Getting enough sleep is not only essential to function productively each day, but it also has a MASSIVE impact on your health! Yet so many people find it difficult to sleep. One of the main causes of insomnia in these modern times is blue light exposure from devices including televisions, smart phones, tablets and other devices. Quite often people will mistakenly blame their insomnia on other things like an overactive mind or stress, but it's actually the blue light that is often the culprit! To help you wake up feeling refreshed, you might like to address the blue light problem. Here are 8 very important reasons to get more sleeping hours every night.
1. Focus
We have all woken up after a good night's sleep feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day! A bad night's sleep can leave you struggling all day. I recommend an early to bed, early to rise routine to break difficult sleeping patterns.
2. Happiness
A lack of sleep can leave you feeling irritable and grumpy. If you're having 'one of those days', chances are you didn't get a good sleep last night, so everything will be bothering you. When you get home, have a shower, get into your PJs and sleep through until morning! You will feel so much better when you wake up...I promise you!
3. Skin & Eye Appearance
Most people experience puffy eyes after a bad sleep but if your sleepless nights become a regular routine, it will lead to dull looking skin and dark circles under your eyes. The reason for this is that your body releases more of the stress hormone cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, which is the protein that keeps skin smooth and bright!
4. Weight Gain
A lack of sleep can lead to weight gain by drastically slowing down your metabolism! Studies show that when you don't get enough sleep, your leptin levels are driven down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. A lack of sleep also causes your 'hunger hormone' ghrelin to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, food intake increased and fat storage promoted.
5. Solving Problems
Studies have shown us that when you step back from a problem and 'sleep on it', your brain looks for a solution overnight while you sleep! How's that for multi-tasking! Even if you don't wake up with an answer, having the space and relaxation to step back from it, makes it easier to assess the problem. It brings clarity and perspective, making it easier to find a solution in the days or weeks ahead.
6. Makes You a Winner
Did you know that getting extra sleep can make you a winner in every facet of your life? It can improve your athleticism and fitness, make you smarter, funnier, popular, and full of charm and personality! Not only that, but sleep can make you look and feel amazing; making you a magnet for people around you. Studies have shown that people who don't get enough sleep are worse at making split-second decisions and less accurate. So rest up if you want to be a winner!
7. Keeps You Healthy
One of the biggest impacts a lack of sleep can have on you, is a weakened immune system, which makes you more vulnerable to illness such as colds and flu. Getting between 7-9 hours snooze a night can help boost your immune system and keep you healthy.
8. Memory Boost
Your mind is surprisingly busy while you sleep! During deep sleep, the brain goes through your impressions of the day in a process vital to memory formation. If you’re trying to learn something new, you’ll actually perform better after sleeping. It's a very powerful process.
