Why is sleep so important for our physical and mental health??
One in three Americans do not get enough sleep during the night. There are individuals who say, “ I only need 3 – 4 hours of sleep a night.” That may be true for them, but a great deal of the benefits of sleep are not evident in less than seven hours of sleep for adults – including aging adults. 43% of older adults do not achieve adequate sleep.
Physical Effects of Inadequate Sleep
- Lack of sleep promotes inflammatory markers, which can affect heart diseases such as heart attacks, atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure.
- Sleep disturbances including lack of sleep affect psychological illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
- It can also lead to increased risk for cancers, affect our immune system’s ability to fight off infections such as the common cold as well as affect hormones that are involved in obesity and diabetes.
Psychological effects of Adequate Sleep
- Your brain has the opportunity to organize information and memories from the day.
- Improves mental performance
- Improves reaction time, which is helpful when driving or operating equipment
- Improves energy levels
- Problem solving ability is improved.
So acknowledge that you need at least 7 – 9 hours every night for psychological and physical health. Next week, I’ll go over some helpful hints to improve your sleep time.
Going to go catch some ZZZs myself.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Mike
References:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sleep-and-mental-health#Two-way-link-to-mental-health