Never underestimate the power of a great night’s sleep! Today happens to be Flexabed’s favorite holiday– World Sleep Day. The goal of this holiday, organized by the World Sleep Society, is to celebrate the incredible benefits of good and healthy sleep, and to draw attention to the burden of sleep problems as well as the adverse effects they can have on us physically, psychologically, and even socially. World Sleep Day also exists to help promote the prevention and management of sleep disorders, which can really take a toll on the body and the mind.
Benefits of Healthy Sleep
Not only does establishing healthy sleep patterns have a rather obvious effects on how we feel and function throughout the day, but it has some other benefits you may not even be aware of. It’s actually paramount to overall health and wellbeing, and here is why.
1- Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy
Good sleep actually helps to promote heart health, who knew? Lack of sleep or generally poor sleep habits have been associated with high blood pressure and cholesterol, both of which are big risk factors when it comes to heart disease and stroke. So make it a goal to get between seven and nine hours of restful sleep each night.
2- Sleep Reduces Stress
We are all stressed out creatures a lot of the time, just trying to make it all happen and keep those plates in the air. Stress hormones produced within the body make it hard to fall asleep and to sleep soundly through the night. Lack of sleep can also send our bodies into a state of stress! This puts the body’s functions on high alert, resulting in elevated blood pressure, which of course– puts us at higher risk of heart attack and stroke. For this reason, things like mindfulness, yoga, and other relaxation techniques can really help with stress management and overall better sleep.
3- Sleep May Promote Weight Loss
Research shows that people who sleep fewer hours per night are more likely to have issues with being overweight or obese. Poor sleep can increase your appetite by impacting two important hunger hormones, ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is released in the stomach signaling hunger within the brain, and levels of this hormone are high before you eat, and low after. Leptin, on the other hand, is a hormone released from fat cells that actually suppresses hunger.
When you don’t get adequate sleep, your body makes more ghrelin and less leptin, leading to an increase in appetite and less accurate feelings of fullness after eating.
4- Sleep Is When the Body Repairs Itself
They don’t call it rest for nothing, folks. While you sleep your blood pressure drops, and your heart gets to take a much-needed break. Breathing slows, the muscles throughout your body relax, and the entire process can serve to reduce inflammation while promoting healing. While sleeping, the brain triggers the release of hormones that promote tissue growth that repairs blood vessels, restoring damaged muscles, and even helping wounds heal more quickly. Your body also produces more white blood cells while you sleep, and these cells work hard attacking viruses and other bacteria that can make you sick. Conversely, when you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system is weakened making you more susceptible to illness.
5- Sleep Improves Learning & Memory
Even though during sleep your body is in a state of rest, your mind is still active. Though sleep and memory may never be completely understood, many studies suggest that getting healthy sleep regularly is closely linked to success in the areas of both learning and memory. It stands to reason that if a person is deprived of adequate rest, he or she will likely struggle with focus and therefore not be able to efficiently learn. What’s more is that sleep plays an important role in the consolidation of memories, something that’s essential for learning things and retaining new information. Consolidation is the process of one’s memories becoming stable, and healthy sleep patterns help to make possible this important step in the memory process.
So today, on World Sleep Day, and really everyday, we want to stress how important it is to get great sleep each night. In order to achieve this, you have to set yourself up for success. Be proactive about winding down each evening before bed. Turn off your screens, read a book, try some meditation, and give your body and your brain a chance to prepare itself for that important rest it needs. Beyond that, make sure you have the best possible bed for you to promote the restful sleep you need to stay healthy. Check out our line of luxury adjustable beds here, and as always, be sure to reach out to our team with any questions you may have. We want you to have a good night, every night. Sweet dreams, friends.
