Understanding the Benefits of Sleep May Help Motivate You to Get That Rest

Understanding the Benefits of Sleep May Help Motivate You to
Get That Rest by J Wall

body's systems. For example, rest recharges our immune system and helps it to
function at its best. A lack of sleep can actually hinder our immune system and make
us more susceptible to disease and illness.

When we sleep another of the benefits of sleep is that our body goes into repair
mode. It focuses on repairing and building bone, muscle and other tissue as needed
by our body. The body is set up to go into a sort of maintenance mode while we
sleep that allows it to concentrate on fixing things. Not that our body doesn't do
some repair while we're awake, but sleep allows it to concentrate without dividing
energy between repair and all the tasks we perform when we're awake.

Mental well being is also one of the sleep health benefits we get from rest. Getting
proper, regular sleep helps the mind to unwind, regroup and cope with stress and
other issues. When we don't get our rest both body and mind are less able to cope
with and adjust to stressors. We are also more prone to developing depression,
anxiety and other illnesses. Sleep helps to keep the chemicals in our brain balanced
and allows our mind to process out stressful or painful things from our day. We miss
out on these sleep health benefits when we don't get our rest.

It is hard to recoup lost rest and get back the benefits of sleep. If we miss a couple
hours a night during the work week we can't necessarily just sleep longer on
Saturday and expect that we've balanced out our lack of rest from the week. Most
likely you will need a little extra sleep for a few nights in a row for your body to feel
back on track.

Sleep consists of distinct stages with each stage providing the body with different
functions and benefits. It works best when we consistently sleep the number of
hours our body needs (typically 7 - 8 for an adult, longer for teens and children). This
allows the body and mind to go through all the stages properly several times. If we
short ourselves we don't get the full number of cycles and therefore throw of the
body. We end up missing the and have to play catch up eventually
or pay the price with illness, lack of performance, etc. Lack of sleep costs America
alone billions of dollars in lost productivity, health care and accident related
costs....about as much as stroke or depression. The problem is bigger than many of
us realize. Perhaps after reading this you will reconsider shaving off an hour here or
there. The cost is probably not worth it.

About The Author

J. Wall has an avid interest in natural remedies for the treatment of Sleeplessness. He
is a regular contributor to the section of
, a site dedicated to improving sleep for everyone.

Other than feeling more alert and
rested in the morning, it seems that
many of us don't understand the
benefits of sleep. If we did we might
not be so quick to short ourselves
hours of rest by working late, staying
up watching TV or doing a host of
things that we think are more
important than sleep. Well, here's
why sleep may be a good idea after
all.

Sleep health benefits extend beyond
just feeling better in the morning.
Sleep not only recharges our energy
levels but actually recharges the

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The content on
this website is for educational purposes only. Please consult with your physician before using natural
remedies and before making any drastic changes to your diet or exercise program.