Want to Live Longer? Learn How Sleep Can Keep You Going

The Benefits of Sleep
Doctors don’t know exactly why we sleep, or how sleep helps to refresh the body, but it’s clear that catching enough shuteye has huge benefits when it comes to immediate concerns that make you look and feel younger, as well as overall longevity.

In the short term, getting enough sleep can help you learn more, and retain information better. The exact reason is unclear, but researchers believe that your brain essentially “practices” new skills while you sleep. For this reason, getting the proper amount of sleep can help ward off the forgetfulness that comes with aging. And in terms of your looks, sleep helps there, too. Your human growth hormone (HGH) levels are boosted when you’re asleep, which can help increase your metabolism and prevent wrinkles and sagging skin.

But that, ultimately, is the small stuff. The real benefits of sleep come from bettered abilities to fight infection, digest sugar, and maintain high levels of function in the endocrine, neurological, and metabolic systems.

The Consequences of Too Little Sleep
Not enough to convince you that you should budget in a little more time to get the right amount of sleep? You might want to consider these consequences of not getting enough sleep.

Looking at the short term, too little sleep can result in many quality of life issues. This ranges from stress on relationships to decreased performance at work to a higher risk of getting into a car accident, or injuring yourself on the job. It doesn’t do great things for your cognitive function, either: just one night of poor sleep can decrease your alertness during the day by a full 32%.

Long-term, insufficient sleep starts to look like something you really want to avoid. Studies have shown that long-term sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular issues like heart failure and heart attack, depression, and even obesity.

What’s more? A 2010 study found that older adults who didn’t get enough sleep were more likely to die from any cause over the course of the study than adults who did get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can have a huge effect on your longevity, which is unfortunately not something that an extra cup of coffee in the morning can fix.

How Much Sleep Is Enough
This is a question of much contention, and the National Sleep Foundation says that not only do sleep needs change throughout our lives, but they change on a person-to-person basis. As a general gauge, though, the NSF cites a few studies that show that getting only 4-5 hours a night can have serious consequences, and so can getting more than 9 hours of sleep a night.

So, to find your own “perfect number”, see what amount of sleep makes you feel best. If you’re struggling with getting enough sleep, there are a number of suggestions from researchers at Harvard Medical School regarding better sleep habits, ranging from avoiding caffeine to creating a bedtime routine to turning your alarm clock away from you so you aren’t watching the minutes tick by.

Healthy sleep is one of the most important parts of taking good care of your body, and ensuring that you have the best chance at a long, functional, happy life. If you want to live longer, make getting enough sleep a priority in all of your fitness routines.