10 Benefits of Sleep

The benefits of sleep are many. Sleep plays a crucial role in tissue repair, hormone regulation, and overall health.

Getting enough sleep boosts brain power, improves weight management, and reduces stress and inflammation.

Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per day. Getting less than six or seven hours of sleep can affect you the next day. Chronically missing out on sleep increases your risk of disease.

This article discusses 10 benefits of sleep. It explains how sleep is important for good health.

1

Strengthens Your Heart

woman sleeping in bed

John Fedele / Getty Images

During sleep, your body releases hormones. Some of them keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

Lack of sleep deprives you of these hormones. That's associated with the following:

This is an even bigger problem if you already have a heart condition.

2

Regulates Your Blood Sugar

Sleep helps regulate your metabolism. That's the way your body converts food to energy.

Sleep deprivation can cause many problems with metabolism, including fluctuating blood sugar levels.

This can be a problem if you have diabetes. It also raises your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Blood sugar extremes also affect your:

  • Mood
  • Energy levels
  • Mental function
3

Reduces Your Stress Levels

Sleep helps your mind and body relax and recover from your day. When you're sleep deprived, your body releases stress hormones.

Stress can make you react in ways that aren't productive. You may act out of fear or make rash decisions. Or you may be irritable.

A poor night's sleep can make you feel anxious. This may last until you finally get some much-needed rest.

Improving Sleep

Practicing relaxation techniques can help you fall asleep faster.

4

Decreases Inflammation

Sleep regulates your immune system. When you don't get enough, irregular immune system activity can cause inflammation.

You may not notice excess inflammation. But it can have an effect on your body.

Chronic inflammation damages structures and increases your risk of many health conditions. A few examples include:

5

Helps You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Research suggests that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight or obese.

Poor sleep appears to disrupt the balance of ghrelin and leptin. Those are hormones that control appetite.

If you want to lose or maintain weight, don't forget that good sleep is part of the equation.

6

Improves Your Balance

Sleep helps you maintain your physical abilities. Studies show sleep deprivation leads to short-term balance problems.

That's called postural instability. It can lead to injuries and falls. Even mild instability can cause problems during sports or exercise.

7

Increases Your Energy and Alertness

A good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert. This helps you focus and get things done.

It's easier to exercise when you're energetic and alert. So that's an indirect benefit of getting enough sleep.

Being engaged and active throughout your day feels good. And being more active all day makes another good night's sleep more likely.

8

Improves Your Memory

Sleep appears to play a big role in what's called memory consolidation. 

During sleep, your brain makes connections. It links events, feelings, and sensory input to form memories.

Deep sleep is important for this. So more quality sleep can improve your memory.

9

Boosts Your Executive Functioning

Executive function involves complex thinking. That includes things like problem-solving, planning, and making decisions. It can also affect your alertness and memory.

Executive function helps you with work, school, social interactions, and more. One night of sleep deprivation can impair executive function the next day.

10

Repairs Your Tissues

While you sleep, your body works hard to repair damage. The damage can be from stress, ultraviolet rays, and other harmful things you're exposed to.

Your cells produce certain proteins while you sleep. They form the building blocks of cells. That lets cells repair the day's damage and keep you healthy.

Summary

While you sleep, your body is hard at work. It restores hormonal balance, repairs itself, and keeps the circulatory and immune systems functioning properly. Your brain forms and stores memories.

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.

Quality sleep allows you to be energetic and alert. It allows you to exercise, work, learn, socialize, and do all the things you enjoy.

8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  3. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Get off the blood glucose roller coaster.

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  6. Ołpińska-Lischka M, Kujawa K, Maciaszek J. Differences in the effect of sleep deprivation on the postural stability among men and women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 5;18(7):3796. doi:10.3390/ijerph18073796

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By Mark Stibich, PhD
Mark Stibich, PhD, FIDSA, is a behavior change expert with experience helping individuals make lasting lifestyle improvements.