You Won't Lose If You Snooze

Good sleep is as important to our survival as food and water, but experts say that a majority of us are sleeping less than we should, which can lead to health consequences.

- Sandhya Mahadevan

We spend one-third of our lives sleeping, or attempting to do so, according to research. As children, deep sleep is the time our body releases growth hormones – our bones, muscles, and more build in slumber. As we age, it is while we sleep that our body repairs and rejuvenates – and multiple anti-aging beauty products promote that aspect.

If all that does not give a big-picture view of the benefits of sleep, there is enough material out there professing the ill effects of bad sleep hygiene. According to Dr. Leow Leong Chai, director of Sleep Disorders Unit and senior consultant, Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, at Singapore General Hospital: “People who sleep for less than six hours per night on average have reduced life expectancy compared to those who sleep seven to nine hours per night.

“Insufficient sleep duration or poor-quality sleep has been shown to affect daytime functioning in terms of cognition, decision making, and memory, as well as being implicated in causing mood disturbances, weight gain, and many other chronic health conditions,” he adds. These chronic conditions can range anywhere from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and mental health issues. On the same count, underlying health conditions can affect the quality of sleep. Yet, we take it for granted.