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    The Benefits of Sleep (that we never talk about!) Home / Blog / The Benefits of Sleep (that we never talk about!)
    Posted by Tayyar Celiker, 23 Feb 2023
    Blog
    Sleep is one of the most powerful tools you have for your health, yet it’s often the first thing we sacrifice. We’re told to aim for 7–8 hours a night, but many of us ignore that advice. When you skip sleep, you feel it the next day—foggy, irritable, and exhausted. But the impact goes far beyond feeling tired. Long?term poor sleep is linked to problems with your brain, body, mood, and pain levels. High?quality sleep really does deserve a spot on your daily checklist.

    Sleep Quality vs. Sleep Quantity

    It’s not just about how long you sleep. Quality matters too. You might be in bed for 7–8 hours but still wake up tired. That can be a sign your sleep quality is poor (assuming there are no underlying medical issues). Sleep quality is personal and hard to measure, but you can improve it with some simple habits:
    • Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends
    • Choose a bedtime that allows 7–8 hours of sleep
    • Only go to bed when you feel sleepy
    • If you can’t sleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something quiet (no screens)
    • Create a relaxing bedtime routine
    • Use your bed for sleep only, not work or scrolling
    • Keep your bedroom quiet, cool and dark or dim
    • Avoid bright lights in the evening
    • Turn off electronics at least 30 minutes before bed
    • Avoid large meals before bed; have a light snack if needed
    • Exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet
    • Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening
    • Skip alcohol close to bedtime
    • Reduce how much you drink before bed to limit bathroom trips

    Why Does Good Sleep Matter?

    Research shows that good?quality sleep can:
    • Improve exercise performance and recovery
    • Reduce chronic pain
    • Sharpen your thinking and focus
    • Support your immune system
    • Improve mood and lower anxiety
    • Reduce overall pain levels
    • Support general health and body function

    Sleep: The Ultimate Recovery Tool

    You don’t need expensive recovery gadgets. The most effective recovery tool is free—sleep. Studies show that sleep helps your body repair tissues, build muscle and regulate hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone (Chennaoui et al., 2021). Good sleep also supports your mood, concentration and reaction time. Poor sleep, especially in young athletes, is linked to a higher risk of injury. Both sleep quality and consistency are important.

    Sleep and your immune system

    Sleep and your body’s natural 24?hour rhythms (circadian rhythms) have a strong influence on your immune system. During sleep, certain immune cells become more active. These cells help start the inflammatory response, which is essential for fighting infection. Their activity is highest during early sleep and lower when you’re awake. If your sleep is disrupted, your immune system can’t work as effectively, increasing your risk of chronic inflammatory conditions.
    Lack of sleep also activates your “fight or flight” system (the sympathetic nervous system). This raises stress hormones such as cortisol. Chronically high cortisol can weaken your immune system and make you more likely to get sick.

    Mood, Stress, and Anxiety

    Sleep quality has a major impact on your mood. Most of us have felt irritable or emotional after a poor night’s sleep. Research shows that both sleep duration and sleep quality affect mental and physical health. For example, Triantafillou et al. (2019) found that students with poor sleep struggled more with academic performance, health and mood.
    Poor sleep is linked with higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression. In fact, not sleeping well can predict a higher risk of developing anxiety symptoms in the following year (Zou et al., 2020).

    General Body Function

    Sleep helps your body’s systems run smoothly. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body experiences more stress and is more likely to develop problems. Poor sleep is associated with conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and depression (Finan, Goodin & Smith, 2014). Long?term sleep issues are also linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain and some cancers (Medic, Wille & Hemels, 2017).

    Sleep and pain

    Poor sleep is a strong predictor of pain. Research shows that sleep problems often come before new or worsening chronic pain. Around 67–88% of people with chronic pain also have sleep difficulties, and at least half of people with insomnia experience chronic pain (Finan, Goodin & Smith, 2014).
    Lack of sleep lowers your pain threshold. That means sensations that wouldn’t usually hurt can start to feel painful (Krause et al., 2019). Poor sleep also changes brain chemistry and the way your brain processes pain signals. As a result, poor sleep can increase both pain and inflammation. The positive news is that improving sleep can significantly help people with ongoing pain or musculoskeletal conditions (Whale & Gooberman?Hill, 2022).

     

    Memory and Learning

    Sleep is essential for memory and learning. When you don’t sleep well, your brain struggles to store new information—a process called memory consolidation. Sleep also supports brain growth and adaptability at every stage of life.
    People who are sleep?deprived consistently perform worse on memory tests, including both visual and auditory tasks. REM sleep, the stage when most dreaming occurs, is especially important for locking in memories and learning. REM cycles happen roughly every 90 minutes during sleep, with each stage getting longer as the night goes on. If you don’t get enough sleep, you spend less time in REM, and your memory and learning can suffer.
    If you’re noticing poor sleep, increased pain or low energy, it’s worth paying attention to your nightly routine. Small, consistent changes to your sleep habits can make a big difference to how you feel, move and recover day to day.
    References
    American Sleep Association. What Is Sleep and Why Is It Important? (https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/what-is-sleep/).
    Aschbrenner, K. A., Naslund, J. A., Salwen-Deremer, J. K., Browne, J., Bartels, S. J., Wolfe, R. S., Xie, H., & Mueser, K. T. (2022). Sleep quality and its relationship to mental health, physical health and health behaviours among young adults with serious mental illness enrolled in a lifestyle intervention trial. Early intervention in psychiatry, 16(1), 106–110. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13129
    Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Born, J. (2012). Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology, 463(1), 121–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0
    Chennaoui, M., Vanneau, T., Trignol, A., Arnal, P., Gomez-Merino, D., Baudot, C., Perez, J., Pochettino, S., Eirale, C., & Chalabi, H. (2021). How does sleep help recovery from exercise-induced muscle injuries?. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 24(10), 982–987. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.05.007
    Finan, P. H., Goodin, B. R., & Smith, M. T. (2013). The association of sleep and pain: an update and a path forward. The journal of pain, 14(12), 1539–1552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2013.08.007
    Hershner, S., & Shaikh, I. (Eds.). (2021, April 2). Healthy sleep habits. Sleep Education. Retrieved December 5, 2022, from https://sleepeducation.org/healthy-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits/ 
    Kohyama J. Which Is More Important for Health: Sleep Quantity or Sleep Quality? Children. 2021; 8(7):542. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8070542
    Krause, A. J., Prather, A. A., Wager, T. D., Lindquist, M. A., & Walker, M. P. (2019). The Pain of Sleep Loss: A Brain Characterization in Humans. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 39(12), 2291–2300. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2408-18.2018
    Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E. (2017). Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and science of sleep, 9, 151–161. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S134864
    Miller, K. E., & Gehrman, P. R. (2019). REM Sleep: What Is It Good For?. Current biology : CB, 29(16), R806–R807. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.074
    Potkin, K. T., & Bunney, W. E., Jr (2012). Sleep improves memory: the effect of sleep on long term memory in early adolescence. PloS one, 7(8), e42191. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0042191
    Triantafillou, S.,Saeb, S., Lattie, E. G., Mohr, D. C., & Kording, K. P. (2019). Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Mood: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. JMIR mental health, 6(3), e12613. https://doi.org/10.2196/12613
    Whale, K. and Gooberman-Hill, R. (2022), The Importance of Sleep for People With Chronic Pain: Current Insights and Evidence. JBMR Plus, 6: e10658. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm4.10658
    Zou, P., Wang, X., Sun, L., Liu, K., Hou, G., Yang, W., Liu, C., Yang, H., Zhou, N., Zhang, G., Ling, X., Liu, J., Cao, J., Ao, L., & Chen, Q. (2020). Poorer sleep quality correlated with mental health problems in college students: A longitudinal observational study among 686 males. Journal of psychosomatic research, 136, 110177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110177

     

     

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