Why Is Good Sleep So Important?

According to an article published by the American Psychological Association, good sleep habits are a vital part of health and well-being. However, it also reports that as many as 60% of US adults say they experience sleep problems one or more nights per week. Let’s delve deeper into exactly why getting good sleep is such a key part of overall health, and then explore a few different strategies you can try to improve the quality of your sleep.

What qualifies as healthy sleep?

The National Institute on Aging reports that the average adult needs anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep per night for good health. Note that babies, children, and teenagers generally need significantly more sleep each night to fuel healthy growth and development. They also recommend sleeping and waking around the same time every day—including weekends—to create consistency for your brain and body when it comes to sleep patterns so you can reap maximum benefits from your time at rest. 

During a full night of healthy sleep, the body cycles through different stages. These include light sleep, deep sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Getting sufficient, uninterrupted hours of rest allows your system to have enough time to cycle through these stages in order to restore your body and mind to function well the next day.

Why healthy sleep is important

Routinely getting enough, high-quality sleep is important for various aspects of health and functioning, a few of which we’ve highlighted below.

Memory and learning skills

This is likely because a lack of sleep can affect the brain’s hippocampus, which plays a major role in forming new memories.

Physical functioning

Your brain and memory are not the only parts of your system that need time to heal and rest; your physical body does as well. Getting an adequate amount of sleep each night can help your body reach higher levels of physical performance, retain more energy, and even maintain better coordination in waking hours. 

Not getting enough sleep can also increase an individual’s risk of being involved in accidents because of its potential effects on physical coordination and functioning. For example, one study reports that those who got less than seven hours of sleep the previous night were at higher risk of being involved in and responsible for car crashes. As one of the study’s authors puts it, “Even if they manage to stay awake, sleep-deprived drivers are still at increased risk of making mistakes—like failing to notice something important, or misjudging a gap in traffic—which can have tragic consequences”.

Risk of serious health conditions

Failing to get enough quality sleep can also put an individual at risk for developing serious mental or physical health conditions. For instance, depression and sleep disturbances have been found to have a bidirectional relationship, which means that the existence of one can trigger or exacerbate the other. People who already have insomnia also have a ten times greater risk of developing depression than those who do not.

A chronic lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can put a person at greater risk for developing various physical health issues as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that “insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and management” of various chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

If you’re experiencing chronic sleep disturbances, it may be beneficial to discuss your symptoms with your primary care doctor for medical advice. You might discover that you have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, a condition where an individual’s breathing starts and stops during sleep, often keeping them awake or making it difficult to sleep through the night. Other conditions that can create a chronic lack of sleep include restless legs syndrome as the uncomfortable sensation in one’s legs can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep.

Immune system functioning

Another way quality sleep can impact physical health is by strengthening our immune system. An article from UC Health states that sleep gives our body the chance to replenish necessary elements of this system, including:

• Cytokines, which “target infection and inflammation, creating an immune response” 

• T-cells, which “are white blood cells that play a critical role in our body’s immune response to an infectious disease” 

In other words, a lack of quality sleep may make an individual less able to fight off infections.

Social functioning

Without enough sleep, you may even find it more difficult to have positive social interactions with others. One study found that sleep-deprived individuals had more trouble fixating on facial expressions and deriving accurate meaning from them. The researchers suggest that a lack of sleep can result in “inaccurate and delayed judgment of the emotional state of others”, which can negatively impact social interactions. Over time, it can even result in social withdrawal in chronically sleep-deprived people because they may become frustrated with the low quality of their interactions—which can lead to other negative health outcomes.

Tips for improving sleep quality

If you’re having trouble getting good sleep, the Sleep Foundation recommends some of the following tips for practicing better sleep hygiene:

• Sleep and wake at roughly the same time every day.

• Stop using electronic devices 30–60 minutes before bed.

• Wind down for 30 minutes before bed (by reading, stretching, listening to calming music, etc.).

• Get up and do a calming activity if you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes.

• Get safe sun exposure during the day.

• Engage in routine exercise.

• Avoid smoking.

• Avoid caffeine and large meals in the evening.

• Block out noise and sounds in your bedroom.

• Maintain a comfortable bedroom temperature—not too hot or too cold.

• Only use your bed for sleep and sex so your mind associates it with rest.

If you’re having persistent trouble falling or staying asleep, you may also want to consult with a medical doctor. They can conduct an evaluation to see if there may be a physical health condition that’s interfering with your ability to sleep well. 

How therapy can help with sleep

A 2019 study reports that some types of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are considered to be “the most effective non-pharmacological treatment for chronic insomnia”. The study’s authors write that the benefits “seem to result from the patient learning how to support and promote the body’s natural sleep mechanism”. For instance, a cognitive behavioral therapist can help an individual learn ways to manage stress that may be keeping them up at night, develop strategies for relaxation, and address any mental health conditions that could be contributing to sleep disturbances. 

If you have a sleep disorder, a therapist may be able to help. For those who are looking for a more convenient, cost-effective option for obtaining this type of care, you might consider online therapy. With a virtual therapy platform like BetterHelp, for instance, you can meet with a licensed therapist via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging from the comfort of home—and for a cost that’s comparable to most insurance co-pays. Research suggests that online and in-person therapy sessions can offer similar benefits in many cases, so you can generally choose the format that works best for you.