Advantages of 8 hours of sleep

Ever spent your night sleepless and subconscious, turning from one side of the bed to another trying to find the perfect spot and then realising it’s already dawn and you have to wake up and start your day feeling tired and grumpy. This might be because you had too many carbs or a rough night or maybe some totally different reason.

An average adult requires between seven to eight hours of sleep to function smoothly. Quality sleep can be attained if you follow the biological clock of your body and intake the required nutrition at the right time which will have an added advantage to your body physically and mentally helping you perform better every day. Listed below are the advantages of sleep for an adult.

● Your behaviour

A lack of sleep can initiate depression which is one of the most common mental health issues which is why a quality sleep can help improve a person’s mood thus creating a positive mindset for that day. You will be able to function to your highest potential compared to your lack of sleep.

● Reduces stress hormones

Cortisol is a stress hormone which helps your body to deal with stress however if your cortisol level is too high for a long time symptoms like weight gain and tiredness leaps into you. The only way to overcome this problem is by getting the right amount of sleep which increases endorphins and serotonin which are happy hormones helping you get over your stress and thus keeps you at peace.

● Strengthens immune system

During these tough times it is important that you keep your immunity card in check. Your immune system also needs a rest to replenish their energy to fight against virus as simple as common cold or flu. Resting well gives your immune system this chance thus preparing your body to fight against an foreign entity entering your body.

● Improves your memory

During your sleep your brain is still functioning and doing the back end work for your body by processing data and learning new information. This process is called consolidation which improves your short and long term memory.

● Boosts creativity

After getting a quality sleep when you wake up from your sleep it is called a hypnopompic state where the brain is most active post your REM sleep.

● Reduces inflammation

Inflammation are associated with heart diseases, strokes even diabetes and premature aging.

● Healthy diet goes hand in hand with quality sleep

Just eating right will not help you lose weight, for the amount of diet and workout you plan, you have to give your body equal amount of resting period. At the University of Chicago, researchers found out that people on diet who rested well lost more than 56% of their weight compared to people on diet who did not rest well enough.

● Renewed skin health

While you are asleep skin produces new collagen fibres which keeps your skin glow, reduces wrinkles, lesser dark circles and makes you look younger thus making you look better which boosts your confidence.