5 surprising health benefits of getting a good night’s sleep

October 14, 2022

Did you know that getting a good night's sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health? It's true! When you don't get enough sleep, your body suffers in various ways. For example, you may find it harder to focus, you're more likely to get sick, and you're at an increased risk for developing chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes. Read on to learn more about the benefits of sleep and get tips on how to sleep better!

5 benefits of getting enough sleep

Sleeping better has astounding effects on your overall health and daily life.

  1. Sleep affects your mental health.

Sleep can help improve your mood, cognitive function, and overall well-being. In fact, researchers found that anxiety levels decline significantly after a whole night's sleep. Moreover, how often did you have a problem and decide to "sleep on it"? Actually, sleeping can relax your mind, giving you the clarity to think things through the next day.

  1. Sleep can boost your immunity

Sleep is essential for many reasons: it can help boost your immunity. Having enough sleep gives your body the time to repair itself from the day's wear and tear, making you less prone to getting sick.

  1. Sleep can help you maintain a healthy weight

Sleep is an integral part of any weight-loss plan. Studies have shown that people who don't get enough sleep are more likely to gain weight. Getting enough sleep can help you burn more calories and keep your metabolism strong.

Download INGO Health app and pair your fitness tracker to find out how many hours of sleep you need and track your personalized sleep goal.

  1. Sleep can lower your risk of developing chronic health conditions

Stress is at the root of many chronic health conditions that can improve with a good night's sleep. These include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.

  1. Sleep can help you get along better with people

Yes! see, when you don't get enough sleep, you're in this cringe Grinch-like mood, which makes you more irritated and less social! 

How to get a good night sleep?

You might find it difficult to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night but there is a number of things that you can do to encourage better sleep.

  1. Set a sleep schedule

Establish a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This schedule will help your body get into a regular sleep rhythm.

  1. Have a bedtime routine

Take a warm bath, read a book, or listen to calming music before going off to bed so that your body is relaxed and ready for the next day's activities. By winding down before bed, you can help your body and mind to relax, making it easier to fall asleep. Once you've established a routine, stick to it as much as possible, which will train your body to expect sleep at a particular time, making it more likely that you'll drift off quickly and wake up feeling well-rested.

  1. Do visualization exercises

Neuroscientists recommend to do visualization exercises using your imagination to help put your body in a more relaxed state. One of the most basic ways to use imagery to relax is to close your eyes and imagine being in a place that is peaceful and relaxing to you.

  1. Prepare your sleeping environment

Good sleep has many health benefits, but getting the rest you need can be difficult if your sleeping environment is not conducive to relaxation. To create a comfortable sleeping environment, ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and calm. In addition, you might want to consider investing in blackout curtains or an eye mask and use a white noise machine or earplugs to drown out any sounds that might keep you awake.

  1. Avoid caffeine and heavy food before bedtime

Some food can sabotage your sleep such as caffeine, alcohol and high-fat foods. Caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. While alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, it can disrupt your sleep pattern later on during the night. Same for food, spicy meals and condiments and acidic (although healthy food) such as tomatoes, onions garlic, dark chocolate can lower the quality of your sleep.

  1. Add a workout to your day

Within an hour before bed, do some easy body-weight exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups or crunches. Don't go overboard though, a few are enough, you don't want to get your heart rate up too high right before sleeping. Simple yoga movements that don't include inversions (where your head is upside down) are a great way to set your body to rest.

To sum up, getting enough sleep is essential to maintain a physical and mental healthy lifestyle, make having a good night's sleep a healthy habit.

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