10 Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Important

A good night's sleep is incredibly important for your health.

In fact, it’s just as important as eating healthy and exercising.

Unfortunately, the Western environment is interfering with natural sleep patterns.

People are now sleeping less than they did in the past, and sleep quality has
decreased as well.

Here are 10 reasons why good sleep is important.

1. Poor Sleep Can Make You Fat

Share on Pinterest

Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain.

People with short sleep duration tend to weigh significantly more than those who
get adequate sleep (1, 2).

In fact, short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.
In one extensive review study, children and adults with short sleep duration were
89% and 55% more likely to become obese, respectively (3).

The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors,

including hormones and motivation to exercise (4).

If you’re trying to lose weight, getting quality sleep is absolutely crucial.

SUMMARYShort sleep duration is associated with a drastically increased risk of

weight gain and obesity, in both children and adults.

2. Good Sleepers Tend to Eat Fewer Calories

Studies show that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat
more calories.

Sleep deprivation disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones and is

believed to cause poor appetite regulation (2, 5).

This includes higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and
reduced levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite (6).

SUMMARYPoor sleep affects hormones that regulate appetite. Those who get
adequate sleep tend to eat fewer calories than those who don't.

3. Good Sleep Can Improve Concentration and Productivity

Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function.

This includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance (7).

All of these are negatively affected by sleep deprivation.

A study on medical interns provides a good example.

Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours
made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed
more sleep (8).

Another study found that short sleep can negatively impact some aspects of brain
function to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication (9).

On the other hand, good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills
and enhance memory performance of both children and adults (10, 11, 12).

SUMMARYGood sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance

memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

4. Good Sleep Can Maximize Athletic Performance

Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance.

In a study on basketball players, longer sleep was shown to significantly improve

speed, accuracy, reaction times and mental wellbeing (13).

Less sleep duration has also been associated with poor exercise performance and
functional limitation in elderly women.

A study in over 2,800 women found that poor sleep was linked to slower walking,
lower grip strength and greater difficulty performing independent activities (14).

SUMMARYLonger sleep has been shown to improve many aspects of athletic and
physical performance.
5. Poor Sleepers Have a Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

It’s known that sleep quality and duration can have a major effect on many health
risk factors.

These are the factors believed to drive chronic diseases, including heart disease.

A review of 15 studies found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at far
greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7–8 hours per night
(15).

SUMMARYSleeping less than 7–8 hours per night is linked to an increased risk of
heart disease and stroke.

6. Sleep Affects Glucose Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Experimental sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity
(16, 17).

In a study in healthy young men, restricting sleep to four hours per night for six
nights in a row caused symptoms of prediabetes (18).

These symptoms resolved after one week of increased sleep duration.

Poor sleep habits are also strongly linked to adverse effects on blood sugar in the
general population.

Those sleeping less than six hours per night have repeatedly been shown to be at an
increased risk of type 2 diabetes (19, 20).
SUMMARYSleep deprivation can cause prediabetes in healthy adults in as little as
six days. Many studies show a strong link between short sleep duration and type 2
diabetes.

7. Poor Sleep Is Linked to Depression

Mental health issues, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality
and sleeping disorders.

It has been estimated that 90% of people with depression complain about sleep
quality (21).

Poor sleep is even associated with an increased risk of death by suicide (22).

Those with sleeping disorders like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also report
significantly higher rates of depression than those without (23).

SUMMARYPoor sleeping patterns are strongly linked to depression, particularly

for those with a sleeping disorder.

8. Sleep Improves Your Immune Function

Even a small loss of sleep has been shown to impair immune function (24).

One large two-week study monitored the development of the common cold after
giving people nasal drops with the cold virus (25).

They found that those who slept less than seven hours were almost three times
more likely to develop a cold than those who slept eight hours or more.
If you often get colds, ensuring that you get at least eight hours of sleep per night
could be very helpful. Eating more garlic can help as well.

SUMMARYGetting at least eight hours of sleep can improve your immune

function and help fight the common cold.

9. Poor Sleep Is Linked to Increased Inflammation

Sleep can have a major effect on inflammation in your body.

In fact, sleep loss is known to activate undesirable markers of inflammation and

cell damage.

Poor sleep has been strongly linked to long-term inflammation of the digestive
tract, in disorders known as inflammatory bowel diseases (26, 27).

One study observed that sleep-deprived people with Crohn's disease were twice as
likely to relapse as patients who slept well (28).

Researchers are even recommending sleep evaluation to help predict outcomes in

individuals with long-term inflammatory issues (27).

SUMMARYSleep affects your body's inflammatory responses. Poor sleep is

strongly linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and can increase your risk of
disease recurrence.

10. Sleep Affects Emotions and Social Interactions

Sleep loss reduces your ability to interact socially.

Several studies confirmed this using emotional facial recognition tests (29, 30).

One study found that people who had not slept had a reduced ability to recognize
expressions of anger and happiness (31).

Researchers believe that poor sleep affects your ability to recognize important
social cues and process emotional information.
Good Sleep Can Improve Concentration and Productivity

Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function.

This includes awake, concentration, productivity and performance (7).

All of these are negatively affected by sleep deprivation.

A study on medical interns provides a good example.

Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours
made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed
more sleep (8).

Another study found that short sleep can negatively impact some aspects of brain
function to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication (9).

On the other hand, good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills
and enhance memory performance of both children and adults (10, 11, 12).

SUMMARYGood sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance

memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

Sleep Makes You More Alert

A good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. Being
engaged and active not only feels great but increases your chances for another
good night's sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, use that energy to get out
into the daylight, do active things, and be engaged with your world. You'll sleep
better the next night and increase your daily energy level.

6
Sleep Improves Your Memory

Researchers do not fully understand why we sleep and dream, but they have found
that sleep plays an important role in a process called memory
consolidation. During sleep, your body may be resting, but your brain is busy
processing your day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings,
and memories. Deep sleep is a very important time for your brain to make
memories and links, and getting more quality sleep will help you remember and
process things better.