When it comes to health and wellness, there's a lot of push for nutrition and fitness. While eating nutritious food and finding time for movement is an integral part of overall health, there's another foundational aspect worth noting: sleep.
Sleep plays a pivotal role in health and wellness, especially for the youth. It's estimated that teens need between eight and ten hours per night for optimal health.
Here are some compelling reasons why improving your sleep should be a top priority.
Better Cognition and Focus
According to a comprehensive article about sleep from Wellness Nova, most people require a minimum of seven hours of sleep to function at an optimal level. There are various sleep cycles that we experience during the night. The REM cycle, in particular, is closely tied to cognitive ability and focus.
Spending enough time in the REM cycle is especially important for children and teens as they in their school years. Sleep deprivation causes lower social and cognitive processing along with issues with memory and comprehension. Since many school programs start during the early hours of the morning, a good night's rest can be the difference between success and failure in an educational setting.
Hormonal Regulation
Sleep also impacts the body's hormonal regulation, signaling the release of certain hormones while limiting others. Sleep loss dramatically reduces testosterone, with one study showing a 10% to 15% decrease within five days of limited sleep.
Hormonal regulation is especially important in young populations as their bodies navigate puberty. However, sleep deprivation also results in an increased release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Excess cortisol can wreak havoc on the body's processes and cause long-term health concerns.
Achieving Fitness Goals
Ironically, the impacts of inadequate sleep can derail efforts to eat better food and exercise more. If your goal is to lose body fat or gain muscle, sleep deprivation could be the reason you aren't making progress. If you aren't getting enough sleep, your digestion and energy levels will be off. Furthermore, the cortisol release is connected to body fat gain.
Getting a good night of sleep means that you'll have the energy and focus to get in a good workout. Additionally, you'll be less likely to sustain an injury as your body does its best recovery work while you sleep. Finally, improved digestion and mood regulation will help you stay on track with your nutrition goals.
Long-Term Health Benefits
Since hormonal disruptions caused by inadequate sleep can cause long-term health concerns, sleep deprivation is linked to the development of various cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and an increased risk for heart attack or stroke.
Additionally, there's a correlation between sleep deprivation and the development of high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. These issues could be related to the metabolic and digestive disruption that happens when we don't get enough rest.
In essence, when you don't sleep, you don't give your body time to de-stress and unwind. As a result, it has to work harder to do less. While numerous factors contribute to these issues, improving your sleep quality is one of the simplest, yet most effective preventative measures you can take.
Better Immunity
Improving one's immunity has been a hot topic since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many vitamins and nutritious foods you can consume to help boost your immunity. However, it's important to ensure that your sleep patterns aren't working against you.
As mentioned, your body does its best recovery work during periods of rest. Not only is sleep closely tied to your immune function, it can help offset things that are working against it. For example, exercising is vital for staying strong and healthy. However, it also puts a certain amount of stress on the body. Overtraining without adequate recovery makes it more likely that you'll get sick. By finding your balance with sleep, you'll better protect your health.
For these compelling reasons, you should add a healthy sleep routine to your overall wellness goals this year.
