Why Sleep Matters: Health Effects & Tips for Better Rest

Edited & Reviewed By: Mr. Arnab Ghosh - Psychologist

Most of you are unable to get enough sleep. And this lack of sleep somehow affects you in many ways. We all know that sleep is one of the essentials that you need to cover for getting healthy. As when you have a good night’s rest your body works properly and when this happens you feel refreshed the other day you wake up. Nowadays, sleeping problems are at their peak, you all at some point in your life face problems falling asleep. And when you have sleep loss it may lead to many health problems. Women are more affected by sleep loss than men as they face different stages in their life from puberty to pregnancy. That is why sleep needs to be fulfilled so that you can live a better healthy life.

What is the need for a better night’s rest?

Sleep needs to be taken according to the age of a person. But when we talk about adults, they need to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

Following are some of the reasons for getting a good night’s sleep; [ 1 ]

● Low risk of weight gain - it is not clear that poor sleep leads to weight gain, however, certain studies suggest that those who sleep less than seven hours per night regularly, can most probably gain weight. Due to this, the development of obesity is more in them than in those who sleep more.

● Better memory and performance - some research shows that sleep provides brain functioning such as; memory; disruption of sleep affects the processing and formation of your memory, and performance; your performance of yours at work, school, college, and other institutes is also affected by disruption of sleep such as decision-making tasks, judgments, concentration, etc. and cognition; sleep disruption affects cognition due to stressing your hormones.

● Low risk of heart disease - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC (Centers for Disease Control)), an adequate amount of rest in sleeping enables blood pressure to regulate itself. One such risk of heart disease is high blood pressure. Getting good sleep can help to reduce the risk of sleep-related problems such as apnea.

● Prevents depression - the inability to have good sleep leads to insomnia which causes depression. This is due to the disturbance in sleep. And because of your impairment, emotional regulation, and stability, you can fail to alter the neural processes which may lead to depression.

● The immune system gets strong - the immune system becomes strong when you get good sleep because sleep is necessary to repair, regenerate, and recover the body.

Some studies show that women are more affected by having less sleep than men. Let’s see how?

Women and Sleep Loss

As we know that women face different phases in their life including their menstrual period, menopausal period, hormonal changes, and others. This somehow affects their sleep quality. Also, some studies show that after having a child women's health and emotional well-being suffer. And this suffering creates problems like stress, frequent colds, and joint pains.

Recent studies show that women are more likely to report sleepless nights and have a great risk of health problems than men. Moreover, it is also found that women who do not get enough sleep and have unhealthy sleep are at risk of many health conditions including, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression. Furthermore, sleep loss affects your overall health, but it affects differently in gender as well due to hormones.

How does sleep loss affect your health?

If you do not get enough sleep for more than one or two days, it gets worse for your mental as well as physical abilities which leads to serious health problems including; obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, early death, etc. Moreover, as an adult, you should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. But more than 60% of women regularly failed in doing so. And this may affect their health which includes [ 2 ][ 3 ]

● Hypertension - some studies show that 90% of people have trouble falling and staying asleep which causes insomnia. This may create problems for your health and can lead to problems like high blood pressure and heart disease.

● Type 2 diabetes - when you are sleep deprived or have poor sleep it can impair your glucose tolerance and put you in a state of risk for type 2 diabetes. Some surveys show that women are more likely to have higher levels of insulin and blood sugar than men who are poor sleepers.

● Weight gain - when you have poor sleep it is directly connected that your appetite gets increased. This leads to extra pounds and weight gain for both men and women. But it is found that women are more likely to gain weight who are lacking sleep than men and being overweight.

● Depression - as you see earlier that enough sleep prevents depression and also helps in pairing your thinking and memory. But some studies show that poor sleep not only links to depression but also creates greater feelings of anger, hostility, and stress for women.

Steps to a better night’s rest

As we already see, why sleep needs to be complete and what are the problems that you can face for not getting enough sleep? That is why you need to take a better night’s rest to make your health better. In some cases, when sleep problems like apnea affect your health in many ways, your doctor provides some prescriptions for that to get your problems solved. But before doing so, you can adopt certain habits that encourage better sleep. So for that, try these simple steps for better and healthy sleep:[ 4 ][ 5 ]

● Regular physical activity

When you regularly exercise it will keep you up less at night. As exercise boosts the sleep hormones like melatonin. Some studies show that postmenopausal women who exercised for about three-and-half hours a week can more easily sleep than those who exercised less. Also, make sure that exercising just before bedtime is not effective. Instead of this, doing morning workouts will help your natural sleep-wake cycle; circadian rhythm.

● Stick to a sleep schedule

Stick to a healthy schedule means try not to get more than the recommended sleep according to your age. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including on weekends. Most of you are unable to fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, so to avoid this, do something relaxing such as reading or listening to soothing music. Try to continue to maintain your sleep schedule.

● Pay attention to what you eat and drink

Try to avoid eating large meals or spicy meals within a couple of hours of bedtime. It may cause indigestion when you have them before bed. Indigestion disrupts your quality of sleep, which keeps you up. Things like nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol also disrupt your sleep in many ways. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine can take time to wear off which can interfere with your sleep. On the other hand, alcohol also makes you sleepy at first but it can disrupt your sleep later at night.

● Manage worries

Worries are part of your life. You need to resolve them before going to bed. For that, jot down what’s on your mind and then set it aside to solve. For managing your worries and stress you can start with basics like meditation; in which try deep breathing exercises. Inhale slowly and deeply, and then exhale. This will help in reducing your worries, anxiety, and stress.

● Limit daytime naps

When you take naps in the daytime it can interfere with your night sleep. That is why try to limit your naps to not more than one hour and avoid napping late in the day. However, if your work is on the night shift, you might need to nap late in the day before work to fulfill your sleep.

Tips for using sleep medicines safely

When you try the above simple steps and it doesn’t work for getting sleep, then your doctor may prescribe you some sleep medications. These drugs can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, but they also can have side effects. Here are some tips for ensuring that you're taking these medicines as safely as possible; [ 6 ]

● Tell your doctor about all other medicines you're taking because some drugs can interact with sleep medications.

● Take only the lowest possible effective dose, for the shortest possible period.

● Make sure you take the right dose, at the right time of day (which is typically just before bed).

● Call your doctor right away if you experience any side effects, such as excessive sleepiness during the day or dizziness.

● While you're taking sleep medicine, also practice the good sleep habits that are mentioned above.

● Avoid drinking alcohol and driving while taking sleep medicines.

● Sleep medications may make you walk unsteadily if you get out of bed in a drowsy state. And if this happens regularly, make sure your path is clear of obstacles or loose rugs so you don't fall while going to the bathroom.