Sleep and your Health

Getting enough sleep is beneficial to your health. People who experience a poor night’s sleep will wake up feeling low on energy and pretty grumpy. Lack of sleep can affect your overall health.

A lot happens to the body while we sleep. Herewith a few points on what the body does while sleeping.

• While our breathing slows our muscles relax and the body uses this time to start repairs.
• The growth hormone which are responsible for bone and muscle development is released. This is crucial especially in growing children.
• New pathways are formed by our nerves to prepare the body for waking.
• Enough sleep helps to maintain healthy hormone levels and boost the immune system.

Being sleep deprived can interrupt these processes and over time cause both physical and mental health issues including heart disease.

Not getting enough sleep can leave you lethargic, you may even fall asleep driving and prevent you from performing simple tasks at work or home.

Herewith guidelines of how much sleep we really need to improve our health:

New-born to 3 Months         14 – 17 Hours

4 Months to 11 Months        12 – 15 Hours

1 to 2 Years                         11 – 14 Hours

3 to 5 Years                         10 – 13 Hours

6 to 13 Years                        9 – 11 Hours

14 to 17 Years                      8 – 10 Hours

18 to 64 Years                      7 – 9 Hours

65+ Years                             7 – 8 Hours

The amount required can change from individual to individual but the average for and adult is around 8 hours a night.

It is very important to get enough sleep but getting too much sleep can leave you waking up more tired. Adults only need the max of 8 hours sleep anything over 9 hours is considered excessive sleep. Long hours in bed can be because of poor quality sleep.

Herewith some of the health benefits of getting a good night’s sleep:

• You’ll have more energy.
• Healthy weight. Poor sleep can disrupt the maintenance of natural hormonal pathways. Being tired can cause you to eat badly and not exercise regularly which in return can lead to obesity and diabetes.
• A proper night’s sleep will increase productivity and concentration. Children who get enough sleep will increase their academic performances.
• Athletes benefits from a good night sleep as it heals the body especially after strenuous workouts or sporting activities. They have a higher endurance and better motor skill coordination.
• Enough sleep can improve your emotional intelligence and mental health.
• A good night sleep can improve your immune system making it easier to fight off viral infections.

Getting enough sleep will increase your energy, efficiency and overall health.