Sleep Well, Stay Healthy!

When you've slept well, you wake up feeling energised, refreshed and ready to enjoy whatever the new day may bring. If you haven't, you're likely to feel tired, irritable and miserable. There are so many health benefits to sleeping well that it's impossible to list them all so here are just a few of them...

• A healthy immune system is crucial in protecting you from viruses and preventing you from getting ill. During sleep, the immune cells and proteins in your body are rested and renewed, keeping your immune system strong and helping you to fight against common illnesses like flu and the common cold, among many others. Sleep specialists from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine carried out an extensive study that showed sleeping properly can even help to make vaccines work more effectively. 
• Good sleep is closely linked to appetite and thus to diet and weight gain. When the body is deprived of sleep, it produces a hormone called ghrelin which boosts appetite, making you more likely to reach for unhealthy snacks. In addition, sleep deprivation causes a drop in the levels of the hormone leptin, which tells the body when you are full and so need to stop eating. In combination, these effects can lead to excessive weight gain and the many health problems that causes. 
• Another hormone affected by poor sleep is cortisol, known as the 'stress hormone'. Sleep deprivation increases cortisol production, making the heart work harder than it should. This can cause high blood pressure and also increase your risk of having a heart attack in later life. 
• A lack of sleep causes a decrease in the ability to concentrate as well as slowing reaction times. This can be seriously dangerous if you are driving. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety carried out a study that showed people who have had just six hours of sleep instead of eight were twice as likely to have a road accident. People who had slept for less than five hours were frightening FOUR times more likely to do so. 

Numerous factors affect sleep quality but one of the most serious is the quality of your bed and mattress. Here at Odd Size Beds, we can supply you with premium-quality beds, mattresses and accessories to help ensure that you sleep well every night.

Find out more details about our product portfolio on the Odd Size Beds website. Sweet dreams!