You may think that a few late nights won’t do any harm, and overall, it won’t. However, repeated late nights or suffering from insomnia can have a lasting impact on your health. It is estimated that around 35% of adults don’t get a good night’s sleep regularly. That’s a lot of very tired people in the mornings. Here are six reasons why getting a good night’s sleep is important.
1. It Can Improve Your Concentration
A tired mind is a wandering mind. You are not going to be able to focus on what you are doing without a good night’s sleep. That is why revision guides always tell you to get an early night and sleep well before an exam rather than trying to cram in some more studying the night before and staying up late.
If your mind is feeling fresh and active, the exam will run smoothly. A late night will mean a fuddled brain and the inability to take in information. You may even find yourself falling asleep over your exam paper.
2. It Can Improve Your Safety
Most medications that can make you drowsy will have a label that tells you not to drive or operate heavy machinery while under their influence. However, did you know that it is the drowsiness rather than the pill itself that is likely to cause you to have an accident? This is because tiredness slows down your concentration and your reflexes and you are unable to avoid danger as easily.
Many accidents are reported due to drowsy driving or people falling asleep at the wheel and it is estimated that this is more likely to happen if you have had less than six hours of sleep. This takes the idea of getting a good night’s sleep to a whole other level.
3. It Can Enhance Athletic Performance
It is surprising how much faster and stronger you feel if you are well-rested. This applies to Olympic athletes and everyday people as well. To try this for yourself, go for a short run of about 50 meters or whatever you can manage and time how long it takes you. Then try to run the same route when you are tired and time yourself again. You will be amazed at the difference being tired makes to your performance.
Many studies have been carried out on professional sportspeople and the results have shown that a good night’s sleep affects your motor skills, muscle power, endurance, and speed. If you want to up your game, work harder at the gym, or be able to run for the bus, use Rise Science’s guide. This will explain how to sleep early and well, track the amount of sleep you have so that you can get a better night’s rest, and improve your energy levels.
4. It Can Support a Healthy Immune System
You can take as many vitamins and supplements as you like but, without a good night’s sleep, they are unlikely to work as well. Getting a bad night’s sleep compromises your immune system by making you feel worn out and lowering your resistance to illnesses such as colds and flu. If you want to stay healthy during flu season, keep taking the vitamins but make sure you have a good night’s sleep too.
5. It Can Help You to Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you feel tired and sluggish you are more likely to reach for sugary snacks to revive yourself. These do work for a brief time as the sugar content goes into your bloodstream, but this boost of energy is short-lived. Pretty soon you will find yourself crashing back down again and being even more tired than you were before. If you do this too often you will soon find that you are putting on weight and feeling sluggish.
An effective way to give yourself energy when you are feeling tired is to eat food that gives you slow-releasing energy. This will make you feel less tired, but the effect will last for longer and they will help you to maintain a healthy weight. Food such as pasta, nuts, or bananas are great for this purpose.
6. It Can Affect Your Emotions
Nothing affects your emotions quite like sleep deprivation and you will find yourself on a rollercoaster ride of emotion that isn’t likely to end well if you don’t sleep well. Sleeping well means that you are more likely to feel sociable, react favorably to humor, and can state your case well. If you want to land a pay rise or a promotion, get an early night before you ask.
These are just six reasons why getting a good night’s sleep is important, so quit burning the midnight oil and go to bed early if you want to get ahead.
