Category: Blog

Health Benefits of Sleep

Sleeping well is crucial to our mental health and wellbeing. Lack of sleep can have a negative impact on our mood, concentration, immune system and so much more! How do you feel after a bad night’s sleep? Tired, irritable, fuzzy headed? These are all common signs of poor sleep.

Instead of telling you all the bad things, here are 5 health benefits of sleep:

BOOSTS IMMUNITY

While you’re sleeping, your immune system releases a type of small proteins called cytokines. If you’re sick or injured, these cytokines help your body fight inflammation. Getting good quality sleep can help you battle bugs or germs. 

SUPPORTS MENTAL WELLBEING

There are many ways we can boost our mood (exercise, diet etc) but sleep plays a critical role when it comes to maintaining positive mental health. One bad night’s sleep can leave us feeling stressed and exhausted, so it’s no surprise that long term sleep deprivation can trigger anxiety and depression.

PROTECTS YOUR HEART

Research conducted by the British Heart Foundation suggests that combining a good night’s sleep with other healthy lifestyle choices can reduce your risk of heart disease. For optimum health, we should be aiming for 7 – 8 hours of good quality sleep a night. 

HELPS REPAIR MUSCLES

During strenuous workouts, muscles can tear. Sleep helps heal these tears as the body produces large molecules to repair the damage. During sleep, extra oxygen is supplied to the muscles which helps the breakdown of lactic acid, and we also see a spike in growth hormone.