Benefits of Sleep

Many people have viewed sleep as simply a period of "down time," when the brain and body slow down and rest. Sleep studies over the years, however, have demonstrated the real value of all of the stages of sleep. There are stages that provide energy while others help us learn or make memories.

Why proper sleep is vitally important

What exactly are you putting at risk when you don't sleep sufficiently? Your health, your mental state, your ability to focus, and your body's ability to heal can be severely compromised.

Your sleep and your health

As scientists continue to research the effects of sleep, more is understood about the value of sleep as it relates to health. Lack of sleep can lead to many health problems including:

• Obesity and diabetes — people who report an average total sleep time of 5 hours a night are more likely to become obese compared to people who sleep 7-8 hours a night, and the diabetes epidemic appears to be related to inadequate sleep as well
• Cardiovascular disease — research suggests that insufficient sleep can increase the risk for heart disease, hardening of the arteries, and congestive heart failure
• Weakened immune system — sleep appears to play a role in the function of the immune system and a lack of sleep can reduce the body's ability to fight off common infections

The healing abilities of sleep

Being in the habit of getting a good night's sleep can help keep you from getting sick. In the event that you do get sick, proper sleep can also help you get better.

Research shows that well-rested volunteers who were given the flu vaccine produced twice as many flu antibodies as those who were sleep deprived and given the same vaccine.