Imagine that you go and lie down and close your eyes. Think how good you will feel after your night’s sleep, and how you will wake up refreshed and full of energy.
When you sleep a variety of essential processes take place within your body, carrying out intensive repair and rebuilding work. The more stress and demands you place on your body and mind during the day, the more important the night’s sleep is for recovery.
When sleeping, many important hormones reach their peak levels. For example, the number of growth hormones in the body increases. For children and young people, sleep is extremely important in order for them to grow and develop. Immune defence also improves during sleep. You grow stronger, and become more energised.
Another advantage of sleeping well is that the number of stress hormones in the body falls while you sleep. This means that the risk of cardiovascular disease and other stress-related illnesses falls.