Why Do Brains Need Rest?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of three adults in America doesn’t sleep enough. Experts recommend seven to nine hours per night, but many adults sleep less than seven hours.

This is a problem because sleep is essential for brain health. Sleep has a huge impact on overall well-being, including both physical and mental health. It’s important to understand why your brain needs rest, what can happen if it doesn’t get it, and what you can do to bet more high-quality shut-eye.

Why Do Brains Need Rest?

Sleep is an essential rest period for the brain. When awake, it’s constantly working. Although it doesn’t completely shut off for sleep, it does slow down operations and goes through what you could consider recharging and reset. Think of sleep as the fuel for your brain that is necessary for optimal performance the next day.

A big part of the recharging process during sleep is the consolidation of information. This is when your brain takes what it learned during the waking hours, including memories and emotions, and files the important information away. This allows you to access and use it later. If you ever feel forgetful or struggle to regulate your emotions when sleep-deprived, this is why.

When deprived of sleep, the brain cannot function at its best. One night of poor sleep can cause immediate problems, like accidents or poor performance at work. Over time, it can increase the risk of developing serious health issues, including dementia, diabetes, depression, and more.  

Sleep and Physical Health

An occasional night of insufficient sleep isn’t too bad for health, but ongoing sleep deprivation and sleep disorders impact your physical health. Chronic poor sleep contributes to many health conditions:

Poor sleep also impacts the immune system. When sleep-deprived, you may get sick more often and have a harder time recovering from illness. Inadequate sleep disrupts hormones in the body. It affects insulin, which can lead to higher blood sugar levels. Poor sleep hygiene also lowers the growth hormone—necessary for normal development in young people—and cell and tissue repair.

Sleep and Mental Health

Anyone who feels moody or irritable after a poor night’s sleep understands how important rest is for mental health. The relationship between sleep and mental health is complicated and not fully understood, but there is a clear connection. These are some of the significant ways sleep impacts mental health:  

How to Get Quality Sleep

Sleep is obviously essential to nearly every aspect of health and proper functioning. If you struggle with sleep, figure out what’s causing the problem. 

Consider your sleeping position, sleeping temperature, mattress, and if you have any body aches and pains. The wrong mattress can cause you to toss and turn all night. For example, if you wake up in pain, look into pressure relief mattresses. Or, if you wake up in a pool of sweat, check out reviews for the best cooling mattresses or bedding.

With the best possible sleep environment in place, turn to these expert tips for getting a good night’s sleep:

If you continue to struggle with sleep, talk to your doctor about any possible underlying conditions. Treating those will help. You may also benefit from working with a therapist, especially someone who specializes in sleep disorders.

Sleep Now, Benefit Later

It’s easy to write off one or two bad nights of sleep, but eventually, poor sleep catches up with you. Sleep is so crucial to good health that it makes sense to prioritize it. Make your bedroom comfortable and practice good sleep habits for lasting benefits.