Whenever I get ill the sage advice given to me by everyone is, “Drink water and get plenty of sleep”, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I generally just go to bed, rather than asking why sleep is important. But there are a lot of benefits to a good nights sleep – not just the obvious being rested and not having bags under your eyes.
Designers and people in other creative professions occasionally get stuck, unable to create anything new or fresh. When this happens the best thing to do is simply stop working and get some rest – this is because when you sleep your brain reorganises memories, which has a link to the creative side of the brain and often spurs on creativity.
The same can be said for Athletes too, a Stanford University study showed that athletes who slept for at least 10 hours a night for a few weeks actually increased in stamina, and reduced day time fatigue – meaning they could perform better during sports and push themselves further.
Sleep can also have an impact on your diet; researchers at University of Chicago found that dieters who were well rested lost more body fat, than sleep deprived dieters. This is because the same area of the brain controls sleep and metabolism. Sleep also influences your hunger, so if you have don’t have enough sleep you feel a lot hungrier, which can have a serious impact on the willpower of a dieter!
Sleep is good for the memory as well; because when you sleep you strengthen the memories of the day, usually in the form of dreams. So if you’re trying to learn a new skill, such as learning a new language, simply getting a good night sleep afterwards will consolidate the memories of the day and really help you learn better.
These are some of the best reasons to ensure you have a good nights sleep in a comfy new metal bed. Next time some one asks why you’re still in bed at 1pm you can give them a detailed insight into the healthy benefits of sleep.
How does a lack of sleep effect you?
Do you find that the amount of sleep you have effects your metabolism/appetite?
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