Why is it important to get a good night’s sleep?
To understand why sleep is important, think of your body as a factory performing several vital functions. As you drift off to sleep, your body begins its night-shift work:
- Healing damaged cells
- Boosting your immune system
- Recovering from the day’s activities
- Recharging your heart and cardiovascular system for the next day
We all know the value of sleeping well, experiencing the feeling of being refreshed after a good night’s sleep and the feeling of fatigue after a poor night’s sleep. But even though we know this, in our busy society, many of us are not getting the quality of sleep needed to receive the health benefits of sleep.
Sleep cycle: REM vs NREM
Understanding what happens during sleep also means understanding the sleep cycle, which consists of two recurring phases:
- REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
REM sleep typically occupies 20–25% of total sleep each night. REM sleep, when dreaming occurs, is essential to our minds for processing and consolidating emotions, memories and stress. It is also thought to be vital for stimulating the brain regions used in learning and developing new skills. - NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement)
NREM sleep typically occupies 75–80% of total sleep each night. Many of the health benefits of sleep occur during NREM sleep – tissue growth and repair occur, energy is restored, and hormones essential for growth and development are released.
Both phases are important for different functions in our bodies.
If the REM and NREM cycles are interrupted multiple times throughout the night – either due to snoring, difficulties breathing or waking up frequently – then we miss out on vital body processes, which can affect our health and well-being the next day and long-term.
What happens if you don’t get enough sleep?
If your body doesn’t get a chance to recharge properly – by cycling through REM and NREM – you’re already starting the next day at a disadvantage. You might find yourself:
- Feeling drowsy, irritable or sometimes depressed
- Struggling to take in new information at work, remembering things or making decisions
- Craving more unhealthy foods, which could cause weight gain
If this happens night after night, it significantly strains your nervous system, body and overall health. So if you’re not sleeping well or aren’t feeling rested when you wake up, it’s important to talk to your doctor and ask if a sleep study is right for you.