Most people can tell a difference when the previous night's sleep was interrupted. You often feel irritable, tired, have low energy and find it difficult to concentrate. The value of a good night's sleep is sometimes forgotten and neglected, but a full night of continuous sleep is invaluable.
Recharging Energy Levels
While you are asleep, your body goes through a cycle of several levels of sleep. Each level of sleep has a purpose, and deep sleep is vital for recharging and rejuvenating your body for the next day. When you do not reach deep sleep during the night, such as when your sleep has been interrupted by outside noise or stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine late in the evening, your body does not have the chance to properly recharge, leaving you sluggish and lacking energy the next day.
Repairing Your Body
In the cycles of deep sleep, your body produces proteins that repair necessary parts of your body that are damaged from stress, physical activity and pollutants. When your sleep patterns are interrupted, you do not achieve the deeper cycles of sleep that repair your body. When you wake during the night, you must go through the many levels of sleep to reach a deep sleep. Recurring interruptions can prevent this process.
Benefits of REM Sleep
The deep dreaming state in which your eyes move quickly under your lids is referred to as rapid-eye movement or REM sleep. During this type of sleep, your brain stores information learned throughout your day and enhances neurotransmitter function that supplies with you with chemicals that prevent depression, such as serotonin and dopamine. This cycle of sleep also enhances memory by building neural connections in your brain.
Fighting Weight Gain
Uninterrupted sleep can also help you fight the battle of the bulge. You may have noticed an increase in hunger the day after a restless night of sleep. This is your body's natural response to make up for a lack of energy with carbohydrates. A full 8 to 9 hours of consistent, uninterrupted sleep will give you more energy during the day, preventing you from overloading on carbohydrates that can expand your waistline.
