Recent research findings offer compelling reasons to optimize your sleep quality through healthy sleep habits and to take sleep disorders seriously. Especially in recent decades, our understanding of the connections between healthy sleep and well-being on the one hand, and between sleep disorders and illness on the other, has grown.
One thing is certain: In addition to exercise and nutrition, sleep is the third critical factor that has the greatest impact on our health. Studies have shown that people who regularly do not get enough sleep are not only unmotivated, unfocused and irritable the next day, but also risk long-term physical effects; they tend to gain excess weight and are more susceptible to mental illnesses.
- Sleep and weight
Seven to eight hours of beauty sleep promote the ideal weight. Studies have shown a connection between lack of sleep and excess weight. If sleep is lacking, they explain, the metabolism becomes disordered.
- Sleep and the psyche
Good sleep and emotional health are closely related. Those who sleep well can more easily deal with stress and pressure. The reason: emotional problems are processed through dreams, while memories are sorted and “filed.” If this cleansing function is missing, it affects the spirit. Among other things, too little sleep increases the risk of suffering from depression.
- Sleep and the heart
Various studies have shown a close connection between restorative sleep and good heart health. That makes perfect sense, because sleep is a time of active regeneration for our most important organ. Our breath and pulse slow, our blood pressure is lowered and our body temperature drops slightly.
- Sleep and attention/concentration
Sleep is a natural way to maintain and improve people’s concentration and attention skills. After just two restless nights, both decline significantly. A constant lack of sleep or disturbed sleep can cause enormous problems of various kinds. For instance, parents know that tired children are often hyperactive. While a lack of sleep does not cause ADHD, it can make the symptoms much worse.
- Sleep and life expectancy
According to studies, neither too much nor too little sleep is good for your health. Japanese scientists found that people who sleep between 6.7 and 7.5 hours a night have the highest life expectancy. Fewer than 4.5 or more than 8 hours, on the other hand, shorten people’s life expectancy.
- Sleep and mental performance/memory
Sleep makes you smart! Things you have learned are repeated in your mind at night and saved. Sleep is an important requirement for being able to remember things. Often, the brain works out practical solutions to complicated problems while you sleep. Scientific studies have shown that sleep - compared to non-sleep - provides significantly better and faster solution strategies for complex test assignments.
- Sleep and the immune system
Sleep strengthens the immune system and makes us more resistant to viruses. Current studies have shown that the number of natural immune cells increases in your sleep, which is very important for successfully fighting bacteria and viruses.
By the way
Do you want more...?
Sleep well - live better: The importance of restorative sleep for your performance, looks, health and well-being is undisputed - but our understanding of healthy sleep culture is often sketchy. In fact, it helps us take targeted action against sleep problems and make our sleep more restorative. In the individual lessons, our Sleep Coach offers practical knowledge on the topic of “healthy sleep” - not just for people with sleep problems, but also for healthy sleepers who want to improve their sleep quality in the long term.