The body’s nightly regeneration has a great impact on our functioning during the day and our overall health. Let’s check what benefits a regular night’s sleep provides and why sleep hygiene is so important!
The increasing pace of life makes many people neglect the issue of sleep – which sooner or later affects their health. Why is getting enough sleep so important for your body? Sleep deprivation decreases brain efficiency, which translates into less effective work.
It is proper sleep that makes us rested, we do not have problems with concentration and memory. We cope better with infections (the immune system reacts on time, not late). Sleep also affects good mood – when we get enough sleep, we are less tense and do not react so nervously to various stressful situations. Taking care of our sleep hygiene, we can enjoy a nicer skin and a more attractive appearance.
People who do not care about the daily rest, do not get enough sleep, are more prone to overweight and obesity and a number of civilization diseases. Long working hours, too little sleep or sleepless nights increase the risk of developing
During the night rest reduces the level of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone (excess cortisol in the body promotes the accumulation of fat). The right amount of sleep also promotes optimal muscle recovery after exercise, this is especially important for people who intensely practice sports. If we want to enjoy a better shape and shapely figure – we must provide ourselves with at least 6-7 hours of sleep. Otherwise the effects of training will not be so fast and satisfying.
How to sleep all nights without problems and take care of the quality of sleep? Certainly you can not overeat at night – remember to eat the last meal no later than 2-3 hours before going to bed. For the sake of healthy sleep, try to go to bed and get up at the same time. When lying in bed, do not use your laptop, tablet or smartphone; the blue light emitted by these devices is arousing and may contribute to problems with falling asleep
If your bedroom windows are illuminated by streetlights or you just don’t want to be woken up too early by the rising sun, it is a good idea to install indoor/outdoor blinds or buy blackout curtains. The mattress on which we sleep is also important. A peaceful night’s sleep will be ensured by a mattress adjusted to our needs (we can choose from foam, spring or thermoelastic variants).
According to experts an adult should devote from 7 to 9 hours for sleep (the minimum acceptable length of sleep is assumed as 6 hours, however only for a few people such a short rest will be effective). Of course, these are relative values – each of us is different. Interestingly, babies need as much as 12-15 hours of sleep, and with age we are able to function well with a much shorter nightly rest. According to statistics, people aged 65+ sleep the least, which is related to, among others, chronic diseases, medications taken and various ailments (e.g. menopause in women and the problem of incontinence in older men, who often have prostate hypertrophy).
