Miya Pearson
Sleep is an essential function that allows the body and mind to recharge. It is as vital to our survival as food and water, yet about one in three American adults don't get enough of it. Sleep helps the body in several ways, including restoring energy, repairing and regrowing cells, and clearing out waste from the central nervous system. Sleep also helps the brain to function well, allowing nerve cells to communicate and reorganize.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sleep is critical to our wellbeing | Sleep is as important as food, water or air to our survival |
| Sleep is a time when the mind and body are active | Sleep involves many important and necessary processes |
| Sleep is an altered state of consciousness | Sleep is a condition of the body and mind wherein the nervous system is less active, the body is relaxed, and consciousness is suspended |
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What You'll Learn
Sleep is essential for maintaining good health
Sleep is vital for our health and well-being throughout our lives. During sleep, our bodies work to support healthy brain function and maintain our physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development. Getting inadequate sleep over time can raise your risk for chronic (long-term) health problems, including heart disease and depression.
Sleep is also essential for maintaining our baseline mental health. One night of sleep deprivation can dramatically affect our mood the next day, and chronic exposure to poor sleep quality is associated with depression, anxiety, and other conditions. Experiencing anxiety and depression often affects sleep, which then impacts our ability to cope with these conditions.
Healthy sleep requires adequate sleep duration, good quality, appropriate timing, regularity, and the absence of sleep disorders. Short-term sleep deprivation, long-term sleep restriction, circadian misalignment, and untreated sleep disorders can have a profound and detrimental impact on physical health, mental health, mood, and public safety.
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Sleep helps the body and mind recharge
Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge. We spend a third of our lives asleep, and it's as important as food, water or air to our survival.
Sleep helps to slow down the brain and body, allowing them to engage in processes of recovery. This promotes better physical and mental performance the next day and over the long term. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, impairing your ability to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories. Sleep helps with focus and concentration, and it allows the brain to register and organise memories, all of which are vital to learning.
Healthy sleep also helps the body to remain healthy and stave off diseases. Experts recommend seven to nine hours of sleep per night for healthy adults aged 26 to 64. If you feel yourself getting too busy, scheduling a 60- to 90-minute nap into your day can be a great energy booster.
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Sleep deprivation has serious consequences
Sleep is critical to our wellbeing, and we spend a third of our lives doing it. It is as important as food, water or air to our survival. However, about one in three American adults don't get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation has serious consequences, and can lead to changes in the nervous system, contribute to long-term health complications, and exacerbate chronic medical conditions. Research shows that skimping on sleep is linked to numerous health problems, including stroke, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Sleep deprivation can also negatively affect your mental abilities and emotional state, making you feel more impatient or prone to mood swings, and compromising your decision-making processes and creativity.
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Sleep restores the body
Sleep is critical to our wellbeing. We spend a third of our lives asleep, and it is as important as food, water or air to our survival.
Sleep is often thought of as a time when the mind and body shut down, but this is not the case. Sleep is an altered state of consciousness or a condition of the body and mind wherein the nervous system is less active, the body is relaxed, and consciousness is suspended.
Sleep helps the body and brain repair, restore and re-energise. Research has shown that eight hours of sleep can produce a daily energy saving of 35% per 24-hour cycle. During sleep, the body replenishes its energy and repairs cells, tissues and muscles. Sleep is also when the brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganise, which supports healthy brain function.
Deep sleep is particularly restorative. During this phase, your eyes and muscles don't move, and your brain waves slow down. You need this phase to feel awake and refreshed the next day.
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Sleep is required for brain function
Sleep is essential for cognitive function, mental acuity and the ability to concentrate and learn new things. During sleep, the brain deals with information received during the day. It consolidates memories and clears plaque-forming amyloids and tau proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease. Sleep also helps regulate emotions, while sleep deprivation can lead to increased emotional reactivity, mood swings, irritability and heightened stress responses.
Sleep is also important for brain development, especially in early life. A study found differences in brain function, behaviour and mental health between children who got nine hours of sleep a night and those who got less.
Sleep plays a housekeeping role, removing toxins in the brain that build up while we are awake. Sleep is also important for how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other.
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Frequently asked questions
Sleep is essential for maintaining good health and survival. It allows our bodies and brains to repair, restore, and re-energize.
Sleep deprivation can affect memory, focus, the immune system, and mood. It can also have serious consequences for our overall health and wellbeing.
During sleep, our bodies repair cells, restore energy, and release molecules like hormones and proteins. Our metabolic rate drops, conserving energy.
Sleep is important for brain function. It allows our neurons or nerve cells to reorganize and clear out waste from the central nervous system, removing toxic byproducts that build up during the day.
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. However, about one in three American adults don't get enough sleep.
