We constantly read that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly helps us look better, feel more energized, and live longer. And it is true. But they often forget to include in this equation a very important component that we all desperately need – and which we always lack: this is a dream. Adequate and regular sleep brings tremendous benefits that I have not thought about before. But almost three years of motherhood, during two of which my son slept very badly at night (however, he still wakes up 3-4 times a night) taught me to truly value sleep.
I am slept and I am in a state of lack of sleep – two different people both in appearance and in behavior. Almost all aspects of our life become an order of magnitude better when we get enough sleep. And in our life there is not a single element, the quality of which would not deteriorate if we lack sleep.
Making the right decisions
Sleep deprivation negatively affects the frontal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for decision-making. Not getting enough sleep, we make the wrong choice: we give preference to unhealthy foods, we decide to rest instead of going in for sports.
We make mistakes not only in relation to our own health, but also in managerial decisions. Bill Clinton, who, as you know, slept no more than 5 hours a day, once remarked: “I made all my serious mistakes only because I was very tired.”
In 2013, when the European Union was drafting a plan to help Cyprus, an agreement was reached around midnight and was called by one commentator “surprisingly stupid”. Financial columnist Felix Salmon describes the decision as “the product of an ugly combination of procrastination, blackmail and trickery of sleepy people.” Research also shows that lack of sleep in adolescents leads to dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex, increasing the likelihood of risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug use and unprotected sex.
Avoiding junk food and maintaining slimness
Chronic sleep deprivation prevents us from losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. The reason is that with a lack of sleep in the body, the amount of the hormone ghrelin increases, which makes us feel hungry, and the amount of the hormone leptin, which signals satiety, decreases. Because of this, we begin to absorb foods full of sugars, fats and carbohydrates, which help us to quickly but briefly raise our energy levels – and we simply cannot stop.
This statement, unfortunately, works with me 100%: after a bad night, I am drawn to desserts, which I don’t even remember if I slept well.
Preservation of youth
There is no doubt about it – sleep helps us look our best. Studies show that people who do not sleep well appear less healthy, attractive, and more tired than those who are well rested at night. Good and long-lasting sleep promotes the production of HGH, or Human Growth Hormone. Growth hormone is produced during the deepest stages of sleep. Its level is highest in the body in childhood and adolescence, and in adulthood, its level decreases, but nevertheless continues to be stable. The less we sleep, the less time remains for the production of HGH, and with an insufficient amount of this hormone, muscle mass decreases, metabolism slows down, body fat increases in the waist area, and the skin sags.
Fighting colds
If you regularly experience a lack of adequate sleep, you are more susceptible to illness. How to protect yourself during the cold season when someone is sick in the office? Good hand hygiene is certainly of the utmost importance, but a good night’s sleep can help reduce the risk of colds and the severity of illness.
Хgood mood
When we are well rested, we tend to be less irritable, less prone to depression and anxiety. The better our mood, the higher the quality of life. We want to do things that give us pleasure, and we get more joy from life in general. If you want to make a difference in your life to make you feel younger, consider spending more time sleeping. Even if it seems to you that sleep takes up additional time, you compensate for this by the fact that you will cope with the rest of the business much faster.
PS In the title photo I am opposite the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul. Istanbul is, firstly, a wonderful city, and, secondly, you sleep very well here :))) This, of course, is a subjective thing, but I probably for the first time in almost three years do not feel a lack of sleep. Hurrah!