Introduction
Sleep is essential for human beings. The quantity and quality of sleep greatly affect our daily mental and physical condition. Therefore, cutting back on sleep or not getting a full night’s sleep can lead to the worsening of one’s physical condition the next day.
So, what is the appropriate amount of sleep? And what can we do to improve the quality of our sleep?
The Importance of Sleep
It is very important for human beings to get a good night’s sleep in order to stay healthy. This is as important as eating a balanced diet and being physically active habitually.
Basically, most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep. However, the amount of sleep needed varies from person to person.
In addition, sleep deprivation can lead to health problems and dangerous conditions. For these reasons, it is very important to get a good night’s sleep in order to take care of daily conditions.
The following nine reasons are the major reasons to get a good night’s sleep:
・It may help you maintain or lose weight.
・It can improve concentration and productivity.
・It can help maximize athletic performance.
・It may strengthen your heart.
・It affects sugar metabolism and type 2 diabetes risks.
・Poor sleep is linked to depression.
・A proper amount of sleep supports a healthy immune system.
・Poor sleep is linked to increased inflammation.
・Sleep affects emotions and social interactions (Leech, 2020).
How to improve sleep quality
First, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to get a good night’s sleep. Stress from your work environment, personal relationships, family circumstances, illnesses, and other factors can reduce your chances of getting a good night’s sleep. Therefore, it is not impossible for the quality of sleep to decrease as we go about our daily lives.
That is why we would like to share with you some habits and methods to ensure a good night’s sleep in order to avoid the causes that prevent a good night’s sleep as mentioned above.
・Stick to a sleep schedule.
・Pay attention to what you eat and drink.
・Create a restful environment.
・Limit daytime naps.
・Include physical activity in your daily routine.
・Manage worries (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2020).
If you don’t get enough sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for people to maintain good health. If you are sleep deprived, it can have a variety of negative effects. You may feel terribly tired, irritable, and unable to concentrate on your work or assignments, or you may not be able to get things done smoothly. You may also want to just turn off the lights in your room and sleep all the time.
As mentioned above, lack of sleep equals a bad day. If you are sleep deprived, it will lead to a worsening of your physical and mental health, which will also cause discomfort. That is why it is important to ensure that you get quality sleep. Here are some of the things that are likely to happen if you are sleep deprived:
・You can’t think.
・You’re not as alert.
・You increase your risk of serious health issues.
・You’re at a greater risk of injury.
・You may gain weight.
・It can affect your mental health.
・You may get sick more often.
・You may have a lower sex drive.
・It may affect your appearance (Gaffney, 2022).
Conclusion
It has been found that getting a good night’s sleep helps maintain one’s health and improves one’s daily performance, while lack of sleep leads to mental and physical instability and aggravation, and greatly affects the efficiency and performance of work and other activities. Therefore, it is important to get a good night’s sleep.
References
・Leech, J. (2020). 10 Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Important. [online] Healthline. Available
at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important [Accessed 11
September 2022].
・Mayo Clinic Staff (2020). 6 Steps to Better Sleep. [online] Mayo Clinic. Available at:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379
・Gaffney, B. (2022). This Is What Happens If You Don’t Get Enough Sleep. [online] Baton
Rouge Clinic. Available at: https://batonrougeclinic.com/this-is-what-happens-if-you-dont-get-
enough-sleep/ [Accessed 10 September 2022].
