Why Your Sleep Health Matters

Your sleep health is not only linked to how long you live, but how well you live. Sleep intersects all areas of our health, mind and body. Yet, we so often overlook it as part of overall wellness. We set resolutions for losing weight, or exercising more, running a 5K, or trying a new diet. What if we did the same for sleep?

The answers are pretty profound – both for our everyday wellbeing and our long-term health.

Any of these sound familiar?

• I am sleep during daytime hours
• I am more irritable
• I have a slower reaction time
• My focus and concentration is reduced
• I experience issues with my memory and attention span

If you said “yes” to any of the above, good sleep may help you improve your health. Learn more: Read 5 Telltale Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep.

When we don’t sleep well, our overall health can suffer – with some very negative long-term impacts.

Immune system function

Sleep boosts the body’s ability to fight illness and disease. When we sleep, the body produces cytokines — the protein that directs immune cells to fight inflammation throughout the body. Scientists have found that sleep deprivation motivates the body’s production of white blood cells, the exact response the body shows when exposed to stress. This imbalance of your immune system is associated with illness.

Learn more: Read How Sleep Improves Your Immunity Against Diseases.

Brain health

Studies suggest that poor sleep quality is associated with the presence of these amyloid plaques and tau protein, which can develop into neurofibrillary tangles, suspected to be involved in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease.

Learn more: Read How Sleep Helps You Fight Alzheimer’s Disease.

Heart health

Frequent sleep deprivation is often associated with an increased heart rate. The increase in blood pressure results in higher levels of chemicals linked with inflammation, which can put extra unnecessary strain on your heart. Snoring, which causes poor sleep, has further impact.

Learn more: Read Why Snoring May Impact Your Heart Health.

Fertility

Couples struggling to conceive often overlook sleep as a part of their fertility plan. A little known effect of sleep deprivation is difficulty conceiving. Frequent sleep disruption can cause infertility by reducing the secretion of reproductive hormones.

Good sleep is important for:

• Reducing the risk of infection
• Supporting metabolism of sugar to prevent diabetes and similar diseases
• Productivity in school and classes
• Working effectively and with a degree of safety

Finally, if snoring (yours or your bed partner’s) is causing poor sleep, now is the time to stop snoring and start sleeping better. We have helped people seeking solutions for how to stop snoring for years. Browse our snore stopper solutions.