Sleep is essential to improving and sustaining optimum health and vitality; it’s your body’s best natural remedy! With its ability to naturally regenerate and replenish many bodily processes, the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep is ideal in achieving a healthy, invigorated life.
Below are (5) bona fide reasons to get you leaping into bed a little earlier at night:
Better Weight Control
One of the sure ways to sabotage your weight loss and/or maintenance goals is NOT getting the recommended hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation has been linked to hormonal changes, thereby increasing appetite. Leptin, a hormone that plays a role in making you feel full, drops when you don’t get enough sleep. When you’re tired, you tend to be hungrier.
Better Memory Function
Our brains need a little solitude during your shut eye hours to renew and process the memories from the day. If you’re always in a state of forgetfulness, it might be time to check in earlier at night. With some good, quality sleep, the brain is able to consolidate, strengthen memories and things we’ve learned throughout the day, thereby, leading to improved memory function during our active, wakeful hours.
Better Sex Life
Ohhh yes! Did you know that due to the lack of sleep, it can lower testosterone levels which can decrease your libido? Yikes! And how many times, have you heard “I’m just too tired tonight?” If that’s the case, your body is telling you something; it’s tired and needs a little more Zzzz’s to regenerate and restore your sex drive.
Get a little shut eye, so you can feel wide eyed and bushy tailed in the bedroom!
Better Health
When you get the Zzz’s your body needs, a stronger immune system will prevail. Sleep can assist in combating the common cold/flu and other viruses, as well as other major health concerns such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes. Lack of sleep appears to increase the body’s production of cortisol. This “stress” hormone can lead to insulin resistance and disrupt many of your body’s processes, thus, making your immune system more vulnerable and weaker.
Better Thinking
Have you ever felt groggy and had a feeling of brain fog, especially waking in the morning or by mid-afternoon? If the answer is yes, you’re probably not getting enough snoozing hours at night. Sleep deprivation can affect your attention, decision making, creative abilities and cognitive function due to the inability for your brain to properly rest and rejuvenate. So, put on your thinking cap; get to bed early each night and let your brain do the rest!