While many people are concerned about eating the right food and remaining as active as possible, they often neglect their sleep patterns. Honing a good sleep routine is as crucial to your health as eating a balanced diet and getting your weekly cardio. Lack of sleep can result in low mood, poor mental health, and a lack of focus in the daytime. Broken sleep can make you erratic and emotional during the day. Insomnia – a chronic form of being unable to sleep – can be a difficult pattern to break. It can make you dread bedtime and feel permanently fatigued. Take a look at why you should never neglect your sleep routine.
Heart disease and stroke
If you sleep for eight hours a night, you have a far lower risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke. Many studies have looked at the link between heart health and sleep patterns. Solid sleep is vital to allow your body to rest as well as your mind. Restful sleep results in lower blood pressure, less stress on your heart, and more time for your body to recover from the previous day’s events.
Depression
Nearly ninety per cent of people who suffer from depression struggle with their sleep. Being unable to find that rest can result in your thoughts running away with you taking you to some pretty dark places. Insomnia can result in a feeling of isolation. By getting more sleep, you can be sure that your mood is lifted. Poor sleep has a massive effect on your focus and ability to reason. If you need help to ease your stress and feel less tense, different types of kratom, a natural supplement, can help. This can be eaten within a recipe you have cooked or taken in a capsule.
Productivity
If you lack sleep, you will not be as productive at work. Your motor functions will not be as sharp and your mind may struggle to focus on the finer details. This can have a massive impact on your career. If you have an important meeting, you don’t want to risk forgetting the important figures. Sleep is so important for our health, our social interactions, and our life decisions. With a lack of sleep, you risk impaired functions.
Immune System
It’s during sleep when the body regenerates, repairs, and recovers from cell damage. The immune system is also improved during sleep. Getting good sleep consistently can help your body fight off infection. Although the exact mechanisms of how this happens remains unknown until today, sleep has an impact on your immune system.
Weight Gain
Although it’s not completely clear how, poor sleep is linked to obesity. People who usually lack sleep may have difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is because they lack the energy to exercise and usually make poor food choices. There’s also a link between appetite and sleep. It’s been shown that when a person lacks sleep, it can interfere with the body’s ability to control food intake correctly.
Social and Emotional Intelligence
Sleep has been found to affect a person’s ability to recognize other people’s expressions and emotions. It has been found that when a person fails to get enough sleep, they’ll have difficulty responding to emotional stimuli.
How to have better sleep
During the day, you should spend time outside and be more physically active. Ensure you manage stress effectively with therapy, exercise, or other ways. Try and set up a positive sleep routine. This could mean getting to bed at the same time every night. Run yourself a hot bath, light some candles, and relax in the tub. Don’t look at social media or screens for at least two hours before you go to bed and read a book instead. Think about your bedroom and make it conducive to sleep. Make your sleeping environment as comfortable as you can. Use blackout blinds so sunlight won’t wake you too early in the morning. Ensure that your mattress is comfortable, use pillows that don’t hurt your neck and wear comfortable nightwear. If you’re fond of sleeping on your belly, this stomach sleeper pillow could come in handy. Forget about drinking caffeine and opt for the comforting combination of hot chocolate and a cookie.
Although often neglected, sleep is as important as diet and exercise. It plays a crucial part in a person’s general well-being. Getting enough sleep helps you fight obesity, improves the immune system, prevents heart disease and depression, as well as improves productivity, social, and emotional intelligence. Follow this guide and never again underestimate the power of sleep.