Eight Health Benefits of Sleep

Like eating nutritious food, drinking water, and exercising regularly, getting quality sleep is an important component¹ of overall health. Although the exact reasons humans need to sleep² remain unknown, sleep experts agree there are numerous benefits to consistently getting a full night’s rest. Most adults should get between seven and nine hours³ of sleep each night.

While sleeping, the body performs a number of repairing and maintaining processes⁴ that affect nearly every part of the body. As a result, a good night’s sleep, or a lack of sleep, can impact the body both mentally and physically.

Improved Mood

Sleep restores the body and improves energy levels⁵, so waking up well-rested can have a positive impact on an individual’s mood⁶. In contrast, people who get inadequate sleep are at higher risk of experiencing mental distress⁷. A chronic lack of sleep can lead to anxiety, depression, and irritability. However, developing a consistent sleep routine often resolves these symptoms.

Healthy Heart

Quality sleep promotes cardiac health. During sleep, heart rate slows down, and blood pressure decreases⁸. This means that during sleep, the heart and vascular system are able to rest.

However, insufficient sleep is a risk factor for unwanted cardiovascular events. Lack of sleep causes blood pressure to remain high for an extended period of time, increasing the risk of heart disease⁹, heart attack, and heart failure¹⁰.

Regulated Blood Sugar

Sleep impacts the body’s relationship with the hormone insulin¹¹, which helps blood sugar, or glucose, enter the body’s cells¹². The cells then use glucose as energy. Sleeping seven hours or more each night helps ensure blood sugar is regulated in the body¹³.

Adults who get less than seven hours of sleep at night are at increased risk for Type 2 diabetes. Without enough sleep, the body’s resistance to insulin increases because cells are not able to use insulin appropriately, which leads to too much sugar¹⁴ in the bloodstream.

Improved Mental Function

Sleep is believed to help with memory and cognitive thinking. Brain plasticity theory, a major theory on why humans sleep, posits that sleep is necessary so the brain can grow, reorganize, restructure, and make new neural connections¹⁵.

Updating these connections in the brain during sleep helps individuals learn new information and form memories. Quality sleep leads to improved concentration and better problem-solving and decision-making skills. In other words, a good night’s sleep can increase productivity.

A lack of sleep can have a negative impact on the ability to think clearly, form memories, learn well, and function optimally during the day. The ability to think quickly slows down after only a week of insufficient sleep¹⁶. Accuracy on tasks also decreases after a week of getting five hours of sleep or less each night. Sleep-deprived people perform poorly in activities that require quick responses and attention to multiple tasks, such as driving.

Insufficient sleep also impacts judgment. Less than five hours of sleep at night is correlated with riskier behavior. A sleep-deprived person is at higher risk of making poor decisions because they only have the ability to focus on a desired outcome, not the consequences.

Restored Immune System

Restorative theories of sleep suggest that sleep restores and repairs the body, making people feel refreshed in the morning. During sleep, the body produces growth hormones necessary for development in children and adolescents. These growth hormones also repair tissues and cells in people of all ages. The body also produces cytokines during sleep, which support the immune system in fighting infections¹⁷.

Inadequate sleep can impact the body’s immune response to infection. Chronic sleep loss can make individuals more susceptible to common infections, such as a cold, while insufficient sleep over time can lead to a greater risk for immunodeficiency.

Stress Relief

Getting appropriate sleep each night can help manage stress¹⁸. When people wake up refreshed, they avoid the stressors that come with functioning while sleep-deprived, such as poor performance, difficulty thinking clearly, and lack of energy. Quality sleep can also reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health strains related to stress.

Athletic Performance

Sleep is a key element of athletic recovery¹⁹, and the body’s production of growth hormones is highest during sleep. These growth hormones are necessary for the repair of tissue and likely contribute to muscle growth. Most athletes require eight hours of sleep each night for restoration and to avoid overtraining and improve their performance.

Without sleep, athletes are at risk for lowered performance, fatigue, and changes in mood. Performing with less sleep also heightens the risk for injury²⁰. The potential for injury rises even more when an athlete’s sleep time decreases and time spent training increases.

Maintaining Healthy Weight

Quality sleep, in addition to exercise, stress management, and healthy eating choices, is an important part²¹ of maintaining a healthy weight. During sleep, the body naturally produces more of an appetite suppressor, called leptin, while reducing production of the appetite stimulant ghrelin. On nights of too-little sleep, however, production of ghrelin increases and leptin decreases. As a result, a lack of sleep can lead to a greater feeling of hunger.

Tips for Getting Better Sleep

To get better sleep, and the many health benefits that come along with it, we take a look at the healthy practices around sleep, known as sleep hygiene. A number of lifestyle adjustments can help improve sleep quality.

Create a Consistent Sleep Schedule

A regular sleep and wake routine helps the body keep a consistent internal clock²². Sleep experts recommend going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, including weekends.

Some adults like to nap during the day to avoid sleepiness. Keeping naps to about 20 minutes lessens fatigue without impacting sleep schedules. Naps that are too long can reduce alertness and defeat the purpose of napping. Individuals who choose to nap should avoid napping too late in the afternoon so that they can still fall asleep at their usual bedtime.

Make a Quality Sleep Environment

Although individual preferences may vary, most people sleep best in a dark, quiet, and cool bedroom. Too much light or noise at night can keep people awake or interrupt sleep. An eye mask or blackout curtains can eliminate unwanted light, and earplugs and noise machines can reduce distracting noises. Additionally, a fan can cool the room and serve as a noise machine.

Replacing old, worn, or uncomfortable mattresses and pillows with new and supportive ones can help improve sleep quality. The best mattresses and pillows for sleep depend on an individual’s preferred sleep positions and physical needs.

Avoid Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol Before Bedtime

Caffeine is a stimulant that provides a boost of energy and alertness²³. When taken in the afternoon or evening, caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep at night. The use of nicotine, found in cigarettes, in the evening is associated with more time spent awake at night. While some people drink alcohol before bedtime intending to get to sleep faster, alcohol is associated with lighter, lower quality sleep.

Exercise During the Day

Daytime exercise can make it easier to fall asleep²⁴, and daily exercise is associated with better sleep quality. Exercise may also help individuals fall asleep faster and increase the overall time spent sleeping. It can be beneficial to exercise outside, as sunlight exposure during the day also improves sleep. People should avoid exercising too late in the day so that their bodies can relax before bedtime.

Avoid Screens Before Bedtime

Setting electronic devices aside at least 30 minutes before bedtime can make it easier to fall asleep. Phones, tablets, computers, and other electronics with screens emit blue light, which can disrupt the body’s natural production of the sleep hormone melatonin and make it difficult to fall asleep.

Instead, sleep experts advise developing a relaxing routine in an hour before bedtime. During this period of winding down, choose a restful activity such as reading or taking a warm bath.