Sleep is vital to good health throughout your lifetime. Getting the right amount of good quality sleep at the right times affects your physical and mental wellbeing, safety, and quality of life. Without it, it’s difficult to think, react, and socialise. What goes on in your body and mind when you sleep determines how you function when you’re awake.
Sleep contributes to brain function. It makes it easier for you to think and learn, solve problems, and pay attention. Failing to get enough quality sleep can lead to a sleep deficiency that has the opposite effect. Sleep deficiency changes the way your brain works, leading to problems thinking, learning, and coping with the day’s challenges. It also leads to emotional and behavioural issues. Without healthy sleep solutions, every area of your life is impacted.
Quality sleep also contributes to your physical health. During sleep, your body heals and repairs your heart and blood vessels. Getting enough good quality sleep helps prevent heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke. It reduces your risk of obesity and helps maintain a balance of the body’s hormones.
Your natural sleep cycle is an internal system that regulates when you feel sleepy or awake. One reason people are sleep-deficient or sleep-deprived is that their lifestyle habits or their jobs conflict with their sleep cycle. For others, it’s living in a noisy environment or one where the light interferes with their ability to fall and stay asleep.