It seems too obvious to point out, but it helps to remember that we will sleep for about one-third of our lives. That’s not insignificant, and that’s why maintaining better sleep patterns should be an essential facet of people’s lives. Yet, good sleep patterns don’t seem to be in many people’s firmly kept top ten lists of Stuff That Is Important, which could include things such as looking after children or overspending your money.

Having and perhaps placing other elements ahead of a healthy nights rest is fine to an extent, but putting it so far on the back burner and for too long a period will only hurt you in the end. We’ve compiled a small but essential list of reasons for why you should make more of an effort, if you aren’t already trying, to sleep more effectively and consistently.

1. You Will Mentally Unwind

Sleep is that vital pocket of time in your life where you aren’t at the mercy of the influence of the outside world on a conscious level. People who have willingly or unwillingly deprived themselves of rest for an extended time tend to suffer from harmful side effects. Side effects from prolonged sleep deprivation can include hallucinations, mood dysregulation, and at worse, total psychological breakdowns.

For the sake of your future and even current mental well-being, not resting your brain is like not allowing any other organ a period of respite: it usually results in lots of regrets.

2. You Will Recover Better After Exercising

As a follow up to our earlier point regarding the connections between resting the brain and other parts of the body, consider the benefits that rest has on muscles after exercise sessions during the day. Your muscles need adequate time to repair themselves after any sustained effort, and a good night’s rest are what they need. If you neglect sleep during periods where you’re also sticking with a strict workout plan, then like we expressed earlier, you’re only setting yourself up for regret down the line.

3. You Will Be at a Reduced Risk of Diabetes

Did you know poor sleep maintenance is among the risk factors listed for type-2 diabetes? It’s true, and it makes a great deal of sense. If you sleep less, you’re stressed more, and stress can wear down a body to the point that your sensibility to insulin becomes affected. You owe it to yourself to maintain better insulin sensitivity by sleeping seven to eight hours a night as a rule.

While we’re on the topic of type-2 diabetes risks and sleep…

4. You Will Prevent Unwanted Weight Gain

Another type of risk factor for type-2 diabetes is carrying an excessive amount of weight, especially around the waist. Weight gain can arise from a variety of reasons, not the least of which includes excessive stress and poor sleep patterns.

Inadequate sleep, as well as excessive stress, are coupled because they can cause your body’s hormones to become dysregulated to the point where you hold onto fat that you would usually use. Sleeping less can also cause poor judgments in food choices, and this too can be tied to stress. If you don’t want to see unwanted pounds creep up on you, then you owe it to yourself to rest more.

Conclusion

There are even more reasons than we listed on the importance of good nocturnal habits, but we can save those for another article.