Proper Sleep Is A Great Healer

Sleep deprivation is one of the risk factors for obesity. It increases the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Lack of sleep lowers the level of a hormone called leptin, which tells our brain that we had enough to eat, and raises levels of a biochemical called ghrelin, which is an appetite stimulant.

Sleep is essential as much as you need to breathe and eat. While you’re sleeping, your body is busy tending to your physical and mental health and getting you ready for another day. Sleep deprivation is dangerous to our mental and physical health and can dramatically lower our quality of life. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your awake life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort! Even minimal sleep loss takes a toll on your mood, energy, and ability to handle stress.

The average sleep required for adults between 18-64 years is 7-9 hours (as per the national sleep foundation). But the average adult sleeps less than seven hours per night. In today’s fast-paced and competitive society, six or six and a half hours of sleep may sound pretty good. In reality, it's chronic sleep deprivation.

Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems like

• Heart diseases

• High blood pressure

• Stroke

• Diabetes

• Migraine

• Low immunity

• Cognitive impairment

• Behavioral abnormalities

• Overweight

Lack of sleep can double the risk of death, especially from cardiovascular diseases. In children and adolescents, hormones that promote growth are released during sleep which helps build muscle mass and repairs cells and tissues. Sleep is vital to development during puberty.

Central Nervous System