Why Is Sleep Important?

Studies show that when we are sleep deprived, and sleep only 4 hours per night, our immunity cells (the ones protecting us from getting sick) drop by 70%.  Getting a good amount of sleep boosts and maintains our immune system, reducing those runny noses and the feverish looks we get while we are sick.  In addition, when we are in a certain part of the sleep cycle, our bodies go into repair mode and release specific hormones that make us grow. These hormones are one of the best fixers, especially for our skin. They help to reduce those dark circles under our eyes!  In contrast, if you don’t get enough sleep, your stress hormones become elevated, your growth hormones don’t get enough activity, and collagen production is reduced, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles.  Overtime, skin will lose elasticity, but even after just one night you will already see dark circles as well as puffy eyes.   

Usually we feel better when we look better and sleep helps us achieve that. Additionally, our immune system gets a boost, which reduces those runny noses and that definitely do not make us happy.

In addition, during sleep deprivation, studies show that people’s mood turns negative, they become easily frustrated, irritated, and sad.  UC Berkeley neuroscientist Matthew Walker did an experiment where viewers looked at images that went from neutral to disturbing. The subjects that were well rested reacted 60% percent less to the negative photos than the tired subjects. This proves the point that when you’re tired, your brain literally becomes more negative.  Additionally, two researchers, David Kahneman and Alan B. Krueger found that satisfaction in life is very much correlated with sleep, and that sleep is the most influential factor in our mood on a daily basis.