Why rest & relaxation are important for health & happiness

Take time to rest 

There is a reason why we spend 1/3 of our life sleeping! 

Sleep is a vital part of good health. In fact, getting enough sleep is just as important as eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly.  Poor sleep habits can interfere with a person's health and daily life. According to the guidelines set forth by the National Sleep Foundation, most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night.  However, many people don't get the necessary amount of sleep each night, even though quality sleep impacts virtually every aspect of our lives.  ^[1]

More importantly, sleep deprivation can have serious health consequences including increased blood pressure and cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

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Sleep heals your body

Sleep helps heal your body and replenishes your energy for the next day. In fact, your body needs sleep in order to restore itself because sleep allows cells to repair and regrow.

When you sleep, the brain releases hormones that help promote tissue growth which repairs blood vessels and ease muscle soreness. This process also rebuilds damaged muscles and encourages wounds to heal properly.

Additionally, when you sleep, your body produces more white blood cells, which help to fight off viruses and bacteria. This allows your body to heal itself.

Sleep allows you to destress

Sleep is one of the most powerful tools we have for dealing with stress.

Sleeping not only helps your body recover from stress, but it also helps restore normal hormone levels. This means if you're sleep-deprived, you may find yourself feeling more irritable and anxious than usual. 

When we don't get enough sleep there is a natural response from our bodies that causes us to become stressed and anxious about things that wouldn't normally bother us. This is because when we are tired our brains are less able to cope with stressful situations and can cause us to feel overwhelmed by things that we usually wouldn't consider stressful at all.

The best way to avoid feeling irritable and anxious is to get enough sleep each night.

Rest boosts your creativity

You're more creative and innovative when you're well rested.  Resting your body and mind can help you overcome mental blocks and come up with new ideas.

Without sleep, the brain struggles to form ideas and perform at its best. Sleep enables it to make connections and solve problems, fueling the creative process.

When you’re tired and don’t sleep well, your creativity suffers. You may find it harder to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.  

Sleep is the ultimate creative rest. It's the time when you can let go of all your worries and allow yourself to reconnect with your inner self. 

Sleep enhances productivity & decision making

It's difficult to do your best when you're physically exhausted and sleep-deprived. 

Just like other muscles in your body, your brain becomes less efficient when it's tired. You're always more productive after a restful period. 

When you sleep, your brain is hard at work. It's busy forming new connections between brain cells and strengthening existing ones. This process is known as neuroplasticity and it's essential for learning, memory, in addition to creativity.

Studies also show getting enough sleep can improve your memory and your reaction time. After a good night’s rest your memory is sharper, and your ability to focus and concentrate improves.^[2]

Furthermore, according to published research, sleep also plays the vital role of restoring the right balance of brain synapses to enhance learning. Sleep also renormalizes the overall strength of synapses across the brain. ^[3][4]

There's a reason the saying "sleep on it" exists—sleeping or resting helps you make better decisions. To improve your ability to make quality choices and work with a clear head, make sure you schedule regular breaks in your daily routine and get a good night’s sleep every night. 

Bottom line

Sleep is good for your health and happiness. It's important to get adequate rest. Not only can being sleep-deprived lead to many problems, including fatigue, irritability, and lack of concentration, lack of sleep also negatively impacts your mood and mental health. That's why it is important to prioritize sleep in your life and make sure you get adequate rest each night.

Good luck and sleep tight!

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If you’d like to read more about topics connected to this subject, please check out our Sleep Better page or some of our other articles published on our blog:

• Healthy Sleeping Tips: A Simple Guide to Better Sleep

• Screen Time & Sleep: How Digital Devices Affect Sleep

• How to Create an OFFLINE Bedtime Routine

• Five reasons to switch to an alarm clock

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