The benefits of sleep: How sleeping can elevate your physical and mental health

Sleep can give you many benefits - both physical and mental. Getting enough sleep should be at the top of your priority list. Being sleep-deprived will inevitably lower your life quality.

Physical Benefits

You may have noticed feeling agitated when you lack sleep. Indeed, sleep helps regulate how your body functions and feels. It also directly affects your cardiovascular system. Sleep deprivation brings you to a fight-or-flight mode. In this state, your heart rate and blood pressure go up. As a result, the risk of a heart attack or stroke also increases. Many people have the idea that to sleep is to waste time. In reality, to sleep is to live a longer and happier life. You should sleep more than seven hours every day for a healthy heart.

Mental Benefits

Sleep can do a lot for your mental state. It can help you regulate your mood throughout the day. Indeed, when you lack sleep, you will find it tough to be in a good mood. Sleep can also help you think more clearly and creatively. In fact, after sleeping, you may find solutions to problems you struggled with the previous day. This phenomenon is not a coincidence. Sleep helps you solve problems you cannot figure out while awake, mainly through your dreams.

Dreaming

Dreaming during sleep helps you develop your creativity. When you do this, your brain becomes very active. It tries to piece together different knowledge in your brain into a more complete picture. In this process, you enter a theatre of organized chaos where things sometimes do not make sense. Historically, dreaming has led to some of the world's most creative breakthroughs. A Russian chemist named Mendeleev spoke of seeing the formulation of the periodic table of elements in his sleep. On the more artistic side, Paul McCartney from the Beatles also credited his dreams for creating the song "Let It Be." Dreaming happens a lot early in the morning. To enjoy its creative benefits, don't cut your sleep short.

Taking a Nap

The mental benefits you get from sleep should be enough to get you to take naps. After all, feeling sleepy in the afternoon is a natural occurrence caused by your body clock. Napping in the afternoon lets you avoid feeling worn down as you work yourself into the evening. Naps as short as 15 - 20 minutes can significantly boost your alertness and mood. This mental improvement is enough reason for some modern companies to encourage daytime naps. However, you should note that napping too long can prevent you from feeling sleepy at night. You could also experience the same effects if you sleep after three in the afternoon.

Conclusion

Sleeping will give you many physical and mental benefits. Get enough sleep, and don't hesitate to nap to get a second boost for your day.