The Power of Sleep: How Rests Affects Overall Health

By: Briseida Nonajulca

As midterms and finals come up, staying up late is very normal for students, but sleep plays an important role in our overall health. Staying up late or pulling an all-nighter can negatively affect overall health such as your mood and also ability to focus. Without enough sleep, it becomes harder to think clearly, stay energized and maintain an overall health. Understanding the importance of sleep and building healthy sleep habits is essential as it can help us take better care of ourselves.

Sleep is the important time when your body and brain rest and recharge after a long busy day. As you’re sleeping, your body repairs itself, and your brain processes information, helping you learn and remember better. According to sleepfoundation, sleep helps the brain to register all information you have taken during the day and it organizes the memories which are vital to learning. This is important for students especially during exams periods as it helps them focus more during lecture, learn, and memorize information for exams.

Getting enough sleep has numerous benefits. For example:

1. Improve memory and your attention to better perform daily activities.

2. Get sick less often

3. Reduce stress and improve your mood

4. Improve heart health and metabolism

5. Lower the risk of chronic conditions: Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these benefits are seen when individuals get enough quality sleep. Most teens and young adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. However, many in this age group, especially students, do not meet this requirement. This leads to negative effects such as feeling tired, having trouble concentrating, and becoming easily irritated. Lack of sleep later leads to sleep deprivation which can lead to severe physical and mental health consequences.

However, this can be avoided by practicing good sleep habits. For example:

1. Going to bed at the same time every night,

2. Avoiding any technological device before sleeping

3. Keeping your bedroom quiet, relaxing, and at a cool temperature

4. Avoiding large meals and alcohol before sleeping.

5. Avoiding caffeine in the afternoon or evening.

6. Exercising regularly and having a healthy diet.