Healthy Habits: Go to Bed Already!

Mom was right, who knew? The most important thing you can do for your health overall is to sleep. Maybe mom just did need some "mommy time," but she did have the doctor to back her up.

Physical Health Benefits of Sleep
Weight Control/Reduces Cravings: When your muscles are tired, they crave fuel. That fuel is found in higher concentrations in foods with high carbohydrates and fat. The more sleep you get, the less your body craves these types of food.

Reduces Risk for Sickness
Getting 8 hours of sleep a night reduces your risk for such sicknesses as the common cold. In one study, the results showed that participants who got this much sleep were 3 times less likely to get a cold than participants who got less than this.

Sleep Heals
Tons of damage is done to your body during the day. You are exposed to elements such as the sun, wind, and chemicals in the rain. You get stressed. Your muscles cramp. While you sleep, your body makes the cells necessary to repair the damage done, but you should get 8 hours of sleep for the full effect.

Sleep Helps You Live Longer
Since scientists don't know much about sleep and how it works on the body, they don't know exactly why people who sleep more seem to live longer. They can only assume that it has to do with the same reasons it heals, makes you less likely to get sick, and helps reduce the risk of obesity and the health problems associated with it.

Sleep does more than help your physical health. It is also proven that it has a substantial affect on the brain. It helps to sharpen your memory and intellect. It decreases the risk for depression and calms nerves and emotions. Were you cranky when your mom said, "Just go to bed, already!?" Not that you would admit it at the time. But if you are now grown up enough to admit that you could have been tired, then you are grown up enough to admit that mom had some merit in her demands

Article kindly provided by aungierclinic.ie