Dalai Lama rightly said “Sleep is the best meditation.” Adequate sleep is a necessity not just for the body but also for the mind. There is enough research and evidence available to prove the far-reaching benefits of sleep. It helps repair the blood cells and gives enough time to the mind to calm down and relax after an entire day’s hustle and bustle. Health experts recommend an average of 6-8 hours of continuous sleep for a healthy human being.
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However, young working professionals often tend to give in to their workload and compromise on their time and quality of sleep. This is the worst mistake to commit because if you don’t take care of your body, the body won’t take care of you. This would turn into a vicious cycle that affects the mind and hampers productivity at work. The following benefits of sleeping well will make you realise how it affects your efficiency at work:
Memory improvement
When the body gets time to relax, the mind rewinds itself. Adequate sleep improves memory and helps you remember things better. The brain is able to process data and information when it has had enough time to recover from the entire day’s activity. The next time you have a presentation to make in front of your client, make sure you sleep well enough the previous night so you wake up fresh!
Immunity
Irregular sleep patterns or shortage of sleep affect the immunity system of individuals. The various enzymes and hormones, which act upon the body while in rest, get disturbed due to insufficient or untimely sleep durations. This in turn affects the white blood cells production, leading to poor immunity. As such, young individuals become more prone to life-threatening and chronic ailments like obesity, diabetes and hypertension. This is why sleeping right is so important.
Higher energy levels
Sleep for an average of seven to eight hours a day reflects on the daily energy levels of a person. Lesser fatigue and more stamina throughout the day mean higher productivity at work. It also helps the mind process fresh ideas and show greater creativity. This keeps young working professionals motivated and driven towards their goals.
Maintenance of the body’s metabolism
The lesser you sleep, the hungrier you feel and the more it affects your body’s metabolism. Research shows that people who had adequate sleep lost more weight and had a more controlled metabolism than the ones who did not sleep properly, who faced troubles with their metabolism and weight management. The ‘hunger hormones’ and ‘sleep hormones’ in the body are correlated and any imbalance in the latter largely affects the former, thus affecting work productivity of young professionals.
Reduced stress levels and depression
Long work hours are bound to disturb the sleep cycle of a person, thus leading to increased stress and anxiety levels. Besides, sleep has a direct effect on the blood pressure and cholesterol in the body. Needless to say, young working professionals spending long hours at work and having irregular sleep cycles are highly prone to depression and heart attacks. A healthy sleep routine keeps these in check and improves fitness.
Quick healthy sleep tips
If you don’t have a proper sleep schedule in place already, make one. Ensure that you get at least six to eight hours of continuous, uninterrupted sleep every day. Keep your devices away when going to bed as they delay the onset of sleep. Eat a healthy, light dinner which is easily digestible. Following these little sleep habits will reap you amazing benefits and you will definitely note the difference.
