Image by: Timothy Krause
By Kurt Garrity

Sleep. We all need it. Some more than others. We are at our most restful while we sleep … but we’re also at our most vulnerable. It is when we dream big and wide, unhindered by screen sizes and file formats. Well, it’s back.

Sleep. It’s cool again. The truth is, sleep has always been cool. Science tells us that a lot of interesting things happen while we sleep, and that it is a very integral part of the body’s overall health and well-being.

Here are three blockbuster health benefits of getting the proper amount of sleep:

1 – Practice, Practice, Practice

Guess what? That puzzle, machine or instrument you worked on during the day gets a full mental workout while you slumber. When you wake, you should find that you have an easier time with it. Get those lessons or hand-eye movements encoded and registered during lights out.

The brain is also busy using your sleep time to sift through all of that memory data and decide what stays and what goes.

2 – Live Longer & Prosperer

If you can get just the right amount of sleep, studies show that you can live longer. The problem is, there is not an EXACT amount of hours that experts agree upon is the optimum amount of sleep one should get. But all signs point to somewhere right about the six-hour mark (you need a minimum of six for maximum memory function).

Everyone is a little different. When it comes to sleep, we are all snowflakes.

3 – Keep The Weight Off

It has been shown that if you get a healthy amount of sleep that you will lose more fat than compared to a person who doesn’t get enough sleep. Notice I said fat, not weight. Seems that overall weight loss ends up being about the same, but the fat loss is higher in those who get adequate rest.