The Importance of Sleep

Getting eight hours of sleep daily is not just important, it is a must. Our day is packed with activities and stressors that the least we can do for our body is to give it a rest once night falls. Important body processes take place while we sleep without us knowing.

Imagine waking up the following day after a deep and peaceful slumber (that may be with help of this). It feels as if you are ready to take on the world. You feel more energized and in a better mood that no amount of sweets or energy drinks can manage to give you – only a good night’s sleep can. And the truth is, your overall health improves when you get that much-needed snooze each night.

A new study is making a huge claim about sleep, and particularly regarding those who have trouble getting to sleep: researchers at the European Society of Cardiology have just discovered that there may be a link between insomnia and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The findings, which were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, add to the growing volume of research about how important sleep is to our bodies and brains in so many different ways, but the level of impact it is how on our risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease surprised scientists.

(Via: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3229516/sleep-insomnia-risk-heart-attack-stroke/)

So, if you suddenly find yourself unable to sleep for whatever reason, try your best to revert back to your normal sleeping pattern or risk putting yourself at higher risk of deadly cardiovascular diseases.

Studies of more than 160,000 people found a clear association between sleep problems and a heart attack or stroke, the Express reports.

Experts say the results show that sleep should be prioritised as part of a healthy lifestyle alongside exercise and diet.

Difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, and waking up not feeling refreshed increased the risks by 27 per cent, 11 per cent, and 18 per cent respectively.

Women are at a slightly higher risk than men as they are more prone to insomnia because of differences in genetics, sex hormones and reaction to stress.

And since women are more prone to suffer from insomnia than men, the health risks are higher too.

“However, we do know that women are more prone to insomnia because of differences in genetics, sex hormones, stress, and reaction to stress.

“It may therefore be prudent to pay more attention to women’s sleep health.”

(Via: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3229516/sleep-insomnia-risk-heart-attack-stroke/)

So, there’s no denying the fact that you’ve got a lot to lose aside from your precious snooze. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where losing sleep is common in both men and women, the young and the old. And in the United State, the numbers will show you just that.

Facts are that here in the U.S., we are not getting enough sleep. We are a nation that loses sleep working, studying, taking care of personal and family needs, having fun and too, slaying a few dragons. The demands and expectations of our fast-paced 21st century lives have placed increasing loads on our time. And more than ever, people are making up for those strains by cutting back on sleep.

At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that the cost of insufficient sleep is much higher than most people recognize. It can compromise output, resulting in reduced efficiency and overall poor productivity. Awareness can help you improve your sleep habits and in turn your well-being and productivity in order to “rise and shine” to accomplish what you really want (and need) to do on any given day. Here’s some of the impact that a lack of sleep has on our success with projects at work, school, or home.

And the immune system is one to get hit first (and bad):

Weakened immune system: Not being able to function at optimum health
While you are sleeping, your body recharges and rejuvenates your immune system. Conversely, sleep loss can impair your ability to fight off germs. So while you may feel very productive staying up late or even pulling all-nighters, you become more vulnerable to infections that can result in slowing your abilities and production way down, even to a standstill.

(Via: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/31/health-sleep-and-productivity/)

Getting enough sleep is important no matter how old you are. You may hate being told to go to sleep as a child but you’d think of sleep more of as a luxury as an adult when adult responsibilities deprive you of your much-needed snooze. Your body will tell you that it needs sleep. All you need to do is to listen to it and say goodbye to all your cares in the world – at least for the night.

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