by Tami Mungenast, CPT CNWC CES
Lack of sleep can take a toll on your mind, body, and overall health.
Studies show that prolonged sleep deprivation increases risk to colds and flu, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and mental health issues. Sleep is the body’s natural way of promoting wellness.
During sleep your body repairs and resets itself. Research indicates that your body needs at least 7 hours of sleep to reap all the benefits.
Here are some of the benefits you can receive:
1. Obesity – Many studies over the past decade point to a link between sleep deprivation and obesity in both adults and children. Research shows that people who sleep only five hours per night were 73% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine nightly hours of sleep. Studies also indicate that lack of sleep was a bigger contributor to childhood obesity than any other factor. The theory is that lack of sleep creates hormone imbalance which increases hunger and fat storage.
2. Better protection against viral illness – When you’re sleep deprived your body is worn down which makes it vulnerable to infection. The less sleep you get, the weaker your immune system becomes making it less effective in fighting illness.
3. Better brain function and mental health – Lack of sleep negatively affects judgement, driving, memory and eye hand coordination. It can also increase risk to depression and anxiety.
4. Decrease risk to heart disease – When you don’t get adequate sleep you have an inflammatory response in your cardiovascular system this increases the risks for damage in the blood vessels and arteries. If this continues long term chronic inflammation can cause heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.
5. Diabetes – When you are sleep deprived, your body almost immediately develops conditions that resemble the insulin resistance of diabetes. This state, over time, increases the body’s risk of having Type 2 Diabetes.
The take home from this is that you can help improve your mind and body quickly by getting adequate sleep. The body’s systems respond quickly once consistent sleep is achieved.
