Top 6 Health Benefits of Sleep

A good night’s sleep does more than just make you feel better. Adequate sleep is a key element of an overall healthy lifestyle. It can benefit your heart, brain, and even your beauty.

We’ve collected the top health benefits of getting a good night’s sleep – enjoy!

Refreshed Skin

Lack of sleep causes an increase in levels of stress hormones. These hormones cause inflammation in the skin, accelerating the aging process and worsening acne. Sleep deprivation also reduces the skin’s ability to stay hydrated and causes your skin to appear dull and dehydrated. It can also lower the skin’s ability to protect itself from chemicals and pollutants in the environment.

Improved Memory

While our body is resting, our brain is hard at work. Your brain consolidates memories while you sleep, which helps you recall that information easier, according to a study. If you want to learn something new, you’ll still need some practice but you’ll perform better after getting some rest.

Boosted Creativity

When your brain consolidates memories as you sleep, it also reorganizes and restructures memories based on emotional details. Researchers believe this strengthening of the memory also helps spark creativity. While you may be able to get away with less than eight hours of sleep, it will have a significant effect on your cognitive abilities.

Reduced Inflammation

Sleep deprivation increases the production of inflammatory hormones, which are linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and premature aging. People who get six or less hours of sleep each night also have higher levels of C-reactive protein levels, which is associated with a heart attack risk, according to researchers. Getting a full night’s rest will help reduce inflammation.

Controlled Weight

Women who slept five or fewer hours per night were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain over 16 years than those who got more sleep, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Not enough sleep causes in increase in ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite. Plus, other research shows that those who get less sleep have difficulty maintaining a regular exercise routine.

Lowered Depression

Staying between seven and nine hours of sleep each night lowered the depressive symptoms of participants in a study published in The Journal Sleep. However those symptoms nearly doubled when sleep was less or more than the recommended amount.

What other reasons can you think of to hit the snooze button and get more sleep? Leave your answers in the comments below!