation between lack of sleep and craving unhealthy snacks, such as those filled with simple carbs. So if you’re on a mission to lose some weight by having a positive relationship with carbs, making sure you get enough sleep will help you reach your fitness and health goals in a more sustainable way.
Elevate Your Mood by Increasing Your Sleep Time
Do you notice that when you don’t get enough sleep, you’re a little more grumpier than usual? As previously mentioned, our minds, as well as our bodies, are given the opportunity to heal, grow and recover while we sleep. When you don’t get your recommended 8 hours of sleep, you’ll generally feel more lethargic than usual and being able to concentrate will feel impossible. If you don’t get enough sleep, not only will concentration be a difficult task, and your energy faded, your judgments may too become impaired – leading you to lean into negative emotions, such irritability, loneliness and sadness. In order to encourage a healthy and happy mind, be sure to try and get the right amount of sleep.
Decrease Your Stress and Increase Your Immune Levels
If you have an increase in mood, it’s likely that your stress levels will become lowered. It’s common knowledge that those who have high stress levels are more likely to suffer the effects of insomnia and may take longer to heal from illness. There are numerous reports that those who encounter high levels of stress and low levels of sleep, may be prone to have weakened immune systems. When you sleep, you’re able to give your body some time to regulate any hormonal changes and heal from any physical ailments that you may come up against. If you’re not getting enough sleep, you deprive your body from being able to recover from being sick, as well as heal and process the pressures of the day.
Some nights are harder than others in terms of falling asleep. One of my favourite cures for insomnia is a little concoction I learnt from Tim Ferriss. With this recipe, you simply mix 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey and stir into 1 cup of hot water. It never fails to relax me and make me have such wonderful sleep and dreams. Do you have any secrets to help you have a better night’s sleep?
