One of the ways to improve your health is making sure your body gets enough rest. Good sleep goes a long way to help in this wise. It's recommended that you sleep for a certain number of hours every day. You're not supposed to go on for several days without sleep. Over time, chronic insomnia could drastically affect your health. Many get sick because they ignore simple routines like proper rest and physical exercise. Night has a cooling effect on the natural body. The biological effect of night is to cause you to sleep, to create the instincts of sleep, yet some people don't give in to sleep. Some say, “There're days that I sleep throughout; and then other days, I just stay awake.” Such a lifestyle is abnormal and isn't good for your health.
Proper sleep is vital and the advantages range from a healthy heart and maintaining an ideal weight to wellness of mind and much more. Below are some benefits of a good night's sleep.

Improved Mental Wellness
Several studies show that regular sleep boosts memory and improves learning. When your body is resting in sleep, your mind busies itself strengthening your memories, 'practicing' skills you learned during the day and preparing you for the next day. This helps you stay motivated, and you wake up in the morning ready to take on the work and activity slated for the day. Sleep helps your brain work properly. Sleep deficiency may affect decision making and problem solving skills, self-control and one's ability to cope with change. In extreme cases, it can lead to depression or suicide. In children, lack of sleep may induce attention problems, mood swings, lack of drive/energy, etc.

Improved Physical Health
A good dose of sleep gives your body the opportunity to repair or replace cells and tissues. Prolonged sleep deprivation escalates the risk of arthritis, heart and kidney diseases, hypertension, diabetes and stroke. The amount of sleep you get each night will determine the state of your body's immune system.
Your plans for shedding that extra ten pounds should include quality sleeping time, as well as a healthy diet and regular exercise. A research across people of various age groups showed that those who get less or irregular sleep are more likely to be overweight or obese.
Sleep is also important for maintaining hormonal balance. Lack of sleep may cause hunger due to increase in the release of ghrelin – the 'hunger' hormone, thus leading to unnecessary breaks in your diet. Insufficient sleep will also affect production of cortisol which, among other functions, controls stress levels. Another example is how sleep influences your body's reaction to insulin and thus your blood sugar levels. It's important that you learn to keep your body healthy and strong; don't wear out your body from excessive labour.

In our next edition, we will bring you more information on the benefits of good sleep, how much sleep you should be getting, and tips for setting and keeping up healthy sleep patterns. Stay connected.