Importance & Benefits of Sleep

Importance

Sleep is crucial to human beings. Sleep allows you the power to think and perform at your best (Capezuti, E. A., 2016).

Sleep is related to better overall health and performance. People who are suffering from sleep deficiency are at an increased risk of health complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and obesity. (Lichtenstein, G. R., 2015)

Sleep is so important because it impacts your immune system. Sleep influences the primary effector system, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). These different systems help regulate your immune response. (Irwin, M. R., 2015).

Recommended Hours of Sleep throughout the life

According to the sleep foundation, the recommended hours of sleep vary throughout the lifespan and decrease as you get older. Newborns require (14-17, infants 12-15, toddlers 11-14, preschoolers 10-13, school-age 9-11, teens 8-10, young adults (18-25 years old ) 7-9, adults (26-64 years old) 7-9, and older adults (65+ years old) 7-8 hours. These hours can vary throughout individuals.

(Suni, E., 2022)

What are the benefits to adequate sleep?

Improves Memory

The ability to consolidate memories effectively depends on adequate sleep. According to a study, long-term memory was found to be 20.6% stronger when the number correct in a paired-association test was measured after sleep as compared to those who were tested at the same time interval, but without sleep (Potkin, 2012).

Enhances Student Performance

Undergraduate student success can be achieved by nurturing your perceived sleeping needs. According to the results of a study conducted on Iowa State University students showed that undergraduate students with a consistent sleep schedule and enough sleep score 0.28 to 0.52 points higher on their GPA than those without (Chiang, 2017).

Regulates Work Performance

Sleeping and taking short breaks can be helpful in restoring the energy level in the body as well as the body's ability to regulate itself (Kuhnel, 2017). This provides an engaging work environment as a result of which employees are able to perform at their best.

References

Capezuti, E. A. (2016). The power and importance of sleep. Geriatric Nursing, 37(6), 487-488.

https:do.org/10.1016/j-gerinurse.2016.10.005

Chiang, & Arendt, S. W. (2017). Benefits of Sleep for Undergraduate Students' Academic Performance. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 29(2), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2017.1297713

Irwin, M. R. (2015). Why sleep is important for health: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 66(1). 143-172. http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115205

Kühnel, Zacher, H., de Bloom, J., & Bledow, R. (2017). Take a break! Benefits of sleep and short breaks for daily work engagement. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 481–491. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2016.1269750

Lichtenstein G. R. (2015). The importance of Sleep. Gastronenterology & hepatology, 11(12), 790

Potkin, K. T., & Bunney, W. E. (2012). Sleep improves memory: The effect of sleep on long term memory in early adolescence. PloS one. Retrieved December 9, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3413705/

Suni, E. (2022, August 9). How much sleep do we really need? Sleep Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need