“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book,” says an old Irish proverb. The creator programmed us for proper relaxation after a hard day’s work. Sleep loss is so common these days that it may be detrimental to our health.
Here are some research-proven reasons to indicate the importance of quality sleep. After reading this, I hope you will switch off everything to get a good and peaceful shuteye time.
Sleeping Positions
The best sleeping position is to sleep on your sides. Sleeping on your back can increase your chances of snoring. This would affect your quality of sleep. The type of mattress you sleep in may also affect your quality of sleep. A memory foam mattress helps you to attain an ideal sleeping posture by helping with proper spinal alignment when lying down.
Schizophrenia
Scientists have found out that a sleepless night leads to impairment in the ability to concentrate. When healthy individuals are deprived of proper sleep, they may suffer symptoms similar to that of schizophrenia.
In this condition, there is a loss of contact with reality. Researchers say that a sleepless night hampers the filtering function of the brain. The unselected flood of information without the proper functioning of the filtering system causes chaos in mind.
Cell damage
If you are not going to get proper sleep, then the results would be scary. There is a link between sleep loss and cell damage. A new study found that sleep loss causes damage to cells, especially in the liver, lungs,s and small intestine.
But there is good news. Proper recovery sleep can heal this damage without any medication. So if a good night’s sleep filled the last place in your agenda, shift it to the first position, and give rest its due right.
Decision making
A hot from the oven research study says that sleep deprivation can hinder your decision-making ability. Researchers showed the participants unknown to them were preassigned to have either a ‘go’ or ‘no go’ value.
Every time the participants responded correctly, they were given a fictitious monetary reward. The group that had a good night’s sleep and those who were rest deprived performed well.
The second step was a tricky one. Here the contingencies were reversed, so the participants had to withhold a response to ‘go’ numbers and to respond to the ‘not go’ numbers.
Even after being shown 40 numbers with reversed contingencies, the sleep-deprived participants had zero success. Their sleep-nourished counterparts performed well. Scientists warn us that sleep loss could affect our decision-making ability.
Obesity
Poor sleeping habits can lead to overweight and obesity. Research says that sleep deprivation can activate a specific brain region that contributes to a person’s appetite.
Scientists found that the sensation is more activated in this region after one night of sleep loss. At the same time, normal sleep does not activate to that extent. What do you infer from this? Sleep loss can make you eat more.
A study found that sleep deprivation can increase the food purchasing the next day. Lack of sleep increases ghrelin levels, a hormone that increases hunger, says one research study.
The salience network in our brain gets affected due to sleep loss. This makes us eat more fat and fewer carbohydrates. Be warned! A good night’s sleep loss increases your hunger pangs and makes you eat more fatty foods. That’s a really dangerous idea.
Brain health
Sleep loss can affect your brain health. Scientists found that if you miss out on sleep even for a single night. It results in an increase of NSE and S-100B. These are molecules found in the brain.
Their increased concentrations indicate loss of brain tissue. So researchers warn that good sleep is essential for optimal brain health. Lack of proper quality sleep may promote neurodegenerative processes.
Beauty
Missing out on a good night’s sleep causes a disaster to your facial features. It may lead to having droopy eyelids, reddened and swollen eyes, and dark circles, which many women dread. Sleep loss can cause pale skin, more wrinkles, fine lines, and more droopy corners of the mouth.
People feel sad and fatigued, and this may affect their interactions with the outside world and hamper their efficiency, says one research study. So for looking good and feeling great, get a good night’s sleep.
Take away
In a nutshell, sleep helps you to be healthy, smart, slim, and beautiful. So snuggle in your cozy bed and drift off into the world of dreams. Fall asleep listening to the sound of the raindrops or a melody trickling in your ear. Sleep tight and pleasant dreams!