Feeling a little flat lately? You're not alone. It's been a whirlwind few years!
A good night's sleep may have been pushed down the your list of priorities (we see you to-do-list) but it really COULD be the answer you have been searching for to get that pep back in your step!
We know a lack of sleep can physically impact our bodies, but sleeping to boost your mental health and learning is just as important - hello mood-boosting happiness! Sleep will change your life for the better - read on to bring back the sunshine!
SLEEP FACT! When we get enough sleep our ability to process emotions and memories increases, preparing us for whatever the day may throw our way!
Benefits of Sleep for our Mind
1. Sleep Regulates Our Mood
After a great night of deep Zzz’s, you wake up feeling less irritable and more in control of your emotions. It's science! This is because when you sleep, your body repairs adaptive processing, and brain activity, leaving you with a more regulated mood. Sleep allows your mind to rest and gives you the level-headedness that you might need to get through the day. Too little sleep will have you operating in high-alert mode, leaving you more irritable and unable to process your emotions properly... Thank you, next!
2. Sleep Fights Symptoms of Stress and Anxiety
Sleep deprivation and anxiety are a match made in, let's face it, hell. According to research, the majority of people that suffer from anxiety deal with insomnia too. Coincidence? Absolutely not!
When we stick to our sleep schedule and prioritise sleep, our anxiety symptoms decrease. While sleeping, our stress hormone production is controlled and kept at bay, allowing us to see situations clearly and think rationally. When we slack on our sleep schedule these stress hormones are overproduced and quite frankly, go ROGUE. This can lead us to skyrocket our feelings of anxiety!
3. Sleep Consolidates Memories and Learning
Sleep is vital to cognitive performance and helps us to activate our memory and excel in our learning. Often when we don't get enough sleep we have difficulty remembering things and our ability to learn decreases because our brain lacks the time and rest to recall recent information we have processed throughout the day. When we are asleep our brain is able to retain and remember new things learned through creating new memory pathways - and don't we all love to be able to remember the words of our new favourite song for our one-woman performance on our solo drive?
Prioritising a healthy sleep routine will make us feel happier, brighter and more in control of every aspect of our life! Who wouldn't want that? Just another way sleep really IS our superpower!
