Why is Sleep Important for your health & wellbeing?

We all know that sleep is good for us. But why exactly? Why do we need so much sleep? What does it do for us?

That’s a great question. And the answer is pretty simple: Sleep helps our brains process information, memories, and experiences from the day before and restores our energy.

There are probably many reasons why you or someone you know struggles to get enough sleep on a regular basis. The world we live in today is extremely distracting, fast-paced, and stressful. Many of us have responsibilities that make it challenging to find time to rest every night — think work, school, hobbies, childcare, even an active social life. That’s why sleep is often an afterthought. It’s not exactly something that comes to mind when thinking about how to improve your day-to-day life. In fact, unless you’re someone who works in a sleep lab, you probably never even think about sleep.

However, there is a growing body of research indicating that getting enough sleep can have a profound impact on your quality of life and overall health.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here… The following article will explain everything you need to know about why sleeping is important and what you can do to sleep better at night.

What is sleep?

Sleep is a natural human process. It is a state of consciousness where we are not fully awake, nor consciously asleep. In other words, we “zone out.” It is essential for humans and animals, as it plays a crucial role in our health and well-being. In fact, sleep is so critical to our wellbeing that it has its own dedicated circadian rhythm. Sleep helps us in many ways – from boosting memory and concentration to reducing stress and anxiety.

Sleep is not a passive process but an active physiological process that takes place throughout the day. It is a natural state of rest and recuperation that we need to restore our energy and stay healthy. During sleep, your brain and body work together to restore and rejuvenate our body and mind – this is called the sleep cycle. When we are asleep, our brain is actively regulating many biological processes in our body. This is what the purpose of sleep is – to regulate many functions of our body and mind.

Why is sleep important?

Our body is designed to sleep at regular intervals throughout the day. When we deprive ourselves of sleep, we are working against our body’s natural rhythm. Sleep-deprivation impairs our cognitive abilities, metabolic functions, and immune system. It is also bad for our heart health and can lead to diabetes. When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies produce more of the stress hormone cortisol. This can leave you feeling stressed, anxious, and unable to focus. “..it turns out that sleep is a period during which the brain is engaged in a number of activities necessary to life—which are closely linked to quality of life,” says Johns Hopkins sleep expert and neurologist Mark Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

When you get enough sleep, on the other hand, you get a natural boost of the hormone melatonin. This can help you feel calm and relaxed, and can even help with weight loss. Sleep benefits our health in many ways. It boosts our ability to learn and retain new information. Sleep also improves brain plasticity that means the brain can adapt better to new inputs and stimulus. It improves our mood and reduces anxiety. It also lowers our risk for certain diseases and improves our heart health.

Sleep is important for many reasons. It helps us process and store information, synthesize new proteins, and regulate many metabolic functions. It also helps us regulate our hormone levels, and keeps our brain and central nervous system healthy. Sleep is so important that when we don’t get enough, it can negatively impact our health and daily functioning. When we get enough sleep, on the other hand, it benefits our health and wellbeing in many ways.

What Happens During Sleep?

During sleep, many biological functions and processes go on in our body, including regulation of our hormones, regulation of our immune system, regulation of inflammation, regulation of blood pressure, repair of our tissues, and more. While we are asleep, our body also restores itself and recharges itself with new energy. Our body also releases certain hormones during sleep, including melatonin, which regulates our circadian rhythm. A full night’s sleep is composed of multiple sleep cycles. Each sleep cycle represents roughly 90-100 minutes at its start. Sleep cycles include five distinct stages. A person completes a sleep cycle when he or she enters the last stage of sleep and enters the first stage of sleep again.

How much sleep do you need?

How much sleep do I need? It’s a question that plagues many of us. We all know that getting a good night’s sleep is important, but just how important is it? And how much sleep do we really need? The answer, it turns out, is a bit complicated. It depends on a variety of factors, including your age, your lifestyle, and your health. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night is the recommended amount. But for teenagers, who need more sleep to support their growing bodies and brains, 8 to 10 hours is ideal. For babies and young children, who are still developing, 11 to 14 hours of sleep is best ¹. And for athletes, who need to perform at their best, 8 to 10 hours of quality sleep is essential. So, how much sleep do you need? It depends. But one thing is for sure: a good night’s sleep is vital for our health and wellbeing.

Age group	Avg. Hours of Sleep
Newborns	14 – 17 hours
Infants	12 – 15 hours
Toddlers	11 – 14 hours
Preschoolers	10 – 13 hours
School-Aged Children	9 – 11 hours
Teenagers	8 – 10 hours
Young Adults & Adults	7 – 9 hours
Older Adults	7 – 8 hours

Hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep foundation

Some people think that you need to sleep for eight hours straight in order to get a good night’s rest. However, that’s not necessarily true. Everyone’s sleep needs are different, and some people do just fine with broken up naps or a shorter sleep schedule.

A Guide to the Different Stages of Sleep

Sleep is a natural process, and most healthy adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. However, not everyone experiences the same impact from sleep, as some people feel more refreshed after a night’s rest while others struggle to stay awake during the day. The different stages of sleep that everyone goes through every night cause the variation in how they react to their own sleeping habits. Each stage has its own benefits and varying levels of intensity. Understanding these stages can help you understand your own sleeping habits and how to improve them if they are not quite where you want them to be.

The 4 stages

When you fall asleep your body goes through a cycle with 2 main phases non-REM followed by REM (rapid eye movement sleep. Your body goes through about 4 to 6 cycles in a night. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) classifies sleep into 4 stages as follows²:

Non-REM – has 3 stages

Stage 1/ N1: The stage where you transition between wakefulness and sleep.
Stage 2/ N2: In this stage you are asleep.
Stage 3/ N3: This third stage is called deep sleep or slow-wave sleep.

REM is the 4th and final stage of sleep, and it’s where most dreams occur.

During sleep, your body cycles through these stages, and each stage has different benefits, including restoring your mind and body, processing new information from the day, and preparing you for the next day’s challenges and opportunities.

Sleep cycles used to be divided into five different stages. This was changed by the AASM in 2007.

Drowsiness (Stage 1)

The first stage of sleep is drowsiness, which is the period of time when you start to fall asleep. During this stage, your body temperature drops, your heart rate and blood pressure drop, and your brain waves slow down to a theta state. Drowsiness is the period of time when you start to fall asleep. It is very common for you to experience it throughout the day whenever you are relaxed or resting. It’s important to note that being in drowsiness does not mean you’re completely asleep yet. At this point, you can still easily woken up by sounds, movements, or other disturbances. If you’re drowsy and someone is trying to talk to you, you may have trouble focusing on what they’re saying or responding appropriately. It’s better to avoid driving, operating heavy machinery, or making important decisions while in a drowsy state.

Light sleep(Stage 2)

You become less aware of your surroundings and your body feels extremely relaxed. Your breathing is regular and slow, and your heart rate is low. Your eye movements stop. Experts think that this stage is where your brain processes and stores memories acquired the previous day.

Light sleep is important for restorative sleep because it allows your body to release certain chemicals that help you feel more energized and refreshed when you wake up. Light sleep is when your body releases human growth hormone, a hormone that helps with cell regeneration, and melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle.

Deep or slow-wave sleep (Stage 3)

During this stage, your brain waves slow down further and resemble the waves in a calm ocean, hence the name “slow-wave sleep.” Your breathing becomes much slower and more regular, and your blood pressure drops even further. Studies have shown³ that consolidation of memories from the previous day happens in this stage. The memory traces in your brain are triggered again to help you remember them better later.

Your body naturally releases even more human growth hormone and melatonin, which are important for repairing and regenerating cells. During this stage of sleep you feel more calm, relaxed, and sleepy when you wake up. This stage of sleep is believed by experts to be crucial in restoring your body.

REM Sleep (Stage 4)

The fourth and final stage of sleep is known as rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) or “dream sleep.” You are actually moving your eyes under your eyelids during this stage, which is why it is called “REM sleep.” During REM sleep, your brain waves are very similar to when you’re awake, and your breathing and heart rate are similar to when you’re sleeping. REM sleep is when most of your dreams occur, and it’s important for creativity and problem solving. Luckily for you your body is paralyzed during this stage to prevent you from hurting yourself while trying to fly like Superman.

It’s important to note that people experience these stages of sleep in different patterns. Most people will go through each stage once and then go back to the beginning, but some people go back and forth between two stages. While these 4 stages are the most common, sleep is a complex process that changes from person to person and throughout a person’s lifetime.

The different stages of sleep help to restore the body and provide valuable benefits, such as weight loss and reduced anxiety. During the different stages of sleep, the body releases different hormones and chemicals that help to improve your health and wellbeing. However, if you are experiencing poor sleep, you should try to analyze what is causing it. You may find that there are factors in your life that are disrupting the quality of your sleep, or you may discover that you are not engaging in healthy sleep habits. Once you’ve worked out what is causing you to experience poor sleep, you can take steps to improve your sleeping habits and get the rest that your body needs.

Why is sleep quality important?

Good sleep is important for your health and wellbeing, and it can improve a number of different aspects of daily life. Sleep can help you to improve your immune system, and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. It can also improve your mental clarity and focus, as well as your ability to process information. Sleep can also help to protect your brain from degeneration as well as protect you from heart disease and cancer.

Poor sleep is associated with a number of health issues, which include weight gain, increased risk of anxiety, reduced brain function, and increased likelihood of heart disease. Although you may not experience any of these issues immediately, poor sleep is still a serious problem that must be addressed. If your sleep is not as good as it can be, it is likely that you feel more tired during the day and have reduced mental clarity. This can affect your work and relationships, along with your health.

Benefits of a good night’s sleep:

Getting enough sleep can help you maintain a healthy weight.
People who sleep well are less likely to suffer from heart disease.
Getting enough shut-eye can help you ward off depression.
A good night’s sleep can improve your memory and brain function.
Getting enough rest can help you ward off diseases like the flu.
You live longer!

So if you’re looking to improve your health, make sure you’re getting enough sleep!

How to improve your sleep quality

Reduce daily stress: Small amounts of stress are normal, but too much stress can disrupt your sleep. This is because high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, can interfere with the sleep hormone melatonin.
Eat a healthy diet: Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help to regulate your sleep cycle. Foods that are high in tryptophan can help to produce serotonin, which is a sleep hormone.
Exercise: Exercising regularly can help to regulate your sleep cycle and reduce stress. Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes each day, but preferably for at least an hour if possible.
Practice good sleep hygiene: Sleep hygiene is a set of routines that help your body to prepare for sleep. Ensure that your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool, and remove any distractions, such as laptops and phones.
Meditate: Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and regulate your mind before bed.
Create a sleep schedule: Your body likes regularity, so try to get to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning, even on weekends.

A common misconception about sleep is that you should always sleep in a dark room. Again, this isn’t necessarily true. Some people find that they sleep better with a nightlight, or that they sleep better when they’re exposed to natural light. So, if you’re finding that you’re not getting a good night’s sleep in a dark room, try opening a window or leaving a light on.

How to Recognize and Treat Sleep Disorders

If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, or restless sleep, or feel uncharacteristically fatigued during the day despite getting enough sleep, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Excessive stress, a poor diet, not getting enough exercise, too much screen time, and a lack of social connection can all contribute to poor sleep quality.

Sleep disorders are common and extremely treatable, but may go undiagnosed for years, causing unnecessary stress and anxiety, and making it harder to fall asleep. Sleep disorders can cause significant problems in daily life, such as lack of energy, mood swings, and relationship issues. Many sleep disorders are chronic and often progressive, so early detection and treatment are very important.

If you think you might have a sleep disorder, it’s important to talk to your doctor. They can help you figure out what’s causing your sleep problems and recommend the best treatment for you.

There are several common sleep disorders that may be affecting your ability to fall and stay asleep. The most common sleep disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and circadian rhythm disorders.

Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, affecting an estimated 10 to 15 percent of adults. It is often characterized by difficulty falling asleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, or waking too early.
Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is interrupted during sleep due to pauses in breathing or shallow breaths.
Restless leg syndrome – You may feel an irresistible urge to move your legs when settling in for sleep.
Narcolepsy – You may fall asleep at any time, often at inappropriate times.
Snoring is a loud noise produced when fluid blocks the airway during sleep.
Reduced sleep quality – You may feel that your sleep quality has decreased.
Excessive sleep – You may feel that you are sleeping too much.
Sleep paralysis – You may be unable to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up.

References:

National Sleep Foundation’s updated sleep duration recommendations: final report. Sleep Health. 2015 Dec; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29073398/
Sleep classification according to AASM and Rechtschaffen & Kales: effects on sleep scoring parameters. Sleep. 2009 Feb; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19238800
Frontiers in Psychology,Sleep smart—optimizing sleep for declarative learning and memory, 2015 May, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00622/full