Why Is Sleep Important?

Short-term health impact

• Cognitive Performance

  Ever feel like your brain is running on fumes after a sleepless night? It's not just your imagination. Sleep deprivation impairs memory, focus, and learning, making it harder to concentrate, solve problems, and make decisions. However, if you sleep well your thinking is clearer, your reflexes faster and your judgment sharper. Think of sleep as the ultimate brainpower booster.
   

• Physical Health

  Sleep is like a rejuvenating spa for your body. During sleep, your body repairs tissues, builds muscle, and strengthens your immune system. Skimp on sleep, and you're more susceptible to infections and injuries.

   

• Mood and Emotion

  Sleep deprivation can be a major mood grinch. It can lead to irritability, anxiety, and even depression. Conversely, getting enough sleep can boost your mood, improve emotional regulation, and leave you feeling energized, optimistic, and better capable of handling life stress.
   

Long-term health impacts

• Chronic Disease Risk

  Sleep is important to prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, obesity, and even some cancers. Lack of sleep is also found to increase risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and decreased immune function. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts hormones, increases inflammation, impairs healthy metabolic function, paving the way for these conditions.
   

• Brain Health

  Sleep is crucial for brain health, especially as we age. Studies show that chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Prioritizing sleep is five star investment in your brain's future.

• Mental Health

  Sleep deprivation is a major risk factor for mental health issues like anxiety, depression and substance use. Getting enough sleep helps regulate mood, manage stress, control impulses and improve emotional resilience. Think of sleep as a natural antidepressant.

• Higher Mortality Risk

  Sleep deprivation is linked to a higher mortality risk. An individual that sleeps on average less than six hours per night has a 13% higher mortality risk than someone sleeping between seven and nine hours. However, an individual sleeping between six to seven hours per day still has a 7% higher mortality risk

Impact on relationships

Lack of sleep can also influence your relationships. It can make you irritable and short-tempered that can have an effect on how your close ones and colleagues perceive you.  Ever have a co-worker who just wasn’t “reading the room”? They may have just been sleep deprived.

Personal impact aside, did you know that the quality of your sleep has an impact on the US economy? The United States alone sustains approximately $411 billion a year due to insufficient sleep. That comes out to be about 1.23 million working days. According to a study, if individuals that slept under six hours started sleeping six to seven hours then this could boost the economy by $226.4 billion.

Sleep is not a luxury for ourselves and our communities; it's a necessity. It's the foundation for our physical, mental, emotional, and financial well-being. By prioritizing sleep, we invest in our health, relationships, our neighborhoods and even our wallets.