By: Miss Marissa
Did you know that we spend about a third of our lives asleep? Sleeping is essential to our health just like
eating, drinking, and breathing are. Sleeping helps recover from the physical as well as mental
stimulation that you had all day. For many of us we have a busy life, and sometimes it can feel like
sleeping is something you can do later or that you could do many different tasks in the time frame that
you are sleeping. In reality this is not a healthy mindset, sleep is one of the most essential parts of our
lives, it effects our overall health.
It is no secret that sleep affects your productivity and motivation, sufficient sleep is required to boost
your productivity levels greatly. On focusme.com it is shown that the outcome of lack of sleep or poor-
quality sleep is directly related to distractions and results in people being less capable of focusing on the
task at hand.
This goes hand and hand with having better physical performance due to increased energy levels. Sleep
nourishes our bodies and allows for a boost in energy, movement, speed, and coordination. Not only
does it enhance physical performance it also has been shown to reduce pain and inflammation. No
wonder athletes get close to 10 hours of sleep a night!
Another great bonus that sleeps plays to your physical health is that a healthy amount of sleep helps
ensure your metabolism is being regulated. It also boosts your immune system and fights off any
sickness and infections. This is often why you get very tired when you are sick, your body is trying to put
your immune system to work!
Sleep and memory have a complex relationship according to sleepfoundation.org, sleep helps us process
new information through the technique called memory consolidation. This is what helps us hold on to
our long-term memories. Memories such as the vacation you took as a child, your first dance recital, and
even just remembering a phone number. This memory consolidation technique is a result of you
dreaming while asleep. When we dream, or more truthfully - when we enter the phase of sleep, we call
REM sleep, this is indication that you are getting quality rest. This is the time for your brain to recharge.
While these are all great pros to being asleep, sleep also affects your mental state when you are awake.
Sleep has been shown to boost your creativity, decrease stress, decision-making skills, as well as your
ability to multitask!
In conclusion, sleep is a necessity not a luxury. It is easier said than done to turn your brain off once it
hits the pillow, many people are lucky to have this skill, unfortunately if you are like me it does not come
that easy. There are a few habits listed on health.gov that you can try such as making sure your room is
dark and quiet and consider keeping electronics out of the bedroom. It is recommended that if you
spend more than 20 minutes actively trying to sleep it is best to get up and meditate, read, or relax until
you feel tired. Remember sleep is one of the most important factors to your physical, mental, and
emotional health.