How Sleep affects Our Health

Posted by Admin Friday 13 February 2009

People in the provinces are said to live longer than people in the city. Socio-economic and cultural factors aside, some theories credit the health advantages of a rural lifestyle, less stressful. Others say it's the food, home cooked vegetables, fish and meat, fresh from the backyard, market, or sea. Bot don't ignore one other aspect, sleep. Rural people normally get a full eight hour of sleep every night. Sleep affects various aspects of our health, including:
  • Cognitive performance - Sleep helps organize memories, solidify learning, and improve concentration. Lack of sleep impairs alertness and affects judgment, reaction time, and recall.
  • Mood and mental well being - Lack of sleep has been linked to anger, anxiety, sadness, and mental exhaustion.
  • Hormones and metabolism - Important hormones are secreted based on person's sleep pattern. These hormones are affects growth, regulate energy and control metabolic and endocrine functions.
Inadequate sleep may also contribute to the development of obesity and and diabetes. It cause a decline in the body's supply of the growth hormone, allowing more fat than muscle to develop. It impairs our body's ability to metabolize sugar, making us more prone to getting diabetes. It may also increase our risk for hypertension and heart disease and cause a breakdown of our immune system.

Related Post:
What's your Insomniac sign?
Style of eating can assault our sleep
Cant Sleep?
Lack of sleep means getting fat and ugly
13 tips for goodnight sleep
8 tips on how to prevent snoring