Fewer accidents better mood, a healthier heart.....there are plenty of reasons why getting enough sleep is so important and some of may surprise you.

2. Reasons You Need More Sleep
Fewer Accidents better
mood, a healthier heart
there are plenty of
reasons why getting
enough sleep is so
important and some of
may surprise you

3. It’s Easier to Learn
• Can’t focus? It’s hard to do when
you haven’t slept
• You’ll also have trouble learning
new stuff
• And when you do, you’ll need
some shut-eye to remember it
• Doctors call this consolidation --
sleep strengthens the links
between brain cells that form
memories
• That’s what makes learning stick

4. Fewer Accidents
• Sleepy drivers cause at least
100,000 highway crashes a year
• Nodding off at the wheel isn’t the
only problem
• A lack of rest can lead to a drop in
what doctors call mental
performance
• You’re less motivated, focused, and
happy
• And you don’t think as clearly
• This doesn’t just apply to road
warriors
• One study showed hospitals could
cut mistakes by more than a third if
they gave doctors more time to
sleep

5. It’s a Mood Booster
• Do you get a little snippy when you’re
short on sleep? That’s normal.
• Just one bad night can make you sad,
stressed, angry, and tired. If the
trouble lasts, you may start to feel
worse about your life. You might not
want to hang out with friends and
family
• Over time this can lead to mood
disorders like depression or anxiety.
• A better sleep routine is the answer
• Talk to your doctor if it doesn’t help or
if your symptoms get in the way of
your life

6. A Healthier Heart
• If You Sleep less than 6 hours
a night:-
• You’re more likely to get heart
disease
• Doctors aren’t sure how it
works, but they know lack of
sleep raises blood pressure,
stokes your stress, and
boosts adrenaline
• Each can take a toll on your
ticker

7. Better Memory
• It’s a triple whammy
• If you haven’t slept, it’s harder
to recall things
• You also need sleep to create
bonds between brain cells that
strengthen your long-term
memory
• Finally, if your mind’s all over the
place due to lack of rest, it’s
harder for it to file away the
things you want to remember

8. Less Chance of Diabetes
• When you don’t sleep much,
especially if it’s less than 5
hours a night, your body
doesn’t use glucose, its main
fuel source, as well as it
should
• Over time that can boost your
chances of getting diabetes.

9. More Fun in the Bedroom
• Not as many rolls in the hay?
Maybe you and your partner
need a little more shut-eye
• Lack of sleep can zap your
testosterone levels
• That can make both women
and men feel less frisky
• If you're a woman, just 1 extra
hour of sleep makes it more
likely that you'll get your
groove on the next day

10. Fewer Wrinkles
• Cut your slumber short on a
regular basis and your skin
might wrinkle and sag before
it should
• That’s partly because your
body releases the stress
hormone cortisol when you
haven’t had enough sleep
• It can break down collagen, a
substance that helps keep
your skin smooth

11. You’ll Choose Wisely
• Your judgment goes down the
tubes without enough sleep
• Overworked brain cells can’t
organize or even recall the
things you thought you knew
• It’s hard to make a sound
decision because you can’t
trust your take on an event as
it happens
• It might look far different if you
were properly rested.

12. You Might Lose Weight
• If you sleep less than 6 hours a
night, you could have more
body fat
• You need about 8 hours to keep
it to a minimum. When you get
less sleep, your body makes too
much insulin
• That can lead to weight gain
• It can also throw your hunger
hormones out of whack and
make you crave high-fat, high-
sugar foods.

13. You Could Live Longer
• You’re more likely to die at a
younger age if you sleep less
than 5 hours a night
• It’s hard to tease out all the
reasons, but it’s clear that
sleep problems make some
health issues worse
• By the same token, health
problems can also get in the
way of good sleep.

14. Fewer Colds
• Flu, too.
• You’re more likely to get sick
from an infection if you haven’t
slept enough
• And you may take longer to get
better
• That’s because your body can’t
make the infection-fighting cells
and proteins called antibodies
that help protect you from illness
• Some of those proteins are only
released during sleep

15. No More Nodding Off
• You know when you fall asleep for a split
second and wake right back up?
• Maybe you don’t even realize you’ve
nodded off?
• There’s a name for that: micro sleep
• You can't control when, or if, it happens.
• You might not even realize when it does
• It’s more likely when you haven’t slept
and usually lasts from half a second to
15 seconds
• That may not sound like much, but even
a split second is a lot if you’re driving a
car or in a big meeting.

16. How Much Sleep Do You Need?
• It depends on your age. Each
person has different needs. In
general:
• School-age children: At least 10
hours
• Teens: 9 to 10.5 hours
• Adults: 7 to 8 hours
• Many of us don’t get enough.
Most adults say they get 6 hours
or less. Only a third of school
students log the full 8 hours on
an average school night.

17. How to Sleep Better
• Stick to a routine
• Go to bed and wake up at the same
time every day, even on weekends
• Stay quiet and relaxed as bedtime
approaches
• Dim any bright lights
• Don’t do anything stressful
• Both can make it hard to fall asleep
• Skip naps if you have trouble at bedtime
• Move around every day
• Hard exercise seems to work best, but
any kind helps
• Try to keep your bedroom cool: 60-67
degrees is ideal.