NMTBP lists some health benefits researchers have discovered about a good night’s sleep

1. Sleep keeps your heart healthy

Heart attacks and strokes are more common during the early morning hours. This fact may be explained by the way sleep interacts with the blood vessels. Lack of sleep has been associated with worsening of blood pressure and cholesterol, all risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night.

In addition, when you don’t get enough sleep, you have an inflammatory response in your cardiovascular system — in the blood vessels and arteries — and that’s not a good thing. If that sleep deprivation continues long term, chronic inflammation, which has been linked to things like heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, can result

2. Sleep may prevent cancer

People working the late shift have a higher risk for breast and colon cancer. Researchers believe this link is caused by differing levels of melatonin in people who are exposed to light at night. Light exposure reduces the level of melatonin, a hormone that both makes us sleepy and is thought to protect against cancer. Melatonin appears to suppress the growth of tumours. Make sure that your bedroom is dark to help your body produce the melatonin it needs

3. Sleep reduces stress

When your body is sleep deficient, it goes into a state of stress. The body’s functions are put on high alert which causes an increase in blood pressure and a production of stress hormones. Higher blood pressure increases your risk for heart attacks and strokes. The stress hormones also, unfortunately, make it harder for you to sleep. Learn relaxation techniques to counter the effects of stress. There are also stress reduction techniques for sleep

 4. Sleep reduces inflammation

Inflammation is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and premature aging. Research indicates that people who get less sleep — six or fewer hours a night — have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more. A 2010 study found that C-reactive protein, which is associated with heart attack risk, was higher in people who got six or fewer hours of sleep a night

People who have sleep apnea or insomnia can have an improvement in blood pressure and inflammation with treatment of the sleep disorders

5. Sleep makes you more alert

Of course, a good night’s sleep makes you feel energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night’s sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, use that energy to get out into the daylight, do active things, and be engaged in your world. You’ll sleep better the next night and increase your daily energy level

If you’re chronically sleep deprived, you may think you’re still driving safely and performing well at your job, but you’re probably wrong. Studies have found that people who aren’t getting enough sleep drive just as unsafely as someone who’s drunk. Insufficient sleep for just one night can be as detrimental to your driving ability as having an alcoholic drink

In 2009 being tired accounted for the highest number of fatal single-car run-off-the-road crashes due to the driver’s performance — even more than alcohol!

6. Sleep helps prevent diabetes

The key underlying problem in type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance, where the body does not make proper use of this sugar-processing hormone. Guess what? When you’re sleep deprived, your body almost immediately develops conditions that resemble the insulin resistance of diabetes.

In one study of young, healthy adult males, researchers decreased their sleep time to about four hours per night for six nights. At the end of those six nights, every one of the healthy young men was showing impaired glucose tolerance, a precursor to developing diabetes

Another study found that people in their late 20s and early 30s who slept less than 6.5 hours per night had the insulin sensitivity of someone more than 60 years old

7. Sleep reduces obesity

Can not getting enough sleep really make you fat? Several studies over the past decade point to a link between sleep deprivation and obesity — in both adults and children.  In one study, people who slept five hours per night were 73% more likely to become obese than those getting seven to nine nightly hours of sleep. In fact, one study found that lack of sleep was a bigger contributor to childhood obesity than any other factor

Nobody knows exactly why this might be, but some research has pointed to hormonal imbalances as the culprit. For example, lack of sleep has been linked to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which reduces hunger

8. Sleep bolsters your memory

Your mind is surprisingly busy while you snooze. During sleep you can strengthen memories or ‘practice’ skills learned while you were awake – a process called memory consolidation

While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day, making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Your dreams and deep sleep are an important time for your brain to make memories and links. Getting more quality sleep will help you remember and process things better

In other words if you’re trying to learn something new — whether it’s Spanish or a new tennis swing — you’ll perform better after sleeping

9. Naps make you smarter

Napping during the day is not only an effective and refreshing alternative to caffeine, it can also protect your health and make you more productive. A study of 24,000 Greek adults showed that people who napped several times a week had a lower risk for dying from heart disease. People who nap at work have much lower levels of stress. Napping also improves memory, cognitive function and mood

10. Sleep may reduce your risk for depression

Sleep impacts many of the chemicals in your body, including serotonin. People with a deficiency in serotonin are more likely to suffer from depression. You can help to prevent depression by making sure you are getting the right amount of sleep, between 7 and 9 hours each night

If you think the long hours put in during the week are the cause of your anxiety or impatience, be warned that sleep cannot necessarily be made up during the weekend

11. Sleep helps your body make repairs

Sleep is a time for your body to repair damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures. Your cells produce more protein while you’re sleeping. These protein molecules form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage

12. Sleep can help you live longer

A study of nearly 16,000 Chinese over 65s has found that those who regularly enjoyed a good night’s sleep also lived longer and enjoyed better health

And it was the very oldest people who had the best sleep. Study subjects aged 80 and over were more likely to report higher sleep quality than those aged 65 to 79. Participants were also much more likely to report higher sleep quality if they had good access to health care and if their families were doing well economically. Men were more likely than women to sleep well

Not surprisingly, people with health problems were less likely to get good sleep. So were individuals who were anxious or struggled with everyday tasks. The researchers conclude that these problems cause trouble sleeping – that it’s just a function of aging

They aren’t suggesting a cause-and-effect relationship between sleep and healthy aging, but the findings show that a good night’s sleep certainly benefits us as we age

The good news in all this is that you can repair the damage from inadequate sleep fairly quickly. The system is very quick to respond. For example, the young men in the diabetes study returned to a normal state of glucose tolerance after just a few nights of regular sleep. Many of these conditions will repair themselves — unless, of course, you get so chronically sleep deprived that you’ve caused permanent damage to your health