The Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep

A good night’s sleep gives your body and mind the time to rest, repair and rebuild. This is critical for brain performance and mood, and can help with memory. It’s also a key part of maintaining healthy weight and reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. Unfortunately, getting a solid night’s sleep on a regular basis can be difficult, especially during times of stress or for people with irregular schedules. But a number of lifestyle adjustments can improve sleep quality, and the benefits that come with it.

Our biological clocks (called circadian rhythms) work alongside a drive to sleep that grows stronger the longer we’re awake to cause us to feel sleepy at night and wake up in the morning. This 24-hour cycle, which also includes other biological and behavioral patterns, helps us live in harmony with the planet’s natural day-and-night cycles.

During the night, your brain cycles through four stages of sleep, each of which lasts a different length of time. Stages one and two are called non-rapid eye movement sleep, while stages three and four are called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, during which you dream. On a typical night, you cycle through these phases four or five times throughout the night.

While you’re sleeping, your brain consolidates memories, converting short-term ones into long-term ones that can be accessed when you’re alert. Then when you’re awake, those memories will often be recognizable as being your own-a process that can aid in creativity, according to a 2021 study published in Science Advances.

Another important function of sleep is supporting normal immune system functions and healing from injury or illness. Sleep may also help clear cellular and protein debris that can build up and cause inflammation and cell death.

What’s the Best Way to Get a Good Night’s Sleep?

A good night’s sleep starts with a regular bedtime and wake-up routine. Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day sets your internal clock so that you’re in sync with the circadian rhythms, helping you fall asleep easily and stay asleep through the night.

Avoiding caffeine and other stimulants in the hours leading up to your bedtime can help, too. Using an app or other device to track the quality of your sleep and setting a reasonable bedtime goal can also help.

The more consistently you sleep well, the better you’ll feel during the day. But how do you get there? Roy Kohler, MD, a sleep medicine specialist at SCL Health in Montana, says that consistent, quality sleep of seven hours or more each night is what’s recommended for adults.

Having regular, structured meals and exercise can be helpful too, he adds. And if you’re overweight or have certain health conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, it’s even more important to manage them effectively so that you can get the sleep you need.