Millions of chronically sleep-deprived Americans are putting their health, quality of life and even length of life in jeopardy. New evidence shows why getting enough z’s may trump all your other priorities.
Live Longer and Healthier
About 40% of Americans get less than 7 hours of shut-eye on weeknights and for many of them it’s taking a toll. The link between sleep and health, and bad sleep and disease is becoming clearer and clearer. For example, sleep duration has declined from a median of eight hours in the 1950s to seven in recent years. At the same time, high blood pressure has become an increasing problem. Blood pressure and heart rate are typically at their lowest levels during sleep; people who sleep less tend to have higher blood pressure. The association between hypertension and sleep duration could explain other findings linking lack of sleep to increased risk of heart attack, diabetes, weight gain and other problems.
Sleeping better may help you fight off illness. When people are sleep deprived, there are higher levels of stress hormones in their bodies and an increase in inflammation, both of which can decrease immune function.
Simply stated, people who sleep well live longer. So say good night sooner and it may help you stay active and vital even when you're old.
Look Better, Feel Better
People limited to only 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night for several nights not only experience more physical ailments, such as headaches and stomach problems, but also undergo changes in metabolism similar to those occurring with normal aging. It’s no wonder we look terrible after a sleepless night.
One of the reasons may be growth hormones. They’re essential to keeping us looking good as we get older. Levels of the hormone drop dramatically between the ages of 20 and 60. When you have high levels of the hormone, you have muscle mass, better skin—you look good. You want to keep your growth hormones as high as possible, and the number one best way to do that is sleep. When you don’t look good, you don’t feel sexy, and your relationship can suffer. So getting more sleep can rev up your love life too.
Be Happier, Less Stressed
More than half of adults surveyed by the National Sleep Foundation in 2005 said they experienced insomnia at least a few nights a week. People with insomnia produce higher rates of stress hormones than others. This puts their bodies in a hyperaroused state that can make it difficult for them to wind down and sleep. The inability to sleep causes more stress, which can have a devastating impact.
People who don’t sleep get depressed, and depression causes insomnia, so it’s a vicious cycle. But we know the inverse is true: that more and better sleep can make you feel happier.
Lose a Few Pounds
It should come as no surprise that the trend toward shorter sleep duration in this country has coincided with an increasing trend toward obesity. Recent studies suggest that people who get inadequate amounts of sleep are more likely to gain weight. With sleep deprivation, we see a reduction in metabolism and an increase in appetite. Inadequate sleep lowers levels of leptin, the hormone that causes you to feel full, while increasing levels of ghrelin, the hormone that makes you feel hungry.
Sleep deprivation influences your food choices, making you crave high-carb and high-sugar foods. This is because sleep loss decreases insulin sensitivity, putting the sleep-deprived at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. So sleep more and it may be easier to fight that cookie craving, and wake up a whole new you.
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