Benefits of Sleep
Let’s break sleep down. We all love a list to get us focussed. Well here is the ultimate list of reasons to get better sleep. Seriously we spend so much time, effort and money on exercising, eating the right foods, seeing those health professionals and worrying about our health and how we look. Let’s just have a quick look at simple old sleep first!
Number 1. Sleep well and you will be in a great mood. Happy, chirpy, friendly, reasonable and easygoing. Nothing is too much trouble when you are well rested. And when you send out all these good vibes to everyone around you guess what?? They all come back to you in spades. So you end up having a doubly good day. Miss your sleep though and you will likely be grumpy, irritable, slow and generally not a great deal of fun to be around. All your family and friends sure notice and they stay clear, making a bad day for you - worse!
Number 2. You’ll live to a ripe old age. Who wants to die young? Not me! I want to be a happy oldie playing with the grandkids and great grandkids. Full of lots of corny old jokes and stories about what is was like when I was young. Well I better get plenty of sleep then. Studies show that if you miss sleep regularly then you are more likely to have a shorter life span. Now as always, is it those that are going to die early that sleep less or is it those that sleep less that die early? I’m no sleep scientist but I’ll be putting my money on the later. 6 hours a night is not enough. Aim for 8.
Number 3. Look a million dollars! For all the self conscious folk out there (yes me included!) take note that well rested people are more attractive. Your skin looks healthier (because it is), you age slower with less wrinkles, your eyes look fresher and clearer (no bags). Beauty sleep is a truth. Ever looked t yourself in the mirror after an all nighter? Never a good look. So sleep dear beauties….sleep!
Number 4. You’ll stay fit and healthy. There is a clear link between sleep and our immune system. Without getting all scientific on you, our immune system rebuilds and renews when we sleep. Reducing the amount of sleep we get reduces the opportunity for our immune system to regenerate. A weak immune system makes us more susceptible to infections including the common cold. We get ‘run down’ as we call it. One of the best cures is to tuck into bed early and let our immune systems sort it out for us. So do as the doc says, get plenty of rest!
Number 5. Sleep promotes success! OK, bit of a generalisation but the message is true. You perform better when you are well rested. You can go longer, react faster, push harder and move quicker. Read into that what you will but just remember, if it’s important to you (or others) that are performing your best then make sure you have filled up your sleep quota the night before!
Number 6. You won’t keep forgetting things. Geez…this one if for me. I can’t seem to remember anything these days. The name of the guy I just met, that great actors name, the restaurant that does the yummy whats-a-call-its!! Well maybe it’s poor sleep catching up with me. What happens at night when you’re sleeping is a kind a memory filing process in your brain. You review and catalogue what happened in the day so you can easily recall it. If your brain has plenty of (sleep) time I guess it does a great job filing with lots of well organised manila folders and sticky labels in your brain’s filing cabinet. But if you rush it all the files get dumped in the one draw, upside down and back to front. Good luck pulling out the file you need next time. So make sure you allocate enough time for well organised brain folders and labels and keep your head cabinet tidy!
Number 7. You’ll be better in the sack. Like most physical activities, if you are well rested then you’ll not only be in the mood for action, you’ll perform better too! This is one for you and your other half - a partner program of better sleep for better sex.
Number 8. Good sleep is good for your weight. Sounds wrong I know…lying about never burnt off any calories. But here’s the thing - lack of sleep can slow down your metabolism. It can also make you feel hungrier than normal. So worst case scenario is that you stay up too late, eat too much and then it takes your body longer to work it through. All this can equal weight gain. And when you are over-weight you can find it harder to sleep. That is a circle that is truly vicious! Get it around the other way. Go to sleep on time and get your eight hours. Get up feeling fresh and have an active day. Eat well and work it through with your fast, healthy metabolism and go to bed that night feeling and looking great.
Number 9. Focus, focus focus! Sleep helps you concentrate. Your eyes go where they are pointed and your brain pays attention to what it is that you are doing. Things are clear and easy to follow. But cut your sleep short or stay up too long and your eyes start to wobble and your brain starts to wonder. Every little thing becomes harder. In three words, Sleep equals focus.
Number 10. You’ll solve those problems when you sleep. ‘Let me sleep on it’ they say. Well you do….solve problems while you sleep that is. Your body might turn off completely when you sleep but you handy little brain can still be working in the background on that troublesome little problem you need to fix. Have a good night’s sleep and wake the next day with a new set of ideas, perspectives and answers! Don’t wake me - I’m thinking!!
So there you have it. 10 reasons for better sleep from the the word-wide world of wisdom. Not rocket science I hear you say. No…it aint!
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