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Why a Good Night’s Sleep Is Important for Your Health

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How to Improve Your Sleep

Sleep is important due to the impact it has on your overall health. Appropriate sleep is needed for mental focus and memory, managing stress, maintaining proper body weight, boosting the immune system, and a host of other wellness needs. Some studies suggest sleep can help to prevent illness, such as diabetes or obesity .

Adults aged 18 to 60 years should get at least seven hours of sleep each night in order to achieve the benefits of sleep. If not, you run the risk of becoming sleep-deprived .

This article explains the role of sleep in overall health and offers tips on how to improve your sleep. Research on sleep and sleep cycles has elevated awareness about sleep hygiene (healthy sleep habits) and the quality of sleep.

 Illustration by Emily Roberts for Verywell Health

Sleep Is Restorative

When you sleep, you allow your body to repair and rebuild. During this time, the body is able to clear debris from the lymphatic system, which boosts the immune system.

While you sleep, there are many important processes that happen, including:

• Muscle repair
• Protein synthesis
• Tissue growth
• Hormone release

Sleep Reduces Stress

Sleep is a powerful stress reliever. It improves concentration, regulates mood, and sharpens judgment and decision-making. A lack of sleep not only reduces mental clarity but the ability to cope with stressful situations.

This is due, in part, to changes in cortisol levels. Typically, your cortisol levels fall in the evening hours, as one element of the body’s natural preparation for sleep. When sleep is lost, cortisol levels remain high and interfere with the release of melatonin, a hormone that is essential for the regulation of sleep-wake cycles.

Some studies suggest these changes could even be used to evaluate depression in people with bipolar disorder. Other studies demonstrate a link between sleep, chronic stress, and depression with an eye on heart rate changes.

Sleep Improves Your Memory

The link between sleep and memory processing is well established. Sleep serves as an opportunity for the mind to process all the stimuli taken in while awake. It triggers changes in the brain that strengthen neural connections helping us to form memories.

Sleep quality is important when learning new information and using memory. Numerous research studies find that electrophysiological, neurochemical, and genetic mechanisms that take place during the slow-wave sleep stage of sleep are key.

Sleep Helps You Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

When you are sleep deprived, your body alters the hormones that regulate hunger and appetite. These hormones include:

• Leptin: This hormone suppresses appetite and encourages the body to expend energy.
• Ghrelin: This hormone triggers feelings of hunger.

Both of these hormones are thrown off when you are short on sleep—leptin goes down and ghrelin goes up. Obstructive sleep apnea , a serious sleep disorder, is linked with obesity as well.

Sleep and Appetite

Sleep deprivation can activate the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in the brain (the same areas activated by marijuana) which increases hunger and appetite. Stimulating the eCB reward system makes you more likely to crave junk food.  You are also more likely to make these unhealthy lifestyle choices when you are tired. If that's often the case, it can lead to weight gain or diabetes over time.  

Sleep May Prevent Illnesses

Sleep deprivation can have very detrimental health impacts and has been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Here are some of the health conditions in which it may play a role.

Respiratory Illness and Infection

Lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to respiratory illness and infection. A study of more than 600,000 people found that insomnia was a contributing cause when catching a cold or the flu , as well as a factor in how severe the infection became.

Obstructive sleep apnea, a common sleep disturbance, is linked with a number of cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) diseases. For example, 40% to 60% of people experiencing symptomatic heart failure also are diagnosed with sleep-disordered breathing.

Other heart conditions linked with sleep apnea include:

• Coronary artery disease
• Pulmonary hypertension
• High blood pressure
• Heart arrhythmias

There's no direct evidence to suggest that sleep quantity or quality affects the risk of cancer, although studies have looked at the role of sleep in developing breast cancer , lung cancer , and more.

For example, research on lung cancer suggests a relationship between lack of sleep and adenocarcinoma risk, but more research on sleep traits (how long you sleep, whether you take naps) is needed.

Studies also are exploring the role of sleep in those already diagnosed with cancer, especially because difficulty sleeping affects up to 95% of people receiving cancer treatment and care. Sleep deprivation may affect the body's ability to fight cancer and lead to a poor prognosis, which was the conclusion of researchers focused on liver cancer .

A number of studies have shown that sleep deprivation leads to reduced glucose tolerance and impaired insulin sensitivity in humans. Additional studies suggest the risk of type 2 diabetes rises due to inadequate sleep, with seven or eight hours considered the optimal amount.

Researchers also think the timing of sleep may have impacts, too. Disruptions in circadian rhythm, with many people working at night or otherwise "living against the clock" of natural sleep cycles, also have impacts. Sleep disruption appears to affect metabolism and related diseases.

Neurodegenerative Disease

Sleep plays a key role in how your body produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), what it's composed of, and how the CSF is distributed in your brain and spinal cord. A number of studies have looked at how components in CSF, like amyloid-beta levels, might be linked to Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.

The research results are mixed, but there is evidence to suggest that sleep patterns affect levels of amyloid-beta, orexin, tau proteins, interleukin 8 (IL-8), and other components. This may influence the development of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's, or Alzheimer's disease, or it may contribute to sleep disruptions that are common in people living with these disorders.

Researchers also are investigating the role of CSF, sleep, and the early development of autism .

Sleep Is Important for Your Mental Health

Evidence suggests lack of sleep contributes to the formation of new mental health problems and to the maintenance of existing ones, but the magnitude of its effect is difficult to estimate and may be different across mental health conditions.

Sleep problems are very common in those with mental illness. In fact, disrupted sleep is commonly seen as both a symptom and consequence of mental health disorders, although sleep deprivation is rarely treated as the cause of mental health conditions.

The most common sleep problem associated with poor mental health is insomnia, with symptoms of:

• Not feeling well-rested after a night's sleep
• Daytime tiredness or sleepiness
• Irritability, depression, or anxiety
• Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks, or remembering
• Increased errors or accidents
• Ongoing worries about sleep

You may experience insomnia for a number of reasons, but the most common culprits are: 

• Work schedule
• Poor sleep habits
• Excessive alcohol or caffeine use at night 
• Habitual nighttime screen use

Illustration by JR Bee for Verywell Health

Small changes to your nighttime routine can result in a huge health benefit:

• Establish a realistic bedtime and stick to it every night, even on the weekends.
• Maintain comfortable temperature settings and low light levels in your bedroom.
• Consider a “screen ban” on televisions, computers and tablets, cell phones, and other electronic devices in your bedroom.
• Abstain from caffeine, alcohol, and large meals in the hours leading up to bedtime.
• Refrain from using tobacco at any time of day or night.
• Exercise during the day; this can help you wind down in the evening and prepare for sleep.

Sleep is vital to maintaining health, and most adults need seven or more hours each day. There is increasing evidence that adequate, high-quality sleep can help prevent illnesses like respiratory infection as well as limit the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other serious conditions.

Memory, mood, and mental health also are affected by sleep deprivation and other sleep disorders.

There are lifestyle steps you can take to improve sleep. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns or questions about how sleep patterns are affecting your health.

Antza C, Kostopoulos G, Mostafa S, Nirantharakumar K, Tahrani A. The links between sleep duration, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus . J Endocrinol . 2021 Dec 13;252(2):125-141. doi:10.1530/JOE-21-0155.

Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, Bliwise DL, Buxton OM, Buysse D, et al . Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society . Sleep . 2015 Jun 1;38(6):843-4. doi:10.5665/sleep.4716.

Chong PLH, Garic D, Shen MD, Lundgaard I, Schwichtenberg AJ. Sleep, cerebrospinal fluid, and the glymphatic system: A systematic review . Sleep Med Rev . 2022 Feb;61:101572. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101572. 

Walker WH 2nd, Walton JC, DeVries AC, Nelson RJ. Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health . Transl Psychiatry . 2020 Jan 23;10(1):28. doi:10.1038/s41398-020-0694-0. 

da Estrela C, McGrath J, Booij L, Gouin JP. Heart Rate Variability, Sleep Quality, and Depression in the Context of Chronic Stress . Ann Behav Med . 2021 Mar 16;55(2):155-164. doi:10.1093/abm/kaaa039.

Tucker MA, Humiston GB, Summer T, Wamsley E. Comparing the effects of sleep and rest on memory consolidation . Nature and Science of Sleep . 2020 Feb 3;12:79-91. doi:10.2147/NSS.S223917

Rasch B, Born J. About sleep’s role in memory .  Physiological Reviews . 2013;93(2):681-766. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00032.2012 

Chaput JP, McHill AW, Cox RC, Broussard JL, Dutil C, da Costa BGG, Sampasa-Kanyinga H, Wright KP Jr. The role of insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment in obesity . Nat Rev Endocrinol . 2023 Feb;19(2):82-97. doi:10.1038/s41574-022-00747-7.

Yeghiazarians Y, Jneid H, Tietjens JR, Redline S, Brown DL, El-Sherif N, et al . Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association . Circulation . 2021 Jul 20;144(3):e56-e67. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000988.

Hanlon EC, Tasali E, Leproult R, Stuhr KL, Doncheck E, de Wit H, Hillard CJ, Van Cauter E.  Sleep restriction enhances the daily rhythm of circulating levels of endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol . 2016 Mar 1;39(3):653-64. doi:10.5665/sleep.5546

Jones SE, Maisha FI, Strausz SJ, Lammi V, Cade BE, Tervi A, et al . The public health impact of poor sleep on severe COVID-19, influenza and upper respiratory infections . EBioMedicine . 2023 Jul;93:104630. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104630

Wang J, Tang H, Duan Y, Yang S, An J. Association between Sleep Traits and Lung Cancer: A Mendelian Randomization Study . J Immunol Res . 2021 Jun 21;2021:1893882. doi:10.1155/2021/1893882. 

Büttner-Teleagă A, Kim YT, Osel T, Richter K. Sleep Disorders in Cancer-A Systematic Review . Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2021 Nov 7;18(21):11696. doi:10.3390/ijerph182111696.

Huang J, Song P, Hang K, Chen Z, Zhu Z, Zhang Y, et al . Sleep Deprivation Disturbs Immune Surveillance and Promotes the Progression of Hepatocellular Carcinoma . Front Immunol . 2021 Sep 3;12:727959. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.727959.

Parameswaran G, Ray DW. Sleep, circadian rhythms, and type 2 diabetes mellitus . Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) . 2022 Jan;96(1):12-20. doi:10.1111/cen.14607. 

Chasens ER, Imes CC, Kariuki JK, Luyster FS, Morris JL, DiNardo MM, et al . Sleep and Metabolic Syndrome . Nurs Clin North Am . 2021 Jun;56(2):203-217. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2020.10.012.

Scott AJ, Webb TL, Rowse G. Does improving sleep lead to better mental health? A protocol for a meta-analytic review of randomised controlled trials . BMJ Open. 2017;7(9):e016873. Published 2017 Sep 18. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016873

By Shamard Charles, MD, MPH Shamard Charles, MD, MPH is a public health physician and journalist. He has held positions with major news networks like NBC reporting on health policy, public health initiatives, diversity in medicine, and new developments in health care research and medical treatments.

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How Sleep Works Why Is Sleep Important?

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Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. The way you feel while you are awake depends in part on what happens while you are sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health.

In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development. Getting inadequate sleep over time can raise your risk for chronic (long-term) health problems. It can also affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. Learn how sleep affects your heart and circulatory system, metabolism , respiratory system, and immune system and how much sleep is enough.

This brochure describes the differences between the types of sleep needed to feel awake and to be healthy and offers tips for getting a good night’s sleep.

Heart and circulatory system

When you fall asleep and enter non-REM sleep , your blood pressure and heart rate fall. During sleep, your parasympathetic system controls your body, and your heart does not work as hard as it does when you are awake. During REM sleep and when waking, your sympathetic system is activated, increasing your heart rate and blood pressure to the usual levels when you are awake and relaxed. A sharp increase in blood pressure and heart rate upon waking has been linked to angina, or chest pain, and heart attacks .

People who do not sleep enough or wake up often during the night may have a higher risk of:

• Coronary heart disease
• High blood pressure

Hormones and sleep

Your body makes different hormone at different times of day. This may be related to your sleep pattern or your circadian clocks. In the morning, your body releases hormones that promote alertness, such as cortisol, which helps you wake up. Other hormones have 24-hour patterns that vary throughout your life; for example, in children, the hormones that tell the glands to release testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone are made in pulses at night, and the pulses get bigger as puberty approaches.

Metabolism and sleep

The way your body handles fat varies according to various circadian clocks, including those in the liver, fat, and muscle. For example, the circadian clocks make sure that your liver is prepared to help digest fats at appropriate times. Your body may handle fat differently if you eat at unusual times.

Studies have shown that not getting enough quality sleep can lead to:

• Higher levels of the hormones that control hunger, including leptin and ghrelin, inside your body
• Decreased ability to respond to insulin
• Increased consumption of food, especially fatty, sweet, and salty foods
• Decreased physical activity
• Metabolic syndrome

All of these contribute to overweight and obesity .

Respiratory and immune systems

During sleep, you breathe less often and less deeply and take in less oxygen. These changes can cause problems in people who have health problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) . Asthma symptoms are usually worse during early morning sleep. Likewise, breathing problems in people who have lung diseases such as COPD can become worse during sleep.

Sleep also affects different parts of your immune system, which become more active at different times of day. For example, when you sleep, a particular type of immune cell works harder. That is why people who do not sleep enough may be more likely to get colds and other infections.

Lung Health Basics: Sleep

People with lung disease often have  trouble sleeping. Sleep is critical to overall health, so take the first step to sleeping better: learn these sleep terms, and find out about treatments that can help with sleep apnea.

Problems with thinking and memory

Sleep helps with learning and the formation of long-term memories. Not getting enough sleep or enough high-quality sleep can lead to problems focusing on tasks and thinking clearly. Read our Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency page for more information on how lack of sleep affects performance of daily activities, including driving and schoolwork.

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Good Sleep for Good Health

Get the Rest You Need

Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.

But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.

Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.

There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,” she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality—that you get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep schedule.”

People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress—like the current pandemic—can disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to improve your sleep.

Sleep for Repair

Why do we need to sleep? People often think that sleep is just “down time,” when a tired brain gets to rest, says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the University of Rochester.

“But that’s wrong,” she says. While you sleep, your brain is working. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create.

Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system that removes toxins during sleep.

“When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.”

Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from the brain during sleep.

Everything from blood vessels to the immune system The system that protects your body from invading viruses, bacteria, and other microscopic threats. uses sleep as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the University of Colorado.

“There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed.”

Sleep Myths and Truths

How much sleep you need changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and 10. Most adults need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night.

There are many misunderstandings about sleep. One is that adults need less sleep as they get older. This isn’t true. Older adults still need the same amount. But sleep quality can get worse as you age. Older adults are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.

Another sleep myth is that you can “catch up” on your days off. Researchers are finding that this largely isn’t the case.

“If you have one bad night’s sleep and take a nap, or sleep longer the next night, that can benefit you,” says Wright. “But if you have a week’s worth of getting too little sleep, the weekend isn’t sufficient for you to catch up. That’s not a healthy behavior.”

In a recent study, Wright and his team looked at people with consistently deficient sleep. They compared them to sleep-deprived people who got to sleep in on the weekend.

Both groups of people gained weight with lack of sleep. Their bodies’ ability to control blood sugar levels also got worse. The weekend catch-up sleep didn’t help.

On the flip side, more sleep isn’t always better, says Brown. For adults, “if you’re sleeping more than nine hours a night and you still don’t feel refreshed, there may be some underlying medical issue,” she explains.

Sleep Disorders

Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough quality sleep, no matter how hard they try. These problems are called sleep disorders.

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. “Insomnia is when you have repeated difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep,” says Brown. This happens despite having the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment. It can make you feel tired or unrested during the day.

Insomnia can be short-term, where people struggle to sleep for a few weeks or months. “Quite a few more people have been experiencing this during the pandemic,” Brown says. Long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer.

Sleep apnea is another common sleep disorder. In sleep apnea, the upper airway becomes blocked during sleep. This reduces or stops airflow, which wakes people up during the night. The condition can be dangerous. If untreated, it may lead to other health problems.

If you regularly have problems sleeping, talk with your health care provider. They may have you keep a sleep diary to track your sleep for several weeks. They can also run tests, including sleep studies. These look for sleep disorders.

Getting Better Sleep

If you’re having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be frustrating. But simple things can improve your odds of a good night’s sleep. See the Wise Choices box for tips to sleep better every day.

Treatments are available for many common sleep disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help many people with insomnia get better sleep. Medications can also help some people.

Many people with sleep apnea benefit from using a device called a CPAP machine. These machines keep the airway open so that you can breathe. Other treatments can include special mouthguards and lifestyle changes.

For everyone, “as best you can, try to make sleep a priority,” Brown says. “Sleep is not a throwaway thing—it’s a biological necessity.”

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Why Is Sleep Important?

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According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1 in 3 Americans fails to get the recommended amount of sleep necessary for protecting their health.

The problem is not unique to America.  Karen Lee, MD , a Mass General Brigham sleep neurologist, says countless people worldwide regularly confront sleep disorders separating them from a good night’s rest.

“We’re all under-sleeping drastically,” says Dr. Lee, who cares for patients with sleep disorders at Mass Eye and Ear. “It’s an alarming trend that’s only expected to get worse.”

Reversing that trend, she explains, begins with understanding the importance of sleep and how easily people can disrupt it.

Why do you need sleep?

Sleep plays a crucial role in everyday life. It helps the body:

Store energy

Fight infection

Repair injuries

Grow (especially children)

Improve memory

Replenish brain and nerve functions

Clean waste

If you don’t get enough sleep, you may wake up groggy and feel angry or annoyed. Long-term sleep loss is also linked to:

Heart disease

How do you fall asleep?

Before you fall asleep, your internal temperature sinks to a certain threshold. Once the body reaches that threshold, the brain releases a hormone called melatonin. This hormone makes you feel drowsy and triggers sleep.

Everyone has a different temperature threshold. Wearing the right clothes, using comfortable bed sheets, and adjusting room temperatures can affect how quickly you reach it.

Sleep stages

During sleep, the brain cycles in and out of 4 stages. The first 3 stages are non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The fourth stage of sleep is REM sleep. The brain goes through each stage 4 to 5 times each night. An entire cycle can last between 90 to 120 minutes.

Dr. Lee hears plenty of misconceptions about each stage. Some assume one stage is more important than the other, or that “deep sleep” is REM sleep. While neither is true, the body does act differently at each stage.

Non-REM sleep

Stages 1 and 2 of non-REM sleep: Light sleep.  During periods of light sleep, the brain consolidates information into memory.

Stage 3 of non-REM sleep: Deep sleep, or slow wave sleep.  Brain waves move slowest during deep sleep.  Heart rate  and  blood pressure  also plummet.

People mainly dream during REM sleep. When dreams occur, the body lays paralyzed. Only two body parts move: the diaphragm, which help the lungs breathe, and the eyes, which move rapidly back and forth beneath the eyelids.

How much sleep should you get?

A person’s age determines how much sleep they need. Children need a lot more sleep than adults. They depend on sleep for the release of several hormones essential for growth and development.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends at least 7 hours of non-interrupted sleep a day for adults. The foundation recommends varying amounts for children:

Sleep disorders

Sleep disorders interfere with a person’s ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and their behaviors during sleep. Some affect the brain, the airway, or both.

A few major sleep disorders include:

Insomnia:  The inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or return to sleep after waking up too early

Sleep apnea :  Unusual or complete pauses in breathing during sleep

Narcolepsy:  Sudden and excessive sleepiness during the day

Restless leg syndrome:  Unpleasant sensations in the leg that prevent someone from falling or staying asleep

While experts dispute the exact causes of these disorders, irregular behaviors can play a major role in most.

How is a sleep disorder diagnosed?

A sleep doctor can best diagnose a sleep disorder. At an appointment, the doctor asks a patient to describe their symptoms. Some may encourage the patient to record symptoms and odd behaviors in a sleep journal prior to the appointment. Journals can provide doctors with important information about sleep habits, bedtimes, and other nighttime rituals.

Sleep partners are encouraged to attend the appointment, too. Doctors rely on sleep partners to confirm the symptoms described by patients. Sleep partners can also help describe symptoms patients might otherwise withhold or be unaware of.

After a comprehensive evaluation, the doctor then determines whether to refer a patient for a sleep study. These studies, which occur at home or in a laboratory, use several sensors to monitor and measure characteristics and data of a patient’s sleep.

How is sleep disrupted?

Everyone has internal clocks known as circadian rhythms. These rhythms dictate how and when specific cells, tissues, or organs interact. The physical, mental, and behavioral changes you experience throughout an ordinary day all follow constant rhythms.

Disrupting these rhythms disrupts sleep. A few common disruptions include:

Bedtime changes

Your wake up time and bedtime can interfere with internal clocks, especially when traveling between time zones or during  daylight savings . Despite the time changing on a clock, the body’s clock stays the same. If you normally fall asleep at 9 p.m. and travel to a time zone 3 hours behind, you may notice yourself yawning and your eyelids shutting at 6 p.m.

Social jet lag occurs among people who regularly change their social and work schedules. If you sleep from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, but fall asleep at 1 a.m. and wake up at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, you may experience the same symptoms as someone boarding a cross-country flight.

“You see this a lot among young adults with crazy work schedules or active social lives,” says Dr. Lee. “It’s really the same as flying back and forth from Los Angeles to New York every week.”

Unfamiliar environments

Sleep environments affect how you fall, and stay, asleep. For example, those who live in rural areas might struggle to sleep in a city. They may need sound machines to block out unfamiliar noises from busy traffic and loud neighbors.

Bringing unusual habits into a bedroom can trigger a similar effect. People who eat and work in their bed may begin to associate this space less and less with sleep. Dr. Lee recommends keeping the bed sacred; it should be a place for rest and relaxation.

Sunlight can trigger when a person:

Releases hormones

Digests food

Experiences higher or lower body temperature

Each, in turn, can impact a person’s ability to sleep.

In places further away from the equator, people must adjust to dramatic daylight changes throughout the year. During the winter, sunlight might last only a few hours during the day. Likewise, summertime might afford a few hours of darkness.

Blackout curtains and special UV lights can help accommodate longer and shorter days, helping to preserve internal clocks.

I take the data [from consumer sleep products] with a grain of salt. It can give patients more awareness of their sleep, but they often don’t need the device to monitor what time they’re going to bed and waking up in the morning. However, I always try to listen to what data they collect, as it may provide more information that could be helpful in the bigger picture.

Karen Lee, MD Sleep Neurologist Mass General Brigham

Can sedative medications cure sleep disorders?

Dr. Lee cautions people from relying on medications to treat sleep disorders, like insomnia. These medications, called hypnotics or sleep aids, are meant to be temporary fixes to short-term sleep issues. People might need the medication to cope with sudden  grief  or depression. Unfortunately, the medications will not treat the source of sleeplessness.

“You’re just going to keep refilling and taking the medication because the issue causing insomnia still hasn’t been addressed,” she adds.

If anything, these medications can lead to severe health risks when used long term. Research has associated long-term use with issues related to brain function — not just grogginess — during the day, as well as dementia.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is typically the first line of defense for people struggling to fall asleep. During CBT-I, patients learn to recognize, and consciously change, habitual responses to harmful behaviors.

Can sleep devices diagnose sleep disorders?

Consumer sleep products have soared in popularity. Smartphones and wearable devices, such as watches and rings, attempt to measure oxygen levels and heart rate during sleep. Access to this data poses its own risk. Patients can mistakenly use the products to diagnose themselves with a sleep condition, instead of seeing a sleep doctor.

According to Dr. Lee, patients might think that, just because a product is on the market, it must be validated and reliable. The reality: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved many of these products. They are usually categorized as lifestyle or entertainment devices.

Data from consumer sleep products pales in comparison to data gathered from a sleep study, which sleep doctors use to diagnose sleep disorders. Consumer products usually rely on  artificial intelligence  (AI) to indirectly record data. Different products also use different sensors, which can lead to variable results, especially when measuring how many times a person wakes up during the night.

“I take the data [from consumer sleep products] with a grain of salt,” says Dr. Lee. “It can give patients more awareness of their sleep, but they often don’t need the device to monitor what time they’re going to bed and waking up in the morning. However, I always try to listen to what data they collect, as it may provide more information that could be helpful in the bigger picture.”

Sleep diaries, she adds, can serve the same purpose.

Healthy sleep habits

People with a sleep disorder often benefit from a transitional period referred to as a “buffer zone.”

Buffer zones usually occur between 30 to 60 minutes before bed. During this period, people focus on winding down and avoid overly engaging activities. They might dim their lights or read a book instead of playing a video game, working out, or talking over the phone. Even if you don’t have a sleep disorder, these habits can help you get a good night’s sleep:

Follow the recommended sleep hours for your age group.

Keep a consistent bedtime and risetime every day.

Maintain a familiar sleep environment.

Dr. Lee says these practices can drastically affect how a person feels the next day and their health years later.

After all, what better way to prepare for tomorrow than by starting the night before?

Contributor

Sleep is your superpower

• neuroscience
• medical research

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Why You Should Make a Good Night’s Sleep a Priority

Poor sleep habits and sleep deprivation are serious problems for most high school and college students. This guide offers important tips on how—and why—to improve your sleep hygiene.

The time you spend in high school and college can be both fun and rewarding. At the same time, these can be some of the busiest years of your life.

Balancing all the demands on your time—a full course load, extracurricular activities, and socializing with friends—can be challenging. And if you also work or have family commitments, it can feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day. 

With so many competing priorities, sacrificing sleep may feel like the only way to get everything done. 

Despite the sleepiness you might feel the next day, one late night probably won’t have a major impact on your well-being. But regularly short-changing yourself on quality sleep can have serious implications for school, work, and your physical and mental health.

Alternatively, prioritizing a regular sleep schedule can make these years healthier, less stressful, and more successful long-term.

The sleep you need versus the sleep you get

According to the National Sleep Foundation , high school students (ages 14-17) need about eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. For young adults (ages 18 to 25), the range is need between seven and nine hours.

How do you know how much sleep you need within this range? 

According to Dr. Edward Pace-Schott, Harvard Summer School and Harvard Medical School faculty member and sleep expert, you can answer that question simply by observing how much you sleep when you don’t need to get up.

“When you’ve been on vacation for two weeks, how are you sleeping during that second week? How long are you sleeping? If you’re sleeping eight or nine hours when you don’t have any reason to get up, then chances are you need that amount or close to that amount of sleep,” says Pace-Schott. 

Most students, however, get far less sleep than the recommended amount. 

Seventy to 96 percent of college students get less than eight hours of sleep each week night. And over half of college students sleep less than seven hours per night. The numbers are similar for high school students; 73 percent of high school students get between seven and seven and a half hours of sleep .

Of course, many students attempt to catch up on lost sleep by sleeping late on the weekends. Unfortunately, this pattern is neither healthy nor a true long-term solution to sleep deprivation. 

And what about those students who say that they function perfectly well on just a couple hours of sleep?

“There are very few individuals who are so-called short sleepers, people who really don’t need more than six hours of sleep. But, there are a lot more people who claim to be short sleepers than there are real short sleepers,” says Pace-Schott.

Consequences of sleep deprivation

The consequences of sleep deprivation are fairly well established but may still be surprising.

For example, did you know that sleep deprivation can create the same level of cognitive impairment as drinking alcohol? 

According to the CDC , staying awake for 18 hours can have the same effect as a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05 percent. Staying awake for 24 hours can equate to a BAC of 0.10 percent (higher than the legal limit of 0.08 percent). 

And according to research by AAA , drowsy driving causes an average of 328,000 motor vehicle accidents each year in the US. Drivers who sleep less than five hours per night are more than five times as likely to have a crash as drivers who sleep for seven hours or more.  

Other signs of chronic sleep deprivation include:

• Daytime sleepiness and fatigue
• Irritability and short temper
• Mood changes
• Trouble coping with stress
• Difficulty focusing, concentrating, and remembering

Over the long term, chronic sleep deprivation can have a serious impact on your physical and mental health. Insufficient sleep has been linked, for example, to weight gain and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

The impact on your mental health can be just as serious. Harvard Medical School has conducted numerous studies, including research by Pace-Schott, demonstrating a link between sleep deprivation and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.

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Importance of sleep for high school and college students

As difficult as it is to prioritize sleep, the advantages of going to bed early and getting quality sleep every night are very real.

College students who prioritize sleep are likely to see an improvement in their academic performance.

If you are well rested, you will experience less daytime sleepiness and fatigue. You may need less caffeine to stay awake during those long lectures. And you will also find you are more productive, more attentive to detail, and able to concentrate better while studying.

But the connection between sleep and academic performance goes well beyond concentration and attentiveness.

“Sleep is very important for consolidating memories. In any sort of experimental setting, study results show better performance if you learn material and then sleep on it, instead of remaining awake. So there’s lots and lots of evidence now indicating that sleep promotes memory strengthening and memory consolidation,” says Pace-Schott. 

There is also a strong connection between sleep quality and stress.

Students who prioritize sleep are better able to cope with the stress that comes with being an active student. 

“It’s a vicious circle where the more stressed you get, the less you sleep, and the less you sleep, the more stressed you get. And in the long term, that can lead to serious psychiatric problems,” says Pace-Schott.

In the worst case scenario, the combination of lack of sleep and stress can lead to mental health disorders such as depression, general anxiety disorder, and potentially even post-traumatic stress disorder.

But prioritizing sleep can create a positive feedback loop as well. 

Establishing a sleep schedule and adequate sleep duration can improve your ability to cope with stress. Being active and productive will help you get more done throughout the day, which also reduces feelings of stress.

And the less stressed you feel during the day, the better you will sleep at night. 

Tips for getting more sleep as a student

The key to getting a good night’s sleep is establishing healthy sleep habits, also known as sleep hygiene.

The first step is deciding to make sleep a priority. 

Staying ahead of coursework and avoiding distractions and procrastination while you study is key to avoiding the need for late night study sessions. And prioritizing sleep may mean leaving a party early or choosing your social engagements carefully. 

Yet the reward—feeling awake and alert the next morning—will reinforce that positive choice. 

The next step is establishing healthy bedtime and daytime patterns to promote good quality sleep.

Pace-Schott offers the following tips on steps you can take to create healthy sleep hygiene:

• Limit caffeine in close proximity to bed time. College students should also avoid alcohol intake, which disrupts quality sleep.
• Avoid electronic screens (phone, laptop, tablet, desktop) within an hour of bedtime. 
• Engage in daily physical exercise, but avoid intense exercise within two hours of bedtime.
• Establish a sleep schedule. Be as consistent as possible in your bedtime and rise time, and get exposure to morning sunlight.
• Establish a “wind-down” routine prior to bedtime.
• Limit use of bed for daily activities other than sleep (e.g., TV, work, eating)

Of course, college students living in dorms or other communal settings may find their sleep disturbed by circumstances beyond their control: a poor-quality mattress, inability to control the temperature of your bedroom, or noisy roommates, for example. 

But taking these active steps to promote healthy sleep will, barring these other uncontrollable circumstances, help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep, and get a more restorative sleep.

And for students who are still not convinced of the importance of sleep, Pace-Schott says that personal observation is the best way to see the impact of healthy sleep habits. 

“Keep a sleep diary for a week. Pay attention to your sleep in a structured way. And be sure to record how you felt during the day. This can really help you make the link between how you slept the night before and how you feel during the day. It’s amazing how much you will learn about your sleep and its impact on your life.” 

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The Effect of Sleep Quality on Students’ Academic Achievement

Rostam jalali.

1 Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

Habibollah Khazaei

2 Sleep Disorders Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

Behnam Khaledi Paveh

Zinab hayrani, lida menati.

Sleep is an inseparable part of human health and life, which is crucial in learning, practice, as well as physical and mental health. It affects the capacity of individual learning, academic performance, and neural-behavioral functions. This study aimed to determine the relationship between sleep quality and students’ academic achievement among students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.

In this cross-sectional study, 102 medical students from different fields, with maximum variation sampling, completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). For data analysis, SPSS 19 was used through which Pearson correlation test, Spearman test, and t -test were employed.

Based on the quality of sleep questionnaire scores, the results indicated no significant difference between students with high grades and those with low grades. However, there were moderate and sometimes severe sleep disturbances in both groups.

The results showed no significant difference between sleep quality and academic achievement. Nevertheless, longitudinal study should be performed to control for confounding factors.

Sleep is an inseparable part of human health and life, and is pivotal to learning and practice as well as physical and mental health. 1 Studies have suggested that insufficient sleep, increased frequency of short-term sleep, and going to sleep late and getting up early affect the learning capacity, academic performance, and neurobehavioral functions. 2 , 3 Previous studies have indicated that the quantity of sleep reported by individuals as delayed or inappropriate sleep, waking up too late, especially at weekends and daytime sleepiness is associated with compromised academic performance in children and adults. 2 Some studies have emphasized the relationship between delayed starting time of classes and academic success. 4 Reduced overnight sleep or altered sleep patterns has been associated with severe drowsiness and failure in academic success. 5 In a study, people who had enough sleep compared to their sleep-deprived individuals used innovative solutions twice as often when confronted with complex mathematical problems. 6 The chance of academic failure was as long as one or more than 1 year in students with inadequate sleep compared to those with proper sleep. 7 People who sleep less and sleep during the day are more prone to vehicle and work accidents. 8 In some studies, sleep efficiency has been considered as essential for recovery, cognitive processing, and memory integration. 9 On the other hand, lack of sleep has been associated with emotional instability and impaired concentration. 10 In this regard, students are particularly at risk of developing sleep disorders and development of the disorder among them has a negative effect on their academic performance across different grades, 11 – 13 However, there is no consensus in this case and not all studies state that sleep disorders yield a negative effect on academic performance. Eliasson (2010) believes that the time it takes to fall asleep and waking up affect academic performance more than duration of sleep does. 14 Sweileh and colleagues (2011) also believe that there is no relationship between sleep quality and academic success. 15 Similarly, it is claimed there is no relationship between the night sleep before the exam and test scores either. 16

In another study, the author believes stress from lack of sleep causes poor school performance. 17 On the other hand, in a systematic review, the authors could not establish a cause and effect relationship between sleep quality and academic performance. 2 In their meta-analysis study, Dewald and colleagues (2010) emphasized that because of the diversity of the methodology of studies, it is impossible to definitely derive a relationship between sleep quality and academic performance, and thus more longitudinal intervention studies are warranted. 1 According to different conclusions in this respect, the researchers decided to determine the relationship between sleep quality and academic performance among students at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences.

In this cross-sectional study, through maximum variation sampling, the first three students with highest scores and three last students with lowest scores were selected, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was completed for them.

The study population consisted of students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences. The samples were also students at each school with the highest GPA (first three high scores) and the lowest GPA (last three lowest scores). The sampling was purposeful sampling with maximum variation. The sample covered a number of disciplines in the third semester and above ( Figures 1 & 2 ). After determining the target students, the questionnaire was given to them and then returned to the researcher after completion.

Abundant distribution of students by field of study.

Frequency distribution of students by semester.

The data collection instruments were demographic form (including age, gender, place of residence, grade, rank in the class, discipline) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). PSQI is a self-report questionnaire which examines the quality of sleep. It has 18 questions which are classified into seven components: the first component is the subjective sleep quality which is determined with Question 9. The second component is related to delays in falling asleep, where the score is calculated by two questions, the mean score of Question 2 and part of Question 5. The third component deals with sleep duration and is determined by Question 4. The fourth component is related to the efficiency and effectiveness of sleeping in patients. Its score is calculated via dividing the total hours of sleep by total hours in the bed multiplied by 100. Then, the fifth component deals with sleep disorders and is achieved by calculating the mean value of Question 5. The sixth component is related to hypnotic drugs and is determined based on Question 6. Finally, the seventh component captures inadequate performance throughout the day and is determined by two questions (mean scores of Questions 7 and 8). Each question is rated between 0 and 3 points where maximum score for each component is 3. The total scores range of the seven components making up the total score range from 0 to 21. Higher scores represent a lower sleep quality, where a score above 6 indicates poor sleep quality. The reliability and validity of this inventory have also been approved in Iran, where the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.78 to 0.82. 18 In another study, Cronbach’s alpha for the Persian version was 0.77. In cut-off point 5, the sensitivity and specificity were 94% and 72%, and in cut-off point 6, they were 85% and 84%, respectively. 19

After collecting the questionnaires and introducing students’ demographic data to a computer using SPSS version 16, the relationship between sleep quality scores and grade point average (GPA high and low) was calculated.

The results indicated that 34 cases (33.3%) of the subjects were male. The mean age of the sample 23.10 ± 3.25, where the mean age for females was 22.46± 2.44 and for males was 24.38± 4.19. The participants in the study came from various disciplines including laboratory science, medicine, pharmacology, emergency medicine, obstetrics, radiology, operating room, health technology, and nursing.

Most students lived in dormitories (50%) and 46.1% at home, with 3.9% living in rental houses. The students' educational level ranged between the third semester and twelfth semester.

Among those participating in the study, 67 patients (65.7%) consumed coffee, 90 cases (88.2%) used tea, and 1 (1%) took a drug.

For comparing the mean scores of students and the component of sleep, Spearman test (non-normal data) was employed, where a significant correlation was observed between GPA and hours taking to fall asleep ( Table 1 ).

The Relationship Between Sleep Components and GPA in KUMS Students

Similarly, there was a relationship between sleep components and tea, coffee, hypnotic drugs, and drug ( Table 2 ).

The Relationship Between Sleep Components and Type of Drink or Drug in KUMS Students Kermanshah

On the other hand, independent t -test between Pittsburgh scores in the two groups did not show any significant differences. Nevertheless, impaired sleep quality was moderate to severe in both groups ( Table 3 ).

The Difference Between the Mean Pittsburg Scores in Two Groups (Students with High and Low GPA)

The results indicated that impaired sleep quality between the two groups was not statistically significant. Although the relationship between sleeping and academic success has been introduced in medical literature since a long time, there still no definitive answer in this case. In a meta-analysis study conducted to examine the impact of sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleepiness on adolescents’ academic performance, although all three variables were related to academic achievement (positive relationship between sleep quality and duration of sleep and negative association with sleepiness), this relationship was very trivial. 1

On the other hand, another systematic review study of descriptive studies concluded that sleep disturbance adversely affects different areas such as general health, social status, and academic performance. However, longitudinal studies are required for a more accurate examination. 20 , 21 In an another systematic review of other authors, the authors concluded that under-sleeping would have an impact on learning of some students, and could have a detrimental effect on academic achievement. 22 Further, another review study also suggests a conclusive recommendation which has to be done to modify sleep so that it can be used for academic success. 23

The present study was conducted to explore whether sleep disorder can influence academic achievement or not. Accordingly, a specific sample of accomplished or unachieved students were selected to compare the quality and quantity of sleep. However, no significant difference was between the two groups. Other studies have reached similar conclusions.

Sweileh and his colleagues in a study on 400 Palestinian students concluded that academic achievement was not correlated with sleep quality. 15 In another study on 189 medical students in Pakistan, there was no significant association between lack of sleep and test scores. 16 In this regard, there is a possibility of sleep disorder in students, and this possibility has been expressed for the lack of academic achievement, but it has not been clearly explained. 11 In another study, sleepiness during the day (not the quality and quantity of sleep) was identified as an independent predictor of academic success. 5 In a similar study again the time it takes to fall sleep and the wake-up time (not the total amount of sleep) were associated with academic success, 14 where the total amount of sleep in adolescents with a dynamic mind was not related to their academic achievement. 24 In contrast to such studies that emphasize lack of association or low association, there are other studies that have observed an inverse relationship between sleep disturbance and academic achievement. In a study on 491 first-, second-, and third-year medical students, there was a correlation between academic performance and the amount of nighttime sleep as well as daytime sleepiness. 25 In a similar study on medical students, lack of sleep at night, late going to bed, and daytime sleepiness had a negative effect on the academic performance of the students. 26 Notably, sleep disturbances are likely to yield a negative impact on academic performance, thereby causing a vicious cycle. 25 , 27 Taken together, the studies suggest that most studies have mentioned poor quality sleep among the majority of students. 3 , 26 , 27 Accordingly, concluding the relationship between common sleep disturbance and academic performance should be done with caution. The reason is that academic success can be affected by different factors including the level of family income, the evolutionary process, intake of supplements and vitamins, family size, social media dependency, addiction to social networks, and social issues. In studies these extraneous factors are not under control, thus emphasizing the fact that the presence or absence of correlation between sleep quality and academic performance should be done with caution and using longitudinal studies.

Limitations

The main limitation of this study was the small sample size, but a specific sampling method was chosen to overcome this shortcoming. Another limitation of the study was not controlling for confounding factors in the study. Based on the results of this study and similar studies, further research should be conducted with a better design.

The results indicated no significant difference between sleep quality in achieved and unachieved academic performance. Nevertheless, to conclude with more certainty, longitudinal studies should be performed to control confounding factors.

Acknowledgments

The authors of this article appreciate the collaborations of the Sleep Disorders Research Center.

Funding Statement

Funding for this research was provided by the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Sleep Disorders Research Center (93026).

Data Sharing Statement

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

Informed consent obtained from all participants in the study and this study conducted by the Sleep Disorders Research Center. Identity letter obtained from deputy of research and technology to collecting data. Ethics approval was received from the ethics committee of deputy of research and technology – Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, number 93026 on 6 April 2013.

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Why Do We Need Sleep?: InFormative Speech

Introduction.

• Title: Why do we need sleep?
• General purpose: To emphasize the importance of proper sleep behavior.
• Specific purpose: To enumerate the basic functions of sleep.
• Main idea: Sleep refills the body with energy and helps the brain function properly.

Have you ever wondered about the role of sleep? In your experience, you probably noticed that without proper sleep, it is difficult to concentrate and remain energetic. It is important to be aware of the basic functions of sleep to understand its significance for health and well-being.

In the modern world, insufficient sleep is a widespread problem for people of different ages. Therefore, many studies related to the role of sleep have been conducted in the sphere of psychology and medicine, and further, some of the aspects of sleep will be covered in detail. This speech aims to identify the functions of sleep and prove the importance of an adequate sleep-wake schedule.

Sleep contributes to organizing information received during the day. During sleep, the brain processes a human’s emotions and memories (McBurney et al., 2020). During sleep, the brain reorganizes the information by forming connections between neurons (McBurney et al., 2020). This function is essential for maintaining memory and learning ability.

Sleep helps get rid of tiredness and remain healthy and energetic. The function of sleep is to recover the body and prepare it for the next day (Bennis, 2020). Sufficient sleep reduces the risk of anxiety, depression, and other related effects (Leparski, 2019).

Sleep is needed to regulate biological processes happening in a human’s body. An important function of sleep is to restore hormone balance (Leparski, 2019). During sleep, the human body normalizes the level of adenosine, which is responsible for feeling fatigue (Bennis, 2020).

To summarize, it is important to understand that sleep affects different aspects of a human’s health and well-being. Firstly, during sleep, the brain processes all the information, memories, and emotions, preparing itself for the next day. Secondly, the human body gets rid of fatigue and averts stress and depression. Finally, sleep normalizes biological processes and restores hormone balance. Therefore, it is necessary for every person to pay attention to a sleep-wake schedule to remain healthy and energetic.

Bennis, T. (2020). Overthinking, photographic memory, habit stacking . Vaclav Vrbensky.

Leparski, S. (2019). The happy hormone guide: A plant-based program to balance hormones, increase energy, & reduce PMS symptoms. Blue Star Press.

McBurney, J.W., Weil, A.T., & Ruhoy, I.S. (Eds.). (2020). Integrative neurology . Oxford University Press.

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