We all know what it feels like to awake feeling invigorated and refreshed after having a decent nights sleep. Unfortunately for most of us this feeling does not happen often enough. As sleep is becoming better understood it is apparent that having less than 6 or 7 hours each night, aswell as leaving us feeling irritable and tired, can and does have a detrimental effect on many bodily processes and can increase the risk of developing certain diseases.

1.    Your Heart

Consistent lack of sleep has been associated with an increase in blood pressure and a rise in blood cholesterol, which can, in part be explained by the way sleep interacts with the body’s blood vessels and circulatory system. Also both heart attacks and strokes more commonly occur in the early hours of the morning. Getting between 7 to 9 hours sleep regularly will lower this risk.

2.    The fight against Cancer

Scientists have uncovered a link between those people who work night shifts and an increased risk of both colon and breast cancers. This is thought to occur through increased levels of daylight when they are trying to sleep, this increase in daylight suppresses the production of melatonin, which makes us sleepy and is thought to help protect against certain types of cancer, by preventing tumour growth. Using black out blinds to keep bedrooms dark will aid the body’s melatonin production.

3.    Stress Levels

Chronic sleep reduction causes the body to enter into a state of stress, the resultant release of stress hormones, such as cortisol, elevates blood pressure, which in turn gives rise to an increased risk of stroke and heart attacks. A viscious circle is entered as the circulating stress hormones make sleep more difficult. Learning relaxation techniques and how to tackle the source of the stress can counteract this.

4.    Inflammation reduction

Another detrimental effect of stress hormones is the increase of inflammation in your body, which again is an increased risk factor for many heart-related conditions, in addition to cancer and diabetes. Chronic inflammatory processes are thought to be a major cause of the bodies aging process.

5.    Sleep keeps you alert

A decent nights sleep allows you to face the new day revitalised and full of energy, which in turn increases the chances of the next nights sleep being just as good. However make sure that your increased energy levels are put to good use by being active and getting out into the fresh air and daylight.

6.    Memory Booster

As the amount of sleep achieved each night increases so does the time allotted to deep sleep and dream time, (REM sleep). It is during these periods that your brain processes the previous days events, making connections between events and memories, feelings and sensory input. In other words, it is the time when memories are laid down, a process called ‘memory consolidation’.

7.    An aid to losing weight

Obese and overweight people are far more likely to sleep less than 7 hours each night. This is thought to occur due to a lack of sleep causing an imbalance in the hormones, such as leptin, that control appetite. So sleeping more can help to loose weight, which sounds too good to be true!

8.    A nap a day keeps the doctor away!

A short nap during the working day can increase your productivity whilst at the same time improving your health. Aswell as helping to keep your stress levels at acceptable amounts. Napping also improves mood, memory and cognitive function.

9.    Depression

Serotonin is sometimes called the happy hormone, in that it releases feeling of well being when it is present in sufficient quantities. Lack of sleep seriously depletes its concentrations in the body. People with a deficiency in serotonin are at a far greater risk of suffering from depression. Make sure you consistently obtain 7 to 9 hours sleep each night.

10.    Sleep allows the body time to repair

Whilst we are sleeping our body is working flat out trying to repair all manner of damage caused by stress, carcinogens, ultraviolet rays and other harmful toxins.  The basic building block for repairing damage at the cellular level is protein.  Whilst we are asleep the volume of protein produced by each cell is increased and it these molecules that form the building blocks for cells, allowing them to repair damage.