Why sleep is important

We all know what it feels like to get a bad night’s sleep. We are irritable, forgetful and don’t feel as alert or as energetic as we’d like to be. Sleep helps us regenerate and recuperate; it’s essential for our mind and body to function normally. 

• Sleep gives the body a chance to repair muscles and regenerate brain cells and aging or dead skin.
• Sleep gives us the time to review and organise information and archive memories, dreams are thought by some to be part of this process.
• Sleep lowers our energy consumption, so we need three meals a day rather than five. 6
• Sleep helps keep our immune systems healthy as your body increases production of an infection-fighting hormone during sleep. 7
• In children and teenagers, growth hormones are released during sleep.
• Studies show that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good night's sleep and research also suggests that sleep is needed for creative problem solving7

Many people suffer from a lack of sleep, yet don’t feel it’s serious enough to ask for help.  Grumpiness and feeling ‘run down’ are some side effects, but it can be more severe. Impaired judgement whilst driving or at work can endanger yourself and others. It has been suggested that the Challenger disaster, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown and the Exxon Valdez oil spill were linked to people suffering from fatigue.8
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says 20-30 percent of driving accidents on Australian roads can be attributed to fatigue.7 When you are tired, your reaction times, concentration skills and vigilance are negatively affected. Research shows that driving after being awake more then 17 hours is the equivalent of having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.059.
Insufficient sleep is also associated with:
* Obesity due to an increased appetite caused by sleep deprivation
* Greater risk of diabetes and heart problems
* Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse 10
While sleeping seems like a passive exercise, our brains and bodies are actually very active repairing, recovering and allowing us to function physically and mentally the following day.