Good night sleep is not only good for your body but also for your mind. (Image via TheJournal.ie)

Sleep prevents stress by 30 percent: Study

Sleeping is not only good for your physical health but also your mental. In other words, a good amount of sleeping time makes a person healthier and wiser. If a person lacks sleep, it might increase his/her stress level by 30 percent.

The research was conducted by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley. In the research, about 330 people with ages ranged from 18 to 50 were involved in the study. The study was later published in the scientific journal, Nature Human Behaviour.

During the research, the scientists also conducted MRI and polysomnography (sleep measure) tests on 18 young adults to monitor sleeping disorders within the participants while they were watching emotional video clips. These 18 young adults were divided into two groups: one having good night sleeps, and the other facing sleepless nights.

After watching the emotional video clips, these 18 young adults were required to fill state-trait anxiety questionnaires inventory to assess their stress levels.

It was revealed by the result of the questionnaires that those who lacked sleep showed a dysfunctional medial prefrontal cortex, a part of the body to alleviate anxiety. Also, the deeper emotional parts of their brain are overactive. The results were also the same for participants in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Supporting the research, an online study also proved that sleep quality affects one’s stress levels the following day. The study involved a four-day experiment over 280 participants, ranging from young to middle-aged people.

In brief, sleeping affects one’s mental health as much as 30 percent. It is not a significant number, yet it might drive someone mad if they woke up on the wrong side of the bed. According to the Sleep Council, teenagers from 12 to 18 years old need 8 – 9 hours of sleep. Meanwhile, adults from 18 – 65 years old need 7 – 9 hours of sleep.

Therefore, we suggest you stick to the sleep intake to maintain your stress level and crank up your productivity.

Source: https://bit.ly/2WVTEES