That's why you'll find many employees often whine about poor health without realizing that insufficient sleep could be the cause.
Unfortunately, unlike in the past, people are now sleeping lesser, and sleep quality has tremendously decreased. This worrying trend of sleep deprivation is mostly linked to today's hectic lifestyle and stressful work schedules.
Here are 6 reasons why 8-hour sleep is essential.
Poor or inadequate sleep is highly associated with weight gain. In fact, a 2008 review study reported adults and children experiencing sleep deprivation were 55% and 89% more likely to become obese, respectively.
The effect of sleep on increased weight is hugely caused by factors such as hormones and motivation to exercise. Moreover, studies also show that those that get insufficient sleep have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories. This is because sleep deprivation interrupts the daily fluctuations in your appetite hormones.
For that reason, having 8 hours of sleep is crucial when you're trying to lose weight.
Sleep is critical for virtually all aspects of your brain's function, including concentration, cognition, performance, and productivity.
This, however, doesn't necessarily mean you'll be answering all University Challenge questions, but you may well feel more attentive, focused, and sharper throughout the day.
Additionally, healthy sleep has been shown to boost your memory performance as well as improve problem-solving skills.
Maintaining a healthy sleep routine is a surefire boost to your athletic performance.
Basketball players who get longer sleep duration significantly improve their speed, accuracy, reaction times, and mental wellbeing.
While using inKin can significantly improve your activity levels, less sleep duration can lead to reduced exercise performance and functional limitation.
There's nothing to brag about sleeping for a lesser duration in order to perform day to day activities as you're more likely to develop chronic diseases.
Lack of enough sleep can trigger low immunity levels, slowing down your body's ability to fight microorganisms. This, in turn, makes you prone to different infections and eventually, predisposing you to develop chronic illnesses such as colorectal polyps, heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.
Thus, getting a minimum of eight hours of sleep can boost your immune function and help combat infections and illnesses.
Getting sufficient sleep also helps relieve stress naturally. Some of the mental health issues like depression are associated with sleeping disorders and poor sleep quality.
People who experience sleeping disorders also report much higher rates of depression compared to those without.
Ensuring that you get adequate sleep not only helps reduce stress levels but also helps maintain your blood pressure under control.
After a few days of sleepless nights, you're more likely to get grumpy with a colleague at work or even snap at your boss, which might get you fired.
This is because lack of sleep can easily make you feel irritated, fatigued, distracted, and disoriented, which can lead to developing abiding mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. This also negatively impacts your ability to interact socially and process emotional information.
Along with exercise and nutrition, having at least eight hours of sleep can significantly improve your overall health and wellbeing. Look for the best ways to perfect your sleep routine to achieve optimal health and lifestyle.
On inKin, you can create a 8-day sleep challenge in just a few clicks to help you with your sleep goals and overall wellbeing and happiness.
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