The Importance of Sleep
Sleep is a natural process that helps the brain and body rest and heal. It is so important to good health that there is a whole field of medicine dedicated to it. Sleep deprivation can lead to a variety of health problems, from heart disease and stroke to diabetes and depression. It can also affect our ability to respond to the flu vaccine and reduce our overall resistance to diseases and conditions. But getting enough high-quality sleep isn’t as simple as closing your eyes and nodding off. Many factors can interfere with our ability to get the sleep we need, from working night shifts to using digital devices late at night to dealing with stress in our daily lives. But even in a time of great turmoil and anxiety, we can improve the quality of our sleep by changing some habits and by talking to a healthcare provider about any medical or mental health issues that might be contributing to them.
For a long time, scientists believed that as we shut our eyes and drift off to sleep, the brain and body simply “shut down” and took a break. Recent research has shown that sleep is far from a passive state, though, and it influences virtually every organ in the body. It’s not just about rest and relaxation; it supports mental processing, memory, and learning, provides a way for the body to heal itself, and contributes to our emotional well-being.
The human body has evolved over millions of years to work well on a 24-hour day-night cycle that includes the need for sleep and awake periods. These biological patterns are called circadian rhythms and are based on light, darkness, and other environmental cues. They help the brain regulate a person’s internal clock, so that people feel sleepy at night and alert in the morning. They’re also responsible for the body’s need for energy conservation during the day and the desire to get adequate amounts of sleep at night.
During sleep, your heart rate and breathing rise and fall to control the amount of oxygen that enters your bloodstream. This is an essential function to prevent cardiovascular disease and to maintain a stable blood pressure during the night. In addition, sleep produces hormones that help control your blood sugar levels, boost muscle mass, and promote fat loss. It also helps the immune system by releasing growth hormone and boosting the body’s ability to repair tissues, fight infections, and recover from exercise.
Research shows that not getting enough sleep on a regular basis can lead to a variety of physical and mental problems, including depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. It can also make it difficult to concentrate and may result in accidents, especially while driving. In the United States, sleeping too little is linked to more than 50 types of cancer, and people with a chronic illness are at greater risk for poorer outcomes when they don’t get enough high-quality sleep.