Benefits of Getting Enough Sleep

Reasons to Catch Up on Your Rest

Between working, spending time with your family and making time for activities, it’s no mystery that we find ourselves skipping out on sleep to be more productive in our days. However, skipping out on good-quality rest each night isn’t in your best interest for good health.

In light of Sleep Awareness Week, the health experts at Southwest General outline some ways that you can benefit from catching up on your beauty sleep.

Improved Immune System

While getting a good night’s sleep is a great way to feel more relaxed and well rested, it also helps your body to protect itself from illness. According to the Sleep Foundation, when you’re getting better-quality rest, your body is able to support your immune health in the following ways:

• Your breathing and muscle activity levels are slower, leaving more energy for your immune response.
• When someone is sick or injured, the body has an inflammatory response to aid in recovery. During sleep, the body has the same inflammatory response even when you're healthy, strengthening your adaptive immunity.
• Your body is better able to regulate its immune response to allergens.

Increased Cognitive Function

Many of us have noticed that skipping out on an hour or two of rest can lead to fogginess and irritability in the coming days, and there's evidence to support that claim. The Sleep Foundation notes that getting good-quality rest can help to support healthy brain function not only immediately but also in the long run.

Getting a good night’s rest on a regular basis can have the following benefits for your brain:

• Increases ability to learn new information
• Improves memory
• Improves critical thinking and decision-making skills
• Makes it easier to process emotional information
• Prevents degenerative conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Lowered Risk of Heart Disease

According to the Sleep Foundation, getting the recommended amount of rest can help to support almost every area of your physical health, including your cardiovascular health, which benefits from:

• Reduced heart rate
• Lowered blood pressures
• Stabilized breathing
• Recovery from additional strain placed on the heart during daily activity.

Ultimately, getting consistent, good-quality sleep can help reduce your risk for having a heart attack and developing other cardiovascular health issues.

Improved Mood

Many of us know that there is a relationship between the amount of sleep you get each night and the way you feel. Sleep Foundation research suggests that the brain activity that happens during your sleep can have a positive effect on your mental and emotional health.

Along with other courses of treatment, improving your sleep schedule and quality of rest can help to reduce the symptoms associated with the following mental health disorders:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Primary and Specialty Care in Ohio

The Southwest General Medical Group, Inc. includes both primary care and specialty care physicians who are committed to providing patients with high-quality medical care. Our team of board-certified specialists and skilled physicians work to raise the bar for excellence in health care service for our community. To learn more about our primary and specialty care services or schedule an appointment, visit our website.