Did you know that an extra hour of sleep can really make a big difference in your body health? Sleep can be described as a naturally recurring state of mind, characterized by unconsciousness and inhibition of the sensory and nearly all voluntary muscles. Enough sleep is very important for your normal body functioning. 
An average person is supposed to have at least eight hours of good sleep. If you are getting less than this then you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Millions of Americans are affected by a variety of sleep disorders. Several studies conducted have shown that getting too little sleep may have negative effects on your health. If you have been depriving yourself of sleep, read on for the top 7 benefits for getting a good night’s sleep.
1. YOU WILL HAVE BETTER SEX
During the 2010 sleep in America poll, the statistics indicated that about 20 to 30 percent of the people investigated felt that sleep had an effect on their family life and sexual experiences. It has also been discovered that females who have more sleep tend to have a higher sex drive than those who don’t. When it comes to men, less sleep leads to less production of testosterone. Lower testosterone levels result in lower libido. However, the exact association between sleep and testosterone levels is not yet very clear.
2. YOU WILL LOOK HEALTHIER
A study that was carried out in 2010 and published in the British Medical Journal found that shutting the eyes regularly makes one look healthier. In the study, the researchers took photographs of 23 people after a specific period of sleep deprivation and after eight hours of good sleep. These photos were then given to 65 other people to rate the photos. The results showed that the group which had been deprived of sleep scored low in all the three categories.
3. SHARPEN YOUR ATTENTION
IKEA’s slumber survey found that one in every three Australians thought that they had a poor or terrible sleep. When you have a bad night, you are most likely to develop problems during the day. A survey that was done by Shopping channel QVC found that more than half of all the people were likely to develop problems after a bad sleep. A good night’s sleep can make you focus well during the day, just as coffee can. When you get good sleep, it helps you to retain your memory and recall the thoughts that you may have forgotten.
During deep sleep, your mind is always busy strengthening practical skills that you learned while awake. When you are trying to learn a new thing, you are most likely to understand it better just after sleep. It has been found that lack of sleep in children can result in symptoms similar to those found in children with ADHD. Lack of sleep in children is very different from that of adults. A study done by the Journal Pediatrics in 2009 found that despite lack of sleep causing adults to feel sleepy, it made children around seven years old become hyperactive.
4. MAKES YOU BE CREATIVE
It has been found that REM sleep can contribute to creative thinking. When you get better sleep, you are likely to have dreams which tends to consolidate your memories. When these memories become consolidated or stronger, they become reorganized and, therefore may,help make you become more creative. According to research which was done by Harvard University and Boston College, the emotional components of people’s memory were strengthened during sleep so therefore could lead to more creativity. Now you know you should get a good nights sleep, when you have a creative project waiting for you the next day.
5. LOWER STRESS
It is stated that lack of sleep can lead to psychological and cardiovascular problems. Medical researchers at the Harvard University found that not getting enough sleep was likely to lead to depression and anxiety disorders. Another research showed that sleep had an effect on the cholesterol levels in the body, which had a significant effect in heart disorders. When you have a good night sleep, you will feel less stressed and feel more emotionally stable and, therefore, have better control of your blood pressure.
6. BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY
After several studies, it has been found that there is a link between lack of sleep and problems like heart attacks, heart diseases, and diabetes. One particular study conducted on 10 young healthy adults showed after four days of not enough sleep that the glucose level in three of them had risen to a level that made them pre-diabetic. When you lack sleep, your body loses the ability to protect itself. Even eating a healthy diet cannot help since it is during sleep that nutrients repair the body.
7. CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT
According to research by the University of Chicago, those people who had gone on a diet and and got plenty of sleep lost more fat compared to those who got less sleep. Instead, there was muscle loss and the feeling of hunger observed in the ones who had been deprived of sleep. This happened because both sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same part of our brains. When you get enough sleep, you are able to control your weight since the hormone leptine tends to make your stomach feel full and, therefore, you eat less. When you lack sleep, the levels of this hormone in the body drops and you begin feeling hungry.
CONCLUSION
For your body to function properly, you need to get a good night’s sleep. However, this doesn’t mean just closing your eyes; it involves different cycles of the brain. Due to life’s pressures nowadays, many people find it hard to even get to sleep.
Fortunately, there are many choices that can help you overcome this. Some of the things you can opt for are an insomnia relief face mask, a specially rigged pillow that takes you to slumber land, a bracelet that will massage your wrists gently until you drift off or even a new bed and mattress (we conveniently reviewed and rated 10 of the best guest beds here). But whatever you choose getting a good nights sleep is good for your health.
This article used the following sites for the information:
www.bodyandsoul.com
www.fitformoore.co.uk
www.huffingpost.com
www.health.com
www.webmd.com
Further reading on sleep disorders and what you can do about it can be found on those sites!