Sleep is Good For Everything

Recommended Reading.

I have listened to Matthew Walker’s, PhD, Why We Sleep many times. The first time I slept through much of it.

This was encouraged by the author and the narrator has a great falling to sleep to voice. Then a friend gave me a hard copy and I have read that too. Sometimes when I can’t fall asleep I listen to the audio version, it is like an adult bedtime story. Since the book is a list of reasons you really need to sleep, you might think it would keep you up at night, but really it doesn’t.

Please read or listen to this book. In one chapter he writes that he used to believe there were three pillars of health; nutrition, fitness and sleep, but now he thinks there is only one.

Sleep.

Before I read the book I would have argued for the three pillars, now I must agree. Without sleep, nothing else matters.

We make bad food choices when we are sleep-deprived. Our workouts suffer. We are less creative. Our blood sugar, blood pressure, the cardiovascular system is compromised, the brain suffers.

It affects every aspect of life.

Memory, learning, stress and diseases all will be affected by insufficient sleep. He does give practical advice for changing your sleep habits and the book is full of facts about the importance of sleep. I can’t imagine not making sleep a priority. Especially after reading the many ways that sleep affects health.

Sleep also makes a difference in your diet. Poor sleep increases cravings for junk food and nighttime snacking. Weight loss when suffering from a lack of sleep means that you lose more muscle mass and keep more body fat. One research study compared weight loss from people who got a good night’s sleep with those who did not. The total amount of weight lost was the same but the amount of fat loss was different. The people getting enough sleep showed that 50% of their weight loss was from body fat. The sleep-deprived group lost more muscle and only 25% of their weight loss came from body fat.

Here are a few more stats about sleep and tips to get a good night’s sleep.

Sleep is key for staying healthy. This includes managing your weight, staying fit, preventing injuries, or managing your emotions. Sleep also keeps your brain functioning optimally. If you want to improve your healthspan then sleep.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla