6 unbelievable health benefits of going to bed early

Going to bed early can help you make more friends!

Are you a slave to your smart phone, staring at its screen late into the night, reading about how to train your pup to greet guests? And how long before you realise you don't own a pup in the first place? Plenty of us have stayed up late at night, mindlessly scrolling till our thumbs tire. The result is grogginess, irritability, bags under the eyes and fuelling up on caffeine to help us make through the day. Should have just kept the phone aside and went to sleep, right? But here we are again at night, wide awake on our beds, staring down at phone. But for a sound body and mind, you need at least six hours of uninterrupted shut eye. As the saying goes, 'Early to bed and early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise.' We all know the benefits of rising early. But what about hitting the bed early? Here are some of the unbelievable benefits of snoozing a little early.

1. You will think positively

Often, you may have been advised to sleep over a problem. Whoever told you that is definitely not bluffing. Research says, sleep deprivation causes higher levels of repetitive negative thinking or RNT. So the scientists conducted an experiment on 100 sleep deprived undergrads and found that they were more likely to ruminate over their problems. So when you are well-rested, you will seem more positive and less worried about the issues at hand.¹

2. There will be less goof ups

Not getting enough sleep can impair a lot of your cognitive processes like attention, language, memory and reasoning. Working in a sleep-deprived state is sure to lead to some serious goof ups; and if you are not careful, it could cost you your job! Good sleep can, in fact, enhance your cognitive skills, leaving you more vigilant, smarter and sharper than before.²

(Read: 5 things that changed once I started going to bed early)

3. You will make more friends

Sleep deprivation can make you irritable and nobody wants to be friends with a cranky person. Bad mood can make you pick up unnecessary fight, creating a hostile environment for you are for those around you. If you want to win friends, make sure you put your best face forward. And how do you do that? Get enough sleep; it's a great mood enhancer.³

4. You will live longer

If you thought drunken driving caused accidents on the road, you'd be surprised to know what moderate sleep deprivation can do. Your cognitive and motor skills go for a toss if you are not well rested. The results are as bad as that of alcohol intoxication! Sleeping well will ensure that you stay awake at the wheels, reducing chances of collisions and accidents.⁴

5. You will be better at work

We have already discussed the health benefits of getting enough sleep. Imagine how much better you'd get at your work if you are well-rested. Soon, you won't need your caffeine fix to make you sharper and better at what you do!²

6. You will be healthier

If you are frequently missing work because of constant illness, take a good look at your sleep schedule.

This is a no brainer, but sleep has a strong influence on your immune system. More sleep can reduce levels of cortisol in the blood, making the immune system function better.This means you will be able to fend off infections and illnesses better than before.⁵

References:

1. Nota, J. A., & Coles, M. E. (2015). Duration and timing of sleep are associated with repetitive negative thinking. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 39(2), 253-261.

2.Alhola, P., & Polo-Kantola, P. (2007). Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 3(5), 553 567.

3.Goel, N., Rao, H., Durmer, J. S., & Dinges, D. F. (2009). Neurocognitive Consequences of Sleep Deprivation. Seminars in Neurology, 29(4), 320 339. http://doi.org/10.1055/s-0029-1237117

4.Williamson AM, Feyer AM. Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occup Environ Med. 2000 Oct;57(10):649-55.

5.Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Born, J. (2012). Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Archiv, 463(1), 121 137. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0

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