What is Sleep? Understanding Sleep and What It Does For Us

If you have a newborn, a demanding job with crazy hours, or a houseful of children, you've probably joked, "What is sleep?" whenever the topic arises. It may induce a chuckle but the truth is that getting adequate sleep is vital to the rest of your health. And your health is vital to your performance in all aspects of your life.

Although you have been foregoing sufficient sleep in favor of other things you think are more important, the truth of the matter is that it is negatively affecting your "more important" activities. Unless you receive adequate rest you cannot complete tasks at the quality level required. And, more than likely, you are already beginning to suffer physical consequences as well.

Can scraping by on just a few hours of sleep every night really be that bad? What difference does it make if you lose a little sleep - how important can it be? What is sleep for anyway?

Sleep is necessary because it gives your body and mind a chance to recoup. For those with crazy, busy, stressful schedules it is even more so needed. Think about everything you do in a day. Think about the demand you place on your mind and body. Getting rest is the body's only chance to reenergize for another day of your life.

When you deprive your body of sleep you will suffer from more than just sleepiness. Your body will begin to ache. You can get headaches. You will find you will catch more colds and illnesses. That's because sleep contributes to your immune system, strengthening it so it has the power to ward off disease. A lack of sleep inevitably weakens your immune system, making it susceptible to things like the common cold and flu as well as other undesirable afflictions and diseases.

The drowsiness that comes from being sleep deprived also hinders daily life. This can distract you at your job, making it difficult to keep up required productivity levels. Sleeplessness also makes you cranky, as your kids, co-workers or significant other can attest to. This unattractive quality stands in the way of the person you want to be and may go so far as to affect your personal and professional relationships.

If you are going to make sacrifices in life, make the right ones. Instead of sacrificing sleep you might sacrifice that hour you spend watching The Bachelor. Or you could shut off the news or that late night show you usually watch while finishing work. If you do, you'll be able to concentrate better the next day, get to bed sooner and wake up feeling more refreshed and full of energy.

So, what is sleep? Quite simply, sleep is a vital part of you and your body's ability to function productively. Without adequate levels of quality sleep, everything from our reaction times and mental capacity to our overall health and well-being are negatively affected.

Enabling your body to reenergize sufficiently will improve your output, help safeguard against sickness, and contribute to your overall wellbeing. You'll soon begin to realize the benefits rather than sarcastically asking your sleep deprived co-workers, "What is sleep?"

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