A Good Nights Sleep: It’ll Make You More Efficient?
Not getting enough quality sleep at night? If not, then you are not alone. A study released by the CDC reports that only 30% or less of Americans are getting enough sleep. Read on to discover how getting a better night’s rest can not only improve your health but your day-to-day efficiency as well.
Recent studies have shown that a lack of concentration and tiredness as a result of not getting enough sleep is potentially costing the American economy over 100 billion dollars annually. People are simply not as efficient in their daily lives when they do not get enough quality sleep. To better understand why, here are a few reasons why not getting a good night’s sleep can negatively impact your productivity.
Sleep for your brain.
That groggy, tired feeling experienced in the morning after a bad night’s sleep can actually be explained. Even though your body and mind are at rest, when you drift off to sleep some very important biological processes kick into gear.
You can think of these processes as a maintenance crew for your brain. Their job is to replenish chemicals important to the neurological functions of your brain, find and repair damaged cells, and make sure your immune system is ready for the day ahead.
If you don’t get enough sleep, these workers do not have enough time to finish their jobs. This leaves you in that familiar state of fogginess, groping for a morning cup of coffee. Even though a shot of caffeine may give you a temporary boost of energy, your brain is still not functioning at 100% efficiency unless you have had a solid night’s sleep.
Sleep to get rid of stress.
Stress is something everyone deals with from time to time. Different people tend to have different reactions to stress, but for most of us, high levels of stress make it more difficult to be productive. This is why there are hundreds of remedies for stress on the market ranging from yoga routines to expensive therapy. But the simplest and most effective cure for stress, not to mention the cheapest, is a good night’s sleep.
People who have difficulty sleeping have higher stress levels. Cortisol, a chemical which scientists use to measure stress levels, is present at higher levels in sleep deprived individuals. Increasing the amount of sleep drops cortisol levels significantly. This results in less stress during the day allowing you to be more productive.
Get smart by sleeping more.
A study of over 24,000 adults has shown that people who sleep more have higher scores on standardized intelligence tests. Not only that, but a process called memory consolidation is essential to your ability to remember important items. Memory consolidation only occurs when you are sleeping. If increasing cognitive function
Repairing your brain, reducing stress and raising your IQ are all things that can increase efficiency and productivity in your daily life. And, they are all benefits of sleep. If you ever needed a better excuse to get a good night’s sleep, now you have one.
Author Bio: Joel Mark is an online author who is passionate about basketball, weight training & fitness. When he’s not outside exercising, he studies a lot about health and nutrition, which runs the gamut from sleep apnea treatment to nutrition.
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Great post – love the idea of a maintenance crew for your brain. And I agree that the cortisol is a big issue. Another benefit – more HGH production.
Hi, Thanks for the article!
Absolutely, Sleep is one of the most important chores that we do every night, yet it is often ignored by many. Most of us either watch t.v./Do over eating and wait for that good nights sleep.
A good sleep is a refreshing experience because it allows our mind and body to rest. Like you rightly mentioned, good sleep helps proper functioning of brain cells and strengthens our immune system.
I’m more from the school of “Live while I’m Alive, Sleep When I’m Dead”! (With credit to Mr Jon Bon Jovi)
But seriously, I’ve seen so many different studies claiming that such-and-such causes the US economy to lose $x Billion, from sickness, alcohol, dodgy public transport, traffic jams, waiting for deliveries, facebook at work, illegal file sharing. Can they all be true?