The Benefits of Sleep
If I was ever posed with the question, “If you could never eat for the rest of your life, or never sleep for the rest of your life, what would you choose?” I hands down, would eliminate eating, because I have a not-so-secret love affair with sleeping. And as a university student, it can be hard to come by, which makes my love of sleeping that much greater.
But how many of us actually know the benefits of hitting the snooze button on early Monday mornings? I didn’t really know how beneficial sleeping was until I looked into it, and here are some interesting facts that you might not have known about.
Sleep helps reduce the chance of type 2 diabetes
Research has shown that a lack of sleep affects how your body process glucose, which is what the cells in your body use for energy. Less sleep slows down how the process of processing glucose, which intern affects the regulation of our blood-sugar levels, and can make us increasingly more tired and sluggish.
Sleep helps repair your body
Extra protein is produced while you sleep, and protein helps you fight disease and keeps your immune system in top shape.
Sleep helps reduce stress
Long hours studying, deadlines and trying to keep up a social life? You need a good night’s sleep. While sleeping, your blood pressure lowers, which eases the tension in your body, and on your heart.
And never forget, while sleeping, you can dream you are anyplace in the world you wish to be!
So whether it is a catnap in the afternoon, or going to bed an hour earlier, we can all find some sort of benefit when it comes to sleeping. Just don’t blame me if you hit your snooze button one too many times and miss your class!