Why sleep is important?

Contrary to our calm physical state, the brain is very active during sleep, performing many important functions.

Sleep

is essential to all processes in the body, as it affects our physical and mental functioning the next day, our ability to fight disease and build immunity, and our metabolism and risk of chronic diseases. Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout life. How you feel while you are awake depends in part on what happens while you sleep.

During sleep, the body works to support healthy brain function and maintain physical health.

sleep

is a basic human need, such as eating, drinking and breathing. Like these other needs, sleep is vital to good health and well-being throughout life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 3 adults in the United States reported that they did not get enough rest or sleep every day.

In addition, to compensate for lack of energy, lack of sleep can cause you to want foods with higher sugar and fat content, due to their higher calorie content (10, 1). This is because lack of sleep can cause the body to release cortisol, a stress hormone that makes the heart work harder. Just as you prioritize your diet and physical activity, it's time to give sleep the attention it deserves. Sleep is essential to a person's health and well-being, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

An internal “body clock” regulates your sleep cycle, monitoring when you feel tired and ready to sleep or when you are rested and alert. Towards morning, there is an increase in rapid eye movement, or REM sleep, when muscles are relaxed and sleep occurs, and recent memories can consolidate in the brain. In addition, 69 percent of children experience one or more problems sleeping a few nights or more for a week. And while that may seem to solve the afternoon shock problem you experience, the extra caffeine at the end of the day could set you up for another sleepless night.

In other studies, people with sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also report higher rates of depression than people without sleep disorders (41, 4). Edward Stepanski, PhD, who has studied sleep fragmentation at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Learn how sleep affects the heart and circulatory system, metabolism, respiratory system and immune system, and how much sleep is enough. In addition, lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome.

According to a study published in the October 2004 edition of The Archives of Internal Medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective and lasts longer than a widely used sleeping pill, Ambien, to reduce insomnia.