Sleep experts recommend seven or eight hours of sleep per night. Study after study shows that there is a link between insufficient sleep and heart disease, heart attacks, diabetes and obesity.
A study done in 2010 showed that people who sleep less than six hours per night have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more rest. The C-reactive protein is an example of one such inflammatory protein, and it is associated with the risk of heart attack.
Benefits of Plentiful Sleep
Getting enough sleep helps everyone feel rested and more alert. Sleep helps athletes, children, dieters as well as those with chronic pain in specific ways:
A Stanford University study showed that college football players who slept 10 hours a night for seven to eight weeks improved their average sprint time and had less daytime fatigue. Similar findings were found with tennis players and swimmers. And college students who lacked sleep received worse grades than those who were well rested.
Children between the ages of 10 and 16 who have sleep-disordered breathing are more likely to have problems with attention and learning. Lack of sleep in children can also lead to ADHD-like symptoms, which may result in some functional impairment at school.
University of Chicago researchers found that dieters who were well rested lost more fat than those who were sleep deprived. Total weight loss was similar in the two groups, but those who slept well lost 56 percent fat, while the sleepless lost more muscle mass.
The same study showed that dieters felt hungrier when they got less sleep. Because sleep and metabolism are controlled by the same sectors of the brain, certain hormones go up in the blood during sleep, the same ones that drive appetite.
For the adult population, the group that experiences the most sleep disorders, resolving sleep issues is crucial to maintaining or restoring good health:
Sleep affects cholesterol levels, which play a significant role in heart disease.
Because lack of sleep can contribute to depression, being well rested helps a moody person decrease anxiety and gain emotional stability.
Getting enough sleep helps those with chronic pain as well as those who have acute pain from a recent injury. Sleep loss is linked to a lower pain threshold.
Sleep has been shown to reduce levels of stress, which in turn allows people to better control their blood pressure.
10 Tips for Restful Sleep
Go to sleep at the same time every night. Wake up at the same time every morning, even on days you don’t have to work. This regulates the body’s clock.
Develop a soothing bedtime ritual. Parents do this with their children as a matter of routine. It works for adults, too. Dim the lights, turn off electronics, take a warm bath or shower—whatever slows you down and relaxes you, and make it a nightly pre-bed habit.
Don’t sleep much during the day. A catnap may be necessary but don’t sleep more than an hour during the day.
Do a little exercise every day.
Make sure your sleeping quarters help you stay asleep: no bright lights, a controlled temperature, no loud noises or distractions.
Make sure your bed and pillow(s) are comfortable.
Expose yourself to sunlight in the morning.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine, greasy food and cigarettes. All these can cause poor sleep or no sleep. Try to finish eating at least two or three hours before bedtime.
Give yourself time to unwind before bedtime.
If you cannot fall asleep, go to another room and find a relaxing activity to do until you are more tired.