The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what happens while you're sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and support your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.
The damage from sleep deficiency can happen in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk of some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.
Mental health benefits
Sleep helps your brain work properly. While you're sleeping, your brain is getting ready for the next day. It's forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information.
Studies show that a good night's sleep improves learning and problem-solving skills. Sleep also helps you pay attention, make decisions, and be creative.
Studies also show that sleep deficiency changes activity in some parts of the brain. If you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency has also been linked to depression, suicide, and risk-taking behavior.
Children and teens who are sleep deficient may have problems getting along with others. They may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation. They also may have problems paying attention, and they may get lower grades and feel stressed.
Physical health benefits
Sleep plays an important role in your physical health.
Good-quality sleep:
- Heals and repairs your heart and blood vessels.
- Helps support a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin): When you don't get enough sleep, your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This makes you feel hungrier than when you're well-rested.
- Affects how your body reacts to insulin: Insulin is the hormone that controls your blood glucose (sugar) level. Sleep deficiency results in a higher-than-normal blood sugar level, which may raise your risk of diabetes.
- Supports healthy growth and development: Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens. This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teens, and adults. Sleep also plays a role in puberty and fertility.
- Affects your body’s ability to fight germs and sickness: Ongoing sleep deficiency can change the way your body’s natural defense against germs and sickness responds. For example, if you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble fighting common infections.
- Decreasesyour risk of health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and stroke.
Research for Your Health
NHLBI-funded research found that adults who regularly get 7-8 hours of sleep a night have a lower risk of obesity and high blood pressure. Other NHLBI-funded research found that untreated sleep disorders rase the risk for heart problems and problems during pregnancy, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
FAQs
Getting enough sleep is vital for our overall health and wellbeing. A bad night's sleep can make it difficult to concentrate and leave you lacking energy. Long term sleep deficiency can increase the risk of chronic health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
How does sleep affect your health? ›
NHLBI-funded research found that adults who regularly get 7-8 hours of sleep a night have a lower risk of obesity and high blood pressure. Other NHLBI-funded research found that untreated sleep disorders rase the risk for heart problems and problems during pregnancy, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
What is the importance of sleep in health? ›
During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development. Getting inadequate sleep over time can raise your risk for chronic (long-term) health problems.
What does enough sleep do to you? ›
Lower your risk for serious health problems, like diabetes and heart disease. Reduce stress and improve your mood. Think more clearly and do better in school and at work. Get along better with people.
How can sleep affect your health in 10 different ways? ›
10 Things to Hate About Sleep Loss
- Sleepiness Causes Accidents.
- Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down.
- Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems.
- Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive.
- Sleepiness Is Depressing.
- Lack of Sleep Ages Your Skin.
- Sleepiness Makes You Forgetful.
- Losing Sleep Can Make You Gain Weight.
Research has shown that female gender makes you more prone to insomnia. It affects more than 1 in every 4 women in the U.S., but fewer than 1 in 5 men. Studies have also found that women are more often affected by daytime sleepiness. They're also more likely to have memory and concentration problems due to sleep loss.
What happens during sleep to keep us healthy? ›
Many biological processes happen during sleep: The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganize, which supports healthy brain function. The body repairs cells, restores energy, and releases molecules like hormones and proteins.
How does sleep heal the body? ›
Throughout the night, your heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure rise and fall, a process that may be important for cardiovascular health. Your body releases hormones during sleep that help repair cells and control the body's use of energy. These hormone changes can affect your body weight.
What happens to your body when you sleep? ›
Upon falling asleep, thousands of neurons in the brain switch from waking to sleeping state. View Source , sending signals throughout the body. While the biological role of sleep still isn't fully understood, research demonstrates that it reinforces the cardiovascular and immune systems and helps regulate metabolism.
What are 5 health benefits of sleep? ›
Getting adequate sleep—seven to nine hours a night—keeps your heart healthy, reduces stress, and helps keep blood sugar consistent. It also reduces stress, prevents inflammation, helps control weight, and is important for memory formation and clear thinking.
Sleep deficiency can interfere with work, school, driving, and social functioning. You might have trouble learning, focusing, and reacting. Also, you might find it hard to judge other people's emotions and reactions. Sleep deficiency also can make you feel frustrated, cranky, or worried in social situations.
How much sleep is important in life? ›
Experts recommend school-age children get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and 10. Most adults need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night.
How does sleep improve mental health? ›
Sleeping helps to repair and restore our brains, not just our bodies. During sleep we can process information, consolidate memories, and undergo a number of maintenance processes that help us to function during the daytime.
Why is sleep important for the body? ›
Why Getting Enough Sleep Is Important. Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain healthy and stave off diseases.
What are 3 important things that happen during sleep? ›
Your deepest and most restorative sleep happens. Your heartbeat and breathing slow to their lowest levels. Your muscles relax. Your body increases the supply of blood to your muscles.
How has getting enough sleep changed my life? ›
May improve your social life
Another part of it is being cognitively sharp.” Adequate sleep can help you to be more confident, be more easygoing and support your efforts to do your part at home, he added.
What happens to your body with lack of sleep? ›
Long-term sleep deprivation can negatively impact your immune response can enhance susceptibility to infections and a reduced immune response to vaccination. Sleep deprivation is thought to lead to a persistent low-grade inflammation, and also produce immunodeficiency, which both have detrimental effects on health.
What does sleeping a lot do to your body? ›
Sleeping for over nine hours each night may be a sign of a sleep disorder, mental health disorder, or other health issue. Sleeping too much can negatively impact your immune system, mental health, heart health, and potentially lead to chronic diseases.
What happens to your body when we sleep? ›
Upon falling asleep, thousands of neurons in the brain switch from waking to sleeping state. View Source , sending signals throughout the body. While the biological role of sleep still isn't fully understood, research demonstrates that it reinforces the cardiovascular and immune systems and helps regulate metabolism.
Can you get sick from lack of sleep? ›
Yes, lack of sleep can affect your immune system. Studies show that people who don't get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.
