Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintour, and Oprah Winfrey all have one thing in common: they all go to sleep around 10 p.m. It seems these women are on the right track, as sleeping so early can have many positive effects on our body and mind.
It may not be surprising, then, that some of today’s most successful women end their day so early – to prepare for the next!
After doing some research, We want to show why people get their Zs so early and why you should start thinking about it too.
We Get The Most Out Of Sleep
Our sleep is divided into 90-minute cycles of heavy and light sleep, from deep non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep to REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
The deepest and most relaxing part of our sleep is between 10:00 pm. and 2 am. This means that to be fully rested, you need to start sleeping early in the cycle.
Also, a study says that sleeping earlier and longer helps us interrupt negative and worrying thoughts that can keep us awake at night – another reason to hit the sack at 10 pm!
Our Body Gets Back Into Shape
When we are in the deep sleep cycle, our body is healing itself, producing growth and repair hormones. This crucial activity will ensure that we are in top shape for the next day, especially when it comes to people who are athletic.
Our Stress Levels Drop
Not getting enough sleep can stress you out due to the extremely high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in your body. Excess cortisol can cause anxiety and affect our health.
But when you start sleeping earlier, you can catch longer periods of deep sleep that can really control your cortisol levels.
You may find that you are fully recharged during the day, once your stress levels drop, thanks to the rest your mind and body get from a full night’s sleep!
Our Risk Of Disease And Illness Is Smaller
Several studies have shown that people who sleep earlier are healthier than those who work the night shift or are night owls.
People who cannot sleep soundly enough are more likely to live with conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
The researchers also found that the deep sleep phase between 10 pm and 2 am is very important to our immune cells.
People who have not slept soundly have a lower antibody response to the virus, which means they can get sick more easily.
We Can Control Our Emotions Better
Studies show that people who have enough hours are generally happier in life. When we don’t sleep deep enough, our emotions can become more unstable, as we find it more difficult to control them.
Also, sleeping earlier can mean waking up earlier, which can be important if we want to catch more daylight and mood-boosting serotonin.
We Can Understand People’s Emotions Better
One study tells us that skipping a good night’s sleep makes happiness and sadness harder to read. According to the study, more subtle signs of emotions have been lost, which means that it is almost impossible to pick up these clues to know if a person is being sincere or not.
However, other emotions like anger and fear were easy to read, perhaps because our most primitive instincts, based on survival, are necessary to understand danger.
What time do you usually sleep? How many hours of sleep do you need to feel refreshed in the morning?
Preview photo credit kbeis / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images, Shutterstock.com
