Common Health Problems Improved By Sleep

Sharon Moore December 02, 2013

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What if the solution to your long-time health worries was as simple as getting enough sleep? Thanks to the new brain scanning technologies, researchers are beginning to uncover the real wonders of sleep to our mental health. Vast studies have shown that quality sleep can boost our productivity and self-control, ease anxiety, and improve our well-being. But did you know it can also give you protection from some of the most common health problems?

Weight Gain

You probably know that diet and regular exercise are essential to weight loss. But sleep is equally important. Recently, researchers from Temple University found that going to bed early may help children reduce their calorie intake. They also had lower levels of the hormone leptin which regulates hunger. What’s more, they weighed less than their sleep-deprived peers. Even adults may also reap the benefits of quality sleep on weight management. UC Berkeley researchers found that staying late at night impacts the food choice of adults. That is, they are more likely to reach for pizza and doughnut than whole grains or leafy vegetables.

Low Libido

Both men and women reported less interest in sex when they are sleep-deprived. A 2002 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that many men with sleep apnoea also have low testosterone levels.

Forgetfulness

Sleep deprivation hampers the process of which your brain processes memories, which then leads to slipping memory. The sleeping brain cycles in and out of the REM (rapid eye movement stage linked to improved learning and memory) throughout the night but the longest REM stage occurs closer to the wake-up time. Even a quick nap seems to have a positive effect on memory, learning, focus and alertness.

Cancer Risk

In a 2010 study published in the journal Cancer among people screened for colorectal cancer, those who were diagnosed with cancer were more likely to average fewer than six hours of sleep a night. Another study, carried out in 2012 revealed that women with breast cancer who got 6 hours or less of night-time sleep are more likely to suffer from recurrence and more aggressive cancers.

Stroke Risk

Getting enough sleep daily is one way to take good care of your heart. Researchers from the University Hospitals Case Medical Centre’s Seidman Cancer Centre and the Case Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Case Western Reserve University in the US found that people who are sleep-deprived are four times more likely to have a stroke.

Diabetes Risk

A small study conducted published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal in 2012 found that people regularly getting too little sleep are more likely to develop diabetes. That’s because they tend to choose sugary, fatty foods when they are sleep-deprived. Researchers also found that after four consecutive nights of sleep deprivation, the insulin sensitivity of the study participants had dropped by 16 per cent, and their fat cells’ insulin sensitivity had dropped by 30 per cent.

Frequent Colds

Not getting enough sleep may also keep your immune system low, a reason for you to contract frequent colds. According to a 2009 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who sleep less than seven hours each night are three times more likely to catch a cold.

Depression

In a 2005 Sleep in America poll, researchers found a common trend in the lifestyle of people diagnosed with anxiety problems and depression – they tend to sleep less than six hours at night. The common sleep disorder, insomnia, has the strongest link to depression. If you want to improve your mood in the next day, make sure that you are getting enough sleep.

There’s no denying that sleep is essential to our life. That’s probably why there’s day and there’s night – to give ourselves some time to recharge and regain our health.