Getting That Extra Wink for Improved Health
By Donna Stark
For children, the two most dreaded parts of the day are naptime and bedtime, but for adults, it's quite the opposite. Many people look at sleep as a welcomed respite after a long day of work filled with strict deadlines, loud coworkers, and demanding clients. It's the time they use to truly escape their crazy, busy world. But that's not the only thing sleep is good for. It's good for your physical and mental health too! Let's take a look at the importance of sleep and how that extra wink can benefit you in the long term.
Physical Health Benefits
Most of the benefits you receive from quality sleep are easy to see, but not all of them are visible to the naked eye. Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night can help improve your overall health and wellness in many ways. Check out some of those ways below.
- Infection-fighting antibodies are released throughout your body
- Information and memories are consolidated in your brain
- Damaged cells in your muscles and organs are repaired
- Hormones are regulated
Mental Health Benefits
In addition to your physical health, sleep also affects your emotions as well. The quality of sleep you get has a direct impact on the amygdala, the part of the brain controls the body's emotions and reactions. When you are sleep deprived, the amygdala goes into overdrive and intensifies your reactions to different situations. In addition to that, a large portion of your sleep is spent processing memories, both good and bad, happy and painful. Without the much-needed processing time, the mind can really begin to suffer.
'Getting Through the Day' Benefits
When you're tired even the most minuscule tasks become impossible to do. Sleep deprivation inhibits your ability to function properly in every aspect of your life. A lack of sleep reduces focus, memory, and decision-making skills which are vital to your daily lifestyle, whereas a healthy amount of quality sleep can help increase attention, improve productivity, and restore cognitive function.
Improve Your Life With Sleep
There are a lot of things we can learn from children but learning how to dislike sleep certainly isn't one of them! Prioritizing your sleep is one of the most important things you can do to improve your overall health, wellness, and quality of life, so put that on the top of your to-do list today! And if you can, try to convince your children to join you. It will be to everyone's benefit if you do.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Citrus Heights, Calif.