Sleep is important. We all know this from personal experience, right? If you don’t have a good night’s sleep, you feel out of it the next day. Your brain moves a little bit slower, you’re probably going to be a little achy, and you become more susceptible to illness. If you go several nights in a row without getting enough rest, you’re likely to be sick, confused, and downright miserable.
We know that sleep is important because we see what happens when we don’t get enough of it. But it wasn’t until quite recently that researchers began to understand the actual purpose of sleep for the human body. Sleep helps to clean the brain. It’s during this time that chemicals are flushed through the brain, cleaning away things that could be harmful for brain functioning. Researchers believe that this is what causes us to dream. If we don’t get enough sleep, the brain and the body are both negatively impacted. Over the long term, this can lead to serious health problems.
Recently, a study looked at exercise, and how it might counter the impact that poor sleep can have on the body. They found that people that exercise at or more than the weekly recommended amount tended to be healthier and live longer lives. Those that were better off financially, ate healthier, and didn’t smoke also slept better and got more exercise, too. Researchers also found that those who get the least amount of sleep and do not exercise are at the highest risk of death and serious health issues.
The research was conducted as part of the UK Biobank study. Results were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
For seniors, sleep can be a serious issue. Oftentimes, older folk have a really difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep. And unfortunately, this can lead to some serious health issues. The good news is that exercise can help. Not only does it help people to get better sleep and avoid the health issues that can accompany this, it can also help with heart health, muscle preservation, and stave off things like depression and anxiety. Exercise can do a lot of good.
But we all know that it can be tough to start. The trick is to find something that is fun, you have time for, and keeps you engaged for an extended period of time. You might need to be creative if going for walks isn’t your type of thing. The good news is that there are an infinite amount of exercises out there for you to experiment with and make your own. Finding the right one for you early on can be helpful, but it’s never too late to start.
Be sure to speak with a doctor if you’re beginning a new exercise to make sure that it is the right one for you. You don’t want to do more harm than good with exercise. But when you find the right one, it can do wonders for your health, both physically and mentally.
Remember, it’s never too late to start making healthy choices as we age.
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