Did you know that an irregular sleep schedule is one of the unhealthiest life-habits, along with unhealthy diets, a sedentary life, and unmanaged stress? Sleep is our gateway to rest, regeneration and healing. There are so many ways the science of our well-being and happiness is directly connected with a great sleeping habit.
To lead a happy life, a few key necessities are
• Great self-control
• Emotional Management
• Good physical health
• Better performance at work
Now, each of these demands your mind and body to be at a steady, peaceful and balanced state, which can only stem from a well-rested person. Here are 7 ways deep-sleep can help you achieve a meaningful life that gives you immense, long-lasting happiness.
1. A Great Sleep Cycle gives you a Positive Emotional Experience
To have great emotional management, you must know how to master the constructive outcomes or responses over the destructive ones. If you have been working ‘all-nighters’, juggling deadlines and multi-tasking, you will wake up with an irritable mood the next day.
Next, without even knowing, you get extremely angry at every little thing happening around you, like a traffic jam or an annoying conversation. You end up screaming at everyone, and nothing positive ever comes out of this chain of negative events!
A good night’s sleep cycle will keep you rested, and with proper energy-levels to stay balanced, active and calm throughout the day.
2. Stress Release
Lack of sleep has integral effects on the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system. Sleep can alter the production of the body’s natural cortisol, which is a stress-hormone raised in the blood. This makes the heart work harder in order to keep your body alert.
With a good night’s sleep, you could gain deep relaxation, which will help the heart function at optimum levels. A good balance of rest and work is the best and probably the only way to manage stress, and thus work in all aspects with the right level of energy.
So, begin by taking a break, or getting a long and effective rest!
3. Rest, Focus and Success
You require energy for all your emotional, physical and intellectual activities. For a healthy lifestyle, energy depletion will demand sleep to recharge the body and mind. Almost 7-9 hours of sleep is essential for adults to function at their peak capabilities. Your body needs to rest, recuperate, and recharge.
Sleep also enhances memory, boosts the immune system, prevents diseases, regulates metabolism, improves athletic performance, inspires creativity, and wards off mental illness.
So, a good sleep pattern will help you have a properly set biological clock, synchronising your physiological activities with your body’s circadian rhythm.
4. Healing, Regeneration and Problem-Solving
We covered the sleep cycles in my last article. The third (NREM) of the four stages of a sleep cycle is when you are in your deepest sleep. This is when the body focuses on healing and re-generation — cellular repair, muscle regeneration, and even immunity building. Your body is dealing with pain and fatigue and taking care of itself.
A good sleep is key to:
• Better, nourished skin
• Healthy metabolism
• Mental health
• A healthy and relaxed heart
Did you know that your brain works to find solutions to problems while you are sleeping? Deep sleeps gives the mind and body the time to actually organise thoughts and solve problems that seem difficult in your state of wakefulness. Know more about how sleep helps in solving problems in my book, Happiness Habits: The Urban Professional’s Guide To Good Living.
5. How do dreams help in Memory-Reconciliation?
With a complete sleep cycle, your mind works in fascinating ways to release trauma and consolidate memory! In the healing from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the importance of deep sleep with proper timing has been considered.
During the fourth stage of our sleep cycle (REM), our minds are closest to the unconsciousness. This stage is when we dream. Through our dreams, our minds process memories, organize them, and release repressed emotions, that often help us find clarity or release emotional repression.
6. Mental Health and Regular Sleep
Good sleep keeps our body energized and minds focused to manage emotional outcomes. Sleep-deprivation, on the other hand makes space for anxiety, stress and depression, in the long run.
Regular sleep keeps your cognitive skills- attention, memory, and emotional regulation activated. The serious closeness between sleep and mental health, if not considered soon enough, could lead to a complete lapse in the biological clock, and thereafter our mental healths.
7. Finally, the gateway to happiness is within you!
Lasting happiness comes not from the willingness to go extra-ordinary miles of stress to gain a material achievement, but from working on peace within your selves! Taking time to build a healthy sleep routine will synchronize all your other activities in a way that suits your body best.
With a healthy mind a body, all other aspects of life will be easier- work, family, relationships. Good health and self-care is what will help to seek lasting happiness in the long run! So, begin practicing a regular sleep routine that allows you to stay well focused and awake throughout the day TODAY!
Sleep is just one of many ways in which you can find your path to happiness. As a busy urban professional, you might not get the chance to sleep well as often as you require. To explore the world of healing and lasting happiness, I introduce you to effective and easy techniques in my latest book, Happiness Habits: The Urban Professional’s Guide To Good Living.