On average, an adult should sleep 6-8 hours every night, but why? What is the importance of sleeping this much every night? What does sleep do to us? All of these questions, will be answered in the following passage. Sleep not only helps your body rest and repair itself from the wear and tear accumulated throughout the day, but it also helps your mind relax as well. Sleeping is probably the best weapon you have in your arsenal in your fight against aging and skin damage, but these are the sort of benefits of sleep that you already know about, how about we research and assess the top benefits of sleep that you did not know about? Here we go:

• Sleep brings about an overall improvement in your general mood:

You may not notice it at all, but a great sleep the night before, will help you stay fresh, friendly, and feeling fantastic. According to a survey conducted by QVC, people who sleep at least 8-9 hours every night, show improved moods as compared to people who sleep less than 7 hours. This isn’t rocket science here, obviously you will be cranky and irritable if you don’t sleep the proper amount. Think of it like this, if you charge the battery of your phone till it is 80%, the phone will work properly, but not as good as it would if it is 100% charged. Similarly, if you let it charge overnight, it might overcharge and lose its sensitivity, the same case is with sleep.

• Lack of sleep makes you obese and adequate amount of sleep counteracts that:

There is certainly nothing wrong with being obese, well apart from the string of heart diseases and other serious medical conditions. And you might be shocked to find out that your lack of sleep has a huge hand in you gaining those extra 5 pounds. Lack of sleep affects your body’s entire organs and systems, and your metabolism isn’t exempt from this phenomenon. A slowed metabolic rate causes digestion to slow and yes, weight gain. So a good adequate sleep every night is always a prize to have.

• Sleep is directly related to living longer:

It makes sense, a shortage of sleep every night will result in a plethora of diseases, and these diseases will cause your general health to slow down. On the other hand, if you sleep 6-8 hours every single night, you rid yourself from ever catching these diseases, and hence, living longer. Sounds simple, right? Why don’t you set up a few mattresses and enjoy a heavenly sleep.

• Sleep improves memory and brain functions:

Kind of a no-brainer actually, but still pretty surprising to know that adequate sleep every night can actually make you superhuman. Well, actually not that super, but the difference in efficiency of the brain functions of a person with less sleep and that of a person with more sleep, is pretty wide and clear. In fact, how many times have people told you to enjoy a good night’s sleep before an important test? Plenty, right? That is because of this.

• Creativity galore:

High levels of sleep have been consistently associated with high levels of creativity. Of course, we are not talking about Leonardo Da Vinci, who reportedly, slept only 1 hour every day, but of normal everyday people.

• Sleep keeps internal inflammation at bay:

Internal inflammation is linked to heart diseases, stroke, arthritis, and even diabetes, and in 2010, a study proved that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night, contain more C-reactive protein, something which is directly linked with heart attack risks. In fact, it is also proved that people who suffer from insomnia can have better and more stable blood pressure, if they are put to sleep.

Author's Bio: 

Robert