The Importance of Sleep for a Healthy Life - Hints Blogging

Getting enough and quality sleep is important for maintaining one's health throughout life. During sleep, the body rests, preserves its energy, slows down blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and breathing. The brain is active in this process to regulate memory, ensure the continuity of mental functioning, and continue the physical growth process. The importance of sleep is related to many different body functions.1 In this article, “What is the importance of sleep?”, “What are the importance and benefits of sleep?” and “What are the benefits of sleep for children?” You can find answers to questions such as.

What is the Importance of Sleep?
Sleep is vital for health and well-being in children, adolescents and adults. The importance of sleep is extremely great because sleep; It is important for cognitive function, mood, mental health, and cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and metabolic health. Adequate duration and quality of sleep can also play a role in reducing the risk of accidents and injuries caused by insomnia and fatigue. 2,3 
The importance of sleep in babies is numerous. In babies, sleep plays an important role in their development, including cognitive and physical growth. Sleep; It is associated with general cognitive development as well as specific cognitive functions such as memory, language, and thinking. Adequate, quality sleep can support optimal cognitive function as it helps the brain mature and memory consolidation. The period of deep sleep also plays an important role in the memory consolidation process, which can be important during early language acquisition. 4 
The importance of sleep in children is similar to that of babies. During this period, sleep is especially important for children due to its effect on both mental and physical development. Sleep can be explained as a time to rejuvenate and recharge children's bodies and retain the information they have learned throughout the day. During deep, non-REM sleep, the body's energy is regained; growth and repair occur; Important developmental hormones are released. Sleep problems can suppress the immune system and negatively affect mood and behavior. It can also reduce the child's performance in school. Good sleep is vital for a healthy lifestyle. 5 
The importance of sleep is also great for adults. Better memory and cognitive performance can be seen in individuals who get adequate and quality sleep. The risk of gaining weight is low. Similar to gaining weight, there are studies showing that good sleep can help a person consume fewer calories. In addition to weight control, many positive situations are linked to sleep, such as increasing physical performance, improving emotional and social intelligence, preventing depression, reducing the risk of inflammation, supporting the immune system and reducing the risk of heart diseases. 6
How Much Sleep Should We Sleep a Day?
While the amount of sleep you get each day is important, other aspects of sleep also contribute to your health and well-being. Not feeling rested even after getting enough sleep, waking up repeatedly throughout the night, and some sleep disorders are among the symptoms of poor sleep quality. 

Therefore, when the importance of sleep is mentioned, not only the duration of sleep but also its quality should come to mind. So how many hours should we sleep a day? Newborns between the ages of 0-3 months need 14-17 hours, babies between the ages of 4-12 months need 12-16 hours, babies aged 1-2 years need 11-14 hours, preschool children between the ages of 3-5 need 10-13 hours, babies between the ages of 6-12 need 9 hours. It is important that young people between the ages of 13-18 sleep 8-10 hours and adults sleep at least 7 hours. 8 
What Should We Pay Attention to for Healthy Sleep?
The importance of sleep for a healthy life cannot be denied. Sleep is as important to health as diet and exercise. Good sleep helps improve brain performance, mood and health. Not getting enough and quality sleep regularly increases the risk of many diseases and disorders. These disorders range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.8 The importance of sleep patterns is as important as sleep duration. 
For example, a person who sleeps 8 hours intermittently during the day may feel sleepy, tired and lethargic during the day, compared to someone who sleeps 8 hours uninterruptedly; It may cause memory and concentration difficulties.9 It is necessary to sleep regularly for healthy sleep. It may be recommended to go to bed at the same time every night, including weekends, and wake up at the same time every morning. As well as keeping the bedroom quiet, dark, relaxing and at the appropriate temperature, It is also necessary for healthy sleep to not have electronic devices in the sleeping room. Not eating heavy meals, not drinking caffeine and alcohol before going to bed helps improve sleep quality. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep easier at night.10










What is the Importance of Night Sleep?
Regular sleep is of great importance when it comes to human health. Getting enough sleep has many proven health benefits. Therefore, individuals should try to sleep and wake up at the same time. It helps keep the sleep, circulation and immune systems healthy, contributes to blood sugar and weight management, and helps improve memory and problem-solving ability. Well, in addition to a good night's sleep, " How to Strengthen the Immune System?" ” For this, you can read our content. 

There is a connection between sleep and heart health. During sleep, the body secretes many hormones. Some of these hormones keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. Sleep helps regulate metabolism, which is the body's way of converting food into energy.
When a person is sleep deprived, stress hormones are released. This may cause the person to become angry and make hasty decisions. A bad night's sleep can make a person feel anxious. Sleep also plays a role in regulating the immune system. In individuals who do not get enough sleep, irregular immune system activity can lead to inflammation. Chronic inflammation can damage tissues and organs. This can increase the risk of many conditions, including ulcers, dementia and heart disease.
Some studies show that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight or obese. In addition, damage to the body during sleep is repaired. Damage; It may be caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful factors. During sleep, cells produce certain proteins, which are the building blocks of cells. This allows the cells to repair the damage and keep the person healthy.
A good night's sleep makes a person feel energetic and alert. This also supports focus. During sleep, the brain makes connections. It connects events, emotions, and sensory input to form memories.11 The importance of night sleep can be explained this way. We examined the importance of sleep for a healthy life. You can also get information on different topics such as colds .