PSY 100 Grand Canyon Week 3 Discussion 2

How do the benefits of sleep affect our interactions with others? Describe a time when lack of sleep impacted your ability to appropriately interact with others.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

The benefits of sleep

Introduction

Did you know that sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health? In fact, it’s so important that some experts are calling it “the new ‘b’ word.” Sleep isn’t just good for you physically; studies have shown that getting enough sleep can help everything from your brain to your waistline. Here are six benefits of a good night’s rest:

How Sleep Restores Brain Health

The brain is a complex organ that needs time to recover. During sleep, the body repairs itself and recharges, allowing your mind to process information and make new memories while you’re asleep.

Sleep also helps protect against age-related cognitive decline by slowing down the rate at which your brain loses neurons (nerve cells) as we get older. This can lead to memory loss, difficulty concentrating and thinking clearly—all symptoms of dementia!

Sleep deprivation has been linked with depression, high blood pressure and heart disease risk factors as well as diabetes. And what about those sleepless nights? A lack of restful sleep increases your risk for accidents on the road or in traffic jams because drivers are more likely than others who are rested enough not only to fall asleep behind the wheel but also keep themselves awake behind all sorts of distractions like checking email inboxes or reading texts from friends who want them back up front where they belong!

Trains Your Brain for Focused Attention

One of the most important benefits of sleep is that it helps you focus your attention. When you’re awake, your brain works harder to process information and make sense of what you see, hear, touch and smell. This can lead to confusion and disorientation when trying to focus on tasks at hand—and if they aren’t completed well enough or in time enough then they may result in failure.

Sleep deprivation has been shown to make people irritable and prone to anger outbursts as well as other negative emotions like anxiety or depression; it also impairs their ability to think clearly about difficult issues such as finances or relationships (which could lead them into debt).

Improves Your Problem-Solving Skills

Sleep is important for problem-solving. When you’re awake, your brain works to solve problems and make decisions. When you’re asleep, the brain can rest and refresh.

By sleeping more each night, you’ll be able to tackle difficult tasks with greater clarity—and with less stress!

May Help You to Better Manage Stress

Stress is a normal part of life. It can be good and help you to do your job well, but too much stress can be bad for you. Stressful situations can lead to anxiety and depression, which in turn will affect how well you sleep.

Sleep helps manage stress by:

• Restoring energy levels after waking up from sleep

• Decreasing the effects of cortisol (the “stress hormone”) on the body’s ability to function during the day

Strengthens Memory and Helps Learning

You may have heard that a good night’s sleep can improve your memory. This is true, but there are other reasons why it’s important to get enough rest.

Sleep plays an important role in learning and memory consolidation, so getting enough rest is essential for healthy brain function. The following are some of the ways that sleep helps you perform better:

• Sleep deprivation impairs memory formation by causing beta waves to slow down (theta waves become more intense), which leads to less-efficient recall of information learned during the day or week before.[1] This can happen even if you’ve been awake all night without any trouble sleeping![2]

• Sleep deprivation decreases levels of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) throughout the body,[3] which reduces our ability to learn new things.[4] When we don’t get enough sleep over time, these effects build up until they become almost impossible for us to overcome when trying different things later on down the road – like learning something new about yourself or others around you!

Aids in Overall Health

Sleep is a major part of overall health. It affects the immune system and makes it easier for you to fight off infections, which can be important if you’re sick or have an illness. Sleep also helps your body balance its hormones, including cortisol that regulates metabolism and insulin production.

Sleep also affects your heart and blood pressure, so it can help prevent heart disease by regulating these processes in the body.

Helps Prevent Weight Gain and Obesity

Inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain and obesity. Sleep is a key factor in regulating appetite, so when you don’t get enough of it, your body starts making more hunger hormones like ghrelin (the “I’m hungry” hormone). This can lead to overeating and cravings for high-calorie foods. When we’re awake all day—and especially if we work night shifts—we often eat more than we normally would at other times during the day because our brains are wired differently while they’re awake. If you have trouble sleeping at night or wake up feeling exhausted during the day, try taking some time off from work so that you have time for good quality rest before going back into your day job later on!

Can Boost Your Athletic Performance

If you’re an athlete, sleep is vital for your athletic performance. Sleep deprivation can affect your mood, motivation and ability to concentrate. When you don’t get enough sleep, it can also reduce your recovery from exercise and increase muscle soreness. In fact, athletes who don’t get enough rest are at risk of injury as well as decreased performance in their next game or race.

Improves Emotional Wellbeing and Relationships

Sleep can help you manage your emotions.

Sleep helps you feel better about yourself and the world around you. When we sleep, our brains release chemicals that make us feel calm and secure—and these feelings of wellbeing are likely to last all day long. When we don’t get enough sleep, these positive feelings may dissipate quickly or not at all.

Sleep also improves relationships with other people in your life: If someone needs extra support during a difficult time, they’re less likely to be upset if they know that their loved ones have been sleeping soundly during their absence (Source).

If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you need to work on it.

You need to get enough sleep. If you’re not getting enough, you will have serious health consequences.

• Sleep deprivation causes many health problems including:

• Depression and anxiety

• Heart disease (heart attacks)

• Sleep deprivation can lead to cognitive problems, such as Alzheimers or dementia.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to getting enough sleep, and you should never shortchange your health for the sake of being more productive at work or school. If you’re finding it hard to get enough rest every night, try these tips from our panel of experts!