It's a fact. Most of us would like more of it, yet too few of us are getting enough. What am I talking about? Sleep.
As you get older, your sleep habits becomes more important - especially if your goal is to build muscle and lose body fat.
Yet these bedtime benefits don't only affect the way you look. They help to boost your memory too.
In fact, just eight hours of quality sleep a night can make people mentally sharper when they reach old age, a study has recently found.
Here is what they discovered:
Bedtime Benefits
Researchers analysed over 200 studies measuring sleep and mental functioning going back to the 1960s. After evaluating people's sleep habits, they concluded the benefits of a sound night's sleep were diverse and unmistakable.
The study was published in the Journal of Perspectives on Psychological Science, and signals the clearest sign that eight hours sleep time is the key to greater wellbeing and health.
Research team leader Professor Michael Scullin said:
"People sometimes disparage sleep as 'lost' time. But sleeping well is linked to better mental health, improved cardiovascular health and fewer, less severe disorders and diseases of many kinds."
London Sleep Centre Professor Adrian Williams agrees. He had this to say:
"The report is authored by respected sleep researchers and fits with our current understanding of the value of sleep in memory consolidation and protection from cardiovascular and metabolic diseases."
So how good are you in bed? Make sure you get enough shut-eye and you'll soon banish any bedtime blues.
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