Importance of Sleep
Sleep plays an important role in our physical health. Sleep is involved in healing and repairing our heart and blood vessels. An ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.
According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), millions of people do not get enough sleep, and many suffer from a lack of sleep. Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Time skimping on sleep can mess up more than just themorning mood. Studies show that getting quality sleep on a regular basis can help improve all many issues from your blood sugar levels to your workouts.
Healthy sleep is especially important for students. They should get an adequate amount of sleep at night to help stay focused, improve concentration and improve academic performance. Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of many health problems including obesity, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health and injuries. Research suggest that sleep helps learning and memory into distinct ways:• A sleep deprived person cannot focus their attention optimally and therefore, cannot learn efficiently.• Sleep itself has a role in the consolidation of memory, which’s essential for learning new information.
”True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.”
William Penn
Some advantages of healthy sleep:
1. Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity:
Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function this includes concentration, productivity and performance. A study on medical interns provides a good example. Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours make 36% more serious medical errors than Interns on schedule that are allowed more sleep. Another example is that good sleep has shown to improve problem solving skills and enhance memory performance of both, children and adults.
2. Good sleep can maximize athletic performance:
In a research study on basketball players, Proper sleep for players has shown to significantly improve speed, accuracy, reaction times, and mental wellbeing.
3. Improves Immune Function:
Two-week long study monitors the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the cold virus they found that those who slept l more than 7 hours were almost 3x more likely to develop a cold then those who slept 8 hours or more. So, getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night can improve your immune functions and help fight the common cold.
4. Better calorie regulation:
A good night’s sleep can help a person consume fewer calories during the day according to the study of National academy of sciences of the United States of America says that sleep patterns affect the hormones responsible forappetite.
There are also some disadvantages of not taking healthy sleep:
Short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity. In one extensive review study, children and adultswith short sleep durations are more likely to develop obesity. The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be meditated by numerous factors including hormones. Exercising if you are trying to lose weight and getting quality sleep is absolutely important.
Conclusion:
Sleep is not only beneficial for physical health but also for emotional health, safety and quality of life. A good night’s sleep improves learning of any type as it helps in maintaining attention, making decisions and being creative.
Gargi
(Student at ISHYA)