Sleep is important due to the impact it has on your overall health.
Some studies suggest sleep can help to prevent illness, such asdiabetesorobesity.
If not, you execute the risk of becomingsleep-deprived.
Illustration by Emily Roberts for Verywell Health
This article explains the role of sleep in overall health and offers tips on how to improve your sleep.
It improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making.
A lack of sleep not only reduces mental clarity but the ability to cope with stressful situations.
Illustration by JR Bee for Verywell Health
Some studies suggest these changes could even be used to evaluate depression in people with bipolar disorder.
Sleep Improves Your Memory
The link between sleep and memory processing is well established.
Sleep serves as an opportunity for the mind to process all the stimuli taken in while awake.
It triggers changes in the brain that strengthen neural connections helping us to form memories.
Sleep quality is important when learning new information and using memory.
If that’s often the case, it can lead to weight gain or diabetes over time.
Here are some of the health conditions in which it may play a role.
Respiratory Illness and Infection
Lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to respiratory illness and infection.
For example, 40% to 60% of people experiencing symptomaticheart failurealso are diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing.
Researchers also think the timing of sleep may have impacts, too.
Sleep disruption appears to affect metabolism and related diseases.
Researchers also are investigating the role of CSF, sleep, and the early development of autism.
Sleep problems are very common in those with mental illness.
Memory, mood, and mental health also are affected by sleep deprivation and other sleep disorders.
There are lifestyle steps you’re free to take to improve sleep.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns or questions about how sleep patterns are affecting your health.
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