Sleep facts you may not know

Sleep quality and quantity are more important for good health and weight loss than diet and exercise. This is because sleep impacts hormone levels including those linked to appetite, brain function, and exercise ability.

Sleep impacts nearly every organ in your body and body systems such as your metabolism, immune function, and disease resistance. Getting enough good quality sleep can help protect you from heart problems and diabetes whilst also boosting your immune system and even your sex drive.

Whilst we sleep we consolidate information into our memory so getting good quality sleep can improve our memory and our ability to learn. Without sleep, we would be unable to maintain or form new memories.

The percentage of people who can survive on 6 hours of sleep or less without impairment to their daily functioning is estimated to be less than 1 in 20 people, so it is more likely that you are not the next Margaret Thatcher. Most people need around 8 hours. Studies have also shown sleep deprivation can give you as much impairment to your brain function as being legally drunk. This can be after around 17 hours without any sleep or if you sleep less than 6 hours for 10 days in a row. It is also similar to alcohol in that the more sleep-deprived you become the less you will be aware that your brain functioning has been affected.