Sufficient Sleep is essential for maintaining good health and daily energy levels. Many people sacrifice sleep for work, family, or entertainment, leading to immediate fatigue and reduced work performance.
Chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of several health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. Learn why getting enough sleep is crucial and how to establish healthy sleep habits to improve your overall wellbeing.
Sufficient Sleep for Human Health
Ensuring adequate sleep is crucial for everyone’s health and daily energy, regardless of age. Many people often cut back on sleep time to work, care for their families, or indulge in entertainment such as watching movies, listening to music, or playing games. The immediate consequence is feeling tired and sleepy the next day, affecting work performance.
If sleep deprivation occurs frequently, it increases the risk of diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases like heart valve disease, congenital heart disease, arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysm, and even reduces life expectancy.
The amount of sleep needed varies with age. Children generally need more sleep than adults. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society have made recommendations on the necessary sleep duration for each age group:
Therefore, building a habit of sleeping at the right times is extremely important to improve health:
- Stick to a fixed sleep schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
- Ensure a quiet, dark, relaxing bedroom with a comfortable temperature.
- Limit the use of electronic devices such as TVs, computers, and smartphones before bedtime.
- Avoid eating too much, consuming caffeine, and drinking alcohol before bed.
- Do not smoke and maintain a regular exercise routine to help the body relax and fall asleep more easily at night.
Why is Sufficient Sleep Necessary Every Day?
It is undeniable that getting enough sleep brings numerous health benefits, helping the body avoid fatigue and keeping the mind always refreshed, thereby enhancing productivity and work efficiency. Here are some reasons why sufficient sleep is necessary:
- Reduce traffic accidents: It may seem unrelated, but in the US alone, there are at least 100,000 traffic accidents annually due to drowsy, sleepy, or tired drivers. Lack of sleep leads to loss of concentration and slow reactions, causing many accidents.
- Improve mood: Lack of sleep causes stress, irritability, and fatigue. If prolonged, it can lead to depression and excessive anxiety. However, getting enough sleep can prevent this.
- Protect heart health: Sleeping less than 6 hours per night can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Research shows that lack of sleep increases stress and blood pressure.
- Enhance memory: Adequate sleep strengthens the connections between nerve cells, improving memory. Conversely, sleep deprivation makes it harder to remember things and eliminates unnecessary information.
- Reduce the risk of diabetes: Lack of sleep affects the ability to synthesize and use glucose, leading to blood sugar control disorders and an increased risk of diabetes.
- Enhance sexual health: Sleep deprivation reduces testosterone in men and estrogen in women, affecting sexual ability and decreasing libido in both sexes.
- Limit the appearance of wrinkles: Lack of sleep increases cortisol levels, which breaks down collagen structure, causing wrinkles.
- Support weight loss: Sleeping less than 6 hours a day makes the body store more fat and produce more insulin, leading to weight gain. Lack of sleep also makes you crave sugary and fatty foods.
- Increase longevity: Studies show that people who follow a scientific sleep schedule live longer than those who frequently lack sleep.
- Reduce the risk of respiratory diseases: Adequate sleep helps the immune system function better and produce more antibodies, protecting the body from pathogens, especially respiratory viruses.
- Prevent drowsiness: Drowsiness while driving is dangerous and unprofessional during important meetings or conferences.
Sufficient Sleep is just as important as the number of hours slept. Signs of poor sleep quality include feeling sleepy or tired even after recommended sleep, waking up multiple times during the night, or having sleep disorders. Therefore, arrange your sleep time scientifically to ensure the best health for yourself.
