WE MUST GET ENOUGH SLEEP
I've said this often: "Sleep is essential." We all know we should get enough sleep, yet we're usually groggy when our alarm goes off and can't focus on anything except hitting the snooze button. Most times because we stay up on our phones, look through social media, and don't get to bed at the time we were expecting to fall asleep.
So, sleep is crucial to your physical and mental health; we hear this, we know this. When you sleep, the brain goes through several stages of activity that allow you to be awake and alert, focused, and able to learn new information. Sleep also helps you recover from a busy day by giving your body time to repair itself. If you're not getting enough sleep at night (usually six or more hours), it can affect how well your brain works during the day:
You may have trouble concentrating on tasks that require attention or focus.
Your memory won't work as well when you're tired because it takes more effort for your brain cells to relay messages back and forth within their networks. In other words, when you don't get enough sleep at night, there will be less contact between neurons in specific parts of the brain—the same way that using an old laptop with slow Internet makes browsing difficult because it takes longer for data packets to reach their destination.*
Getting enough sleep helps keep us from being fatigued during the day so we can stay productive while working hard at our jobs*. Getting enough rest also reduces our risk of accidents by keeping us alert while driving.*
Getting enough rest improves our moods by reducing stress levels, making us feel happier overall! This can create anxiety, and depression can worsen.
During sleep, your body is hard at work repairing everything from the heart and blood vessels to muscles and joints.
While asleep, your body is hard at work repairing everything from the heart and blood vessels to muscles and joints. The immune system is the body's defense against infection and illness—it's a complex network of organs, cells, and chemical substances that fight infections, cancer, and other diseases. Your immune system helps maintain the body's health by protecting against disease.
Sleep helps your brain work properly.
As you sleep, your brain builds new connections between neurons and consolidates memories. It also helps you learn, remember, make decisions, solve problems, and stay focused and alert.
A single night of poor sleep can alter your body's immune response.
A single night of poor sleep can alter your body's immune response. This can increase inflammation which we know affects our physical and mental health.
Your mental health depends on quality sleep.
It's no secret that a good night's sleep is essential for your physical health, but it turns out that getting enough sleep significantly impacts your mental state. Sleep deprivation can hurt mood, cognitive function, and even memory. We wake up groggy, moody, and feeling tired and lethargic. This can sometimes feel like depression. For those that already suffered from Mild to moderate depression, this can worsen your symptoms.
Getting enough quality sleep at the correct times can help protect your mental, physical, quality of life and safety.
Sleep is crucial for your mental health and quality of life. It also supports your physical health, as well as your safety.
Sleep is essential for your mental health:
Lack of sleep can lead to depression, which affects one in four people at some point in their lives.
Insufficient sleep affects cognitive function and increases the risk of accidents at work or
home.
GET YOUR ZZZs
So, sleep is crucial. If you are having trouble sleeping, try some of these tips:
Avoid all electronics at least 45 minutes before bedtime, avoid caffeine and alcohol, journal your thoughts and worries in a journal at least 1.5 hours before bedtime, practice meditation or breathing, or drink a relaxing herbal tea blend that helps promote sleep.