As With Eating Well, Good Sleep Is a Must for Our Health

In order to understand how important is to sleep for the human body, we can compare it to another key activity: hunger. 

Hunger is a craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient where the body releases a protective mechanism that has evolved to ensure that we get the nutrients our bodies require to grow, repair tissues, and function properly. Sleep is a necessary human function — it allows our brains to recharge and our bodies to rest. 

When we do not sleep long or well enough, our bodies do not get the full benefits of sleep, such as muscle repair and memory consolidation. Sleep is so crucial that even slight sleep deprivation or poor sleep can affect memory, judgment, and mood. In addition to feelings of listlessness, chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to health problems, from obesity and high blood pressure to safety risks while driving.

Most people don’t get enough sleep. We are a society that prefers to do something else but gets a full night's sleep and a country where people stay up all night to study, work, or have fun. This has short term and long term effects on ourself as individuals and as a specie

In the short term, a lack of adequate sleep can affect judgment, mood, ability to learn and retain information, and may increase the risk of serious accidents and injury. In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.

Sleep powers the mind restores the body and fortifies virtually every system in the body. But how much sleep do we really need in order to get these benefits?

National Sleep Foundation guidelines advise that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. Babies, young children, and teens need even more sleep to enable their growth and development. People over 65 should also get 7 to 8 hours per night.

Knowing the general recommendations for how much sleep you need is a first step. Then It’s important to reflect on your individual needs based on factors like your activity level and overall health. And finally, of course, it’s necessary to apply healthy sleep tips so that you can actually get the full night’s sleep that’s recommended.