Who cares if you didn’t get enough sleep? There’s always coffee, right?
If only it were that easy! As we mentioned in an earlier blog this month, a lack of sleep can be downright deadly. However, rather than talking about all the BAD things that will happen when you don’t get enough Zs, today we’re going to talk about the positive side effects of a good night’s rest:
- It can improve memory- your mind is surprisingly busy while you snooze. During sleep you strengthen memories or “practice” skills learned while you were awake.
- It can help you live longer- too little sleep is bad, but so is too much sleep. Strike a balance.
- It curbs inflammation- research indicates that people who get less sleep—six or fewer hours a night—have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more.
- It spurs creativity- researchers at Harvard University and Boston College found that people seem to strengthen the emotional components of memory during sleep, which may help spur the creative process.
- It sharpens your attention span- a lack of sleep can result in ADHD-like symptoms in kids (and some adults).
- It helps you maintain a healthy weight- researchers at the University of Chicago found that dieters who were well rested lost more fat—56 percent of their weight loss—than those who were sleep deprived, who lost more muscle mass.
- It lowers stress- sleep can definitely reduce levels of stress, and with that people can have better control of their blood pressure.
- It can help you avoid accidents -the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that being tired accounts for the highest number of fatal single-car run-off-the-road crashes due to the driver’s performance — even more than alcohol!
- It reduces depression- a good night’s sleep can really help a moody person decrease their anxiety. You get more emotional stability with good sleep.
If you have untreated sleep apnea, getting a good night’s sleep may be impossible. Talk to your doctor about a sleep test. Should you be diagnosed with sleep apnea, CPAP Central is here for you. We carry all the CPAP equipment you need in our online catalog.