Sleep & performance: The benefits of getting 7–9 hours of sleep per night

Sleep is essential to your health, wellness, and military performance. Getting enough sleep helps your perform at your best in all areas of Total Force Fitness (TFF)—physical fitness, mental fitness, social fitness, nutritional fitness, spiritual fitness, medical fitness, and financial fitness. Print out the graphic below for a quick reminder of all the reasons you have to prioritize sleep to optimize your performance.

See caption for alt text.

Sleep & Performance
The Benefits of Getting 7-9 Hours of Sleep Per Night

Physical Fitness

  • Physical recovery
  • Muscle memory
  • Injury prevention
  • Balance, coordination, and speed
  • Muscle gains

Mental Fitness

  • Mood and emotion regulation
  • Stress hormone regulation
  • Alertness and ability to sustain attention
  • Decision-making and problem-solving
  • Learning and memory

Social Fitness

  • Relationships
  • Empathy
  • Willingness to solve conflict
  • Openness to others

Nutritional Fitness

  • Hunger regulation
  • Blood sugar balance
  • Gut health
  • Healthy body weight

Spiritual Fitness

  • Mood and emotion regulation
  • Ability to live out your values

Medical Fitness

  • Ability to fight infection
  • Response to immunizations
  • Chronic disease prevention (heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc.)

Financial Fitness

  • Decision making
  • Reduces need for immediate gratification

Published on: July 1, 2022

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