Getting a good night’s sleep is critical for overall health. Sleeping enough, developing a routine to wind down at bed time and avoiding exposure to blue light in the hour before sleep can help improve your quality of sleep.
A good night’s sleep helps your immune system fight germs and bugs. During sleep, the cells and proteins that power your immune system are repaired.
1. Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease
The heart is a vital organ that needs time to rest between beats. During the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage of sleep, blood pressure drops, breathing stabilizes, and heart rate slows down, allowing the heart to recover from the stress and strain it goes through during the day.
In a study of participants without heart disease at baseline, those who had an optimal sleep score had a 75% lower risk for cardiovascular conditions over the course of 8 years. Additionally, researchers found that every one-point increase in sleep score was associated with a 22% reduction in heart disease risk.
When it comes to preventing heart disease, most people think about eating healthy and exercising regularly. However, it’s just as important to get quality sleep as well.
2. Reduces the Risk of Stroke
While many people think of diet and exercise when they consider how their health impacts heart disease and stroke risk, sleep is also a major factor. The ESC 2022 study found that people who get suboptimal amounts of sleep are at greater risk for these cardiovascular conditions.
The researchers analyzed data from 1,799 participants who experienced an ischemic stroke (the most common type, in which a blood clot blocks an artery in the brain) and 439 who had a hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into brain tissue). They compared them to 4,496 controls matched by age and sex.
They used a multiple linear regression to determine the association between average sleep duration and stroke risk, taking into account factors such as physical activity. They also used a mediation analysis.
3. Reduces the Risk of Diabetes
Everyone knows that sleeping poorly one night can leave you feeling groggy and sluggish the next day. But sleep deprivation can also increase your risk of serious diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
Researchers recently discovered that the amount of sleep a person gets plays a significant role in their diabetes risk. They found that people who slept well had lower HbA1c levels than those who slept poorly.
These results suggest that sleep quality is an important factor to consider when assessing type 2 diabetes risk in addition to traditional lifestyle factors such as sufficient physical activity, a healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption, and nonsmoking. In addition, poor sleep quality was associated with higher levels of inflammatory markers that may play a role in the development of diabetes.
4. Reduces the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
In Alzheimer’s disease, a protein called beta amyloid begins to build up and form plaques in the brain. This process begins years before a person experiences memory loss or behavioral changes. Studies show that getting high-quality sleep lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders. Quality sleep improves immunity, reduces stress and activates the glymphatic system, which clears away toxins from the brain.
In one study, researchers found that people who slept less than six hours per night had a 30% higher risk of dementia compared to those who slept for seven or more hours each night. This is true even when taking into account factors like age, gender and apolipoprotein E 4 status.
5. Reduces the Risk of Cancer
Getting enough quality sleep can help prevent cancer. It improves your body’s ability to use the hormones cortisol and melatonin to fight cancerous cells. Getting less than 7 hours of quality sleep can interfere with these hormones, and increase the risk of cancer.
The latest research indicates that sleep may also help prevent cancer from spreading and becoming resistant to treatment. This is because getting good quality sleep can restore your circadian rhythm.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, it is important to work with your doctor to make sure that you get the highest-quality rest possible. This includes ensuring that you are able to achieve sufficient rest by addressing any underlying issues that may be keeping you from sleeping well, such as pain or anxiety.
6. Reduces the Risk of Depression
Depression can make it harder to get adequate sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep can help treat depression, and addressing underlying mental health issues like anxiety and depression may also improve your sleep.
Poor sleep often results in mood swings, increased stress levels, and an increased risk of developing a mood disorder. Treatments for mood disorders and sleep problems may include improving sleeping habits, behavioral interventions, and medications.
A recent study showed that a combination of positive coping strategies and improved sleep quality significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first time that sleep has been examined in the context of a real-world chronic stressor, and it highlights the importance of both improving sleep and utilizing effective coping strategies to manage stress.