Why Sleep Is So Important
Whether it’s sleeping for 10 hours or dozing off for a quick 20-minute nap, the benefits of sleep are overwhelmingly positive for both your physical and mental health. I am sure we can all recall a time when we have suffered the consequences that a lack of sleep can bring. Personally, if I don’t get my full eight hours, my under-eye bags make me resemble a panda, and I have a lack of motivation to get any of my work done. But besides a lack of puffy eyes, there are many more benefits of getting enough sleep.
Mental Benefits
Sleeping for 7-9 hours a day helps our brains to organise the events that took place during the day and transfer them from short to long term memory. If we don’t get enough sleep, out short term memory store overflows and we tend to forget things and struggle to oncentrate. There have been many times when I have been stressed about making a big decision and I have been given the advice of ‘sleeping on it’. Sleep not only helps us to process information, it also helps us to organise our thoughts rationally, therefore, we wake up with a fresh perspective on the decision we need to make. Therefore, to stay organised and rational, we need to allow ourselves to process what has happened during the day.
Additionally, a lack of sleep can lead to an increase in irritability (which I am sure we have all witnessed), as well as increase the likelihood or developing anxiety and depression. Therefore, in order to keep our brains optimistic and organised, we need to ensure that we are catching some Z’s!
Beauty Sleep
Aurora was nicknamed ‘Sleeping beauty’ for a reason and that is because the more routine we are when it comes to sleeping a full 8 hours every night, the more chance we give ourselves to heal. You’re body heals itself at night, allowing for cell recovery. Sleeping more an help with acne and reduce conditions such as migraines. Speaking of recovery, sleeping allows us to burn fat and build muscle if her have been in the gym, making it an important part of our exercise routine.
Moreover, a lack of sleep can increase under eye bags, wrinkles, acne scars, and affect our complexion resulting in us looking dull and pale. So in order to glow both inside and out, we need to ensure that we have perfected our ‘sleep hygiene’
Sleeping is also when our body processes the nutrients in the food we have eaten that day. Allowing our body to fully digest our food helps to increase our metabolism as well as our aforementioned fat burn and muscle generation.
Productive And Proactive
It has been proven that staying awake for 17-24 hours has the same affect on our bodies as drinking 4 alcoholic drinks. I don’t know about you but even after one drink I will not be able to get anything productive done as alcohol can deeply affect your mental processes. That is why it is also important that we don’t drive or do strenuous work when sleep deprived as our reaction times become slower and our cognitive functions are disrupted. Therefore, in order to stay on top of things, we need to ensure we are getting our full eight hours of beauty sleep.
As beneficial as sleep is in our lives, there can be periods when we feel as though we are not getting enough sleep. I have personally pulled many all-nighters to catch up on revision and university assignments… and buy concert tickets. So if you feel as though you are craving some deep sleep, here are some tips for perfecting your sleep routine.
How To Get A Good Sleep Routine
1. Go to bed at the same time/wake up at the same time
Our bodies love a routine! Therefore, ensuring that we tune our body clocks allow us to know when it is time to rest and rejuvenate for the next day.
2. Stay away from screens!
Blue light emitted from screens strains the eyes and prevents us from falling asleep. Try to go half and hour to an hour without screens to ensure a peaceful nights rest. Go a step ahead and swap out screens with a good book!
3. Diet
Consuming high caffeine and sugar products before bed and be detrimental! These types of foods stimulate blood flow and increase our heart rates, making it next to impossible to fall asleep. Drink some camomile tea with some honey, and your eyes will feel heavy in no time.
4. Exercise
Doing just 30 minutes of moderate exercise is enough for your body to burn energy and allow you to fall asleep easier at night. Make sure you get some fresh air and get moving to enhance your sleep routine.
It is so important that we listen to our bodies and try to cultivate routine into our lives. A healthy amount of sleep helps as to feel refreshed and ready for the day, making it one of the most essential parts of perfecting our everyday rituals.