Why Should You Sleep More?

Table of Contents

• The science behind sleep
• What are the benefits of sleeping?
• How to improve your sleep
• Teammate Showcase

The science behind sleep

Sleep is something you do everyday, yet people don't really know how it works. Sleep is based off your circadian rhythm, or your body's internal clock. This rhythm is affected
by light, and your habits/routine. When it gets dark outside, your body releases melatonin, a hormone which makes you feel sleepy. Another compound called adenosine is also released
and builds up while you're awake, building your drive for sleep.

Sleep can be broken up into four stages. In the first stage your muscles, heart rate and breath slow down and relax. This stage is inbetween being awake and asleep. In the second stage
your body is in a deeper state of sleep. Your awareness lowers, temperature drops, and heart rate slows down. Stage 3 is the deepest stage of sleep. Here is when your body becomes refueled
for the morning. Finally is REM sleep. This is when your eyes go through rapid movements and have dreams.

What are the benefits of sleeping?

Sleeping has many benefits. Some include:

• Increased concentration, productivity and cognition
• Lower the risk of weight gain and obesity
• More energy, coordination and speed throughout the day
• Lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes
• Reduces stress and chances of depression. Also improves your mood
• Improves your immune system

How to improve your sleep

• To improve sleep, you can increase bright light during the day, and decrease blue light at night. This helps balance your circadian rhythm. With bright light, your body tells itself that it
  is daytime and that you should be awake. Decreasing this light at night will stop the effect that bright light has. This can be done by avoiding screentime or using apps to reduce blue light on devices.
  If not, your body will reduce the amount of melatonin released and you will feel less sleepy.
• Another tip is to stop taking naps and maintain a regular sleep schedule. This goes back to your circadian rhythm, since your internal clock will be confused when sleeping in daytime.
  Taking these naps could make you have difficulty sleeping at night. Maintaining a good schedule is important since your body knows when you wake up and sleep and when the sun rises or sets.
  Because of this, you will feel awake or sleepy at consistant times everyday. Having an irregular schedule can mess up this rhythm and you can have poor sleep.
• Finally you can adjust your room to have better sleep. Temperature is extremely important, with the optimal temperature being around 70 degrees. Study have shown that temperature
  affects your sleep more than external noise does. Better quality beds, pillows and mattresses can definitely improve your sleep. It can reduce stiffness and pain all around and increase the
  quality of sleep

Showcasing Team Tenacious Turtles