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The Importance of Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

It’s a fact: people don’t get enough sleep. We are a culture that burns the candle at both ends. We are a nation of people who are constantly connected: staying up late to work, study or have fun. By doing this we are all stealing precious minutes from rest. Unfortunately, going without sufficient sleep carries with it both short- and long-term consequences.

In the short-term, a deficiency of sleep can negatively affect your mood, and your ability to learn, make good decisions, and retain information. It will also likely increase the risk of a serious accident and injury, aside from making rational judgments, in real life situations.

In the long-term, sleep deprivation will lead to a wide range of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.

We all know that sleep deprivation not only has a major impact on cognitive functioning but also on emotional and physical health. Sleep plays such a vital role in a person’s rehabilitation after suffering a serious injury as a result of an accident. It will help control weight gain, if immobilized, heal the body and mind faster, and provide you with a greater ability to get back to the quality of life you had prior to the injury.

It may seem obvious that sleep is beneficial. Even without fully grasping what sleep does for us, we know that going without sleep for too long makes us feel terrible, and that getting a good night’s sleep can make us feel ready to take on each day.

Scientists have gone to great lengths to fully understand sleep’s benefits. In studies, they have discovered that sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions.

Being chronically tired to the point of fatigue or exhaustion means that we are less likely to perform well. Neurons do not fire optimally, muscles are not rested, and the body’s organ systems are not synchronized. Lapses in focus from sleep deprivation as mentioned can lead to accidents or injury and slow the recovery process if injured.

Do something good for your body and brain, and get enough sleep!