Sleep is Important for Lifeguards, here’s why
Sleep: We do it every night without even stopping to think about why we do it. It’s how our mind and body rest at the same time — with no voluntary bodily functions or mental processing happening. And it’s incredibly important for lifeguards — or any active professional — to get their needed hours of sleep every night. Why? Let’s find out.
1. It helps keep a strong immune system.
When the mind and body work hard all day, the immune system is at risk — because it’s working overtime to keep you healthy. In our slumber, our bodies produce cytokines, proteins that find infections and inflammation in the body and create an immune response to combat them. We also produce T-cells, which are white blood cells that help fight off infections. Skipping your 8 hours of sleep means missing out on the production of these important proteins and cells — so make it a priority to get those 8 hours in!
2. It rebuilds your muscles.
We use our muscles all day. Lifeguards use their muscles even more than the average adult, so sleep is necessary in helping rebuild the muscles that are being worked throughout the day. Just like athletes ingest protein after a workout to strengthen the muscles they worked, sleep helps create those proteins naturally — so you’re really helping build onto your muscles while being dormant. Who would’ve thought?
3. It sets your internal clock.
We all have internal clocks that govern our body temperature, metabolism, stress control, inflammation, and hormones. What really affects this clock is sleep and diet. If you’re going to bed at wacky times and suffering from bad sleep throughout the night, this internal clock has a hard time getting regulated. 
Ultimately, it’s so out of wack that it can’t support all the functions in the way it needs to.
As you can see, there’s a reason why everyone says “Get a good night’s rest!” Sleep is something we need — and deserve — to recover and relax from the days we spend awake and active. It can take time to get into a proper sleep routine, and that’s okay. As long as you start trying to go to bed at the same time every night with 7 – 9 hours of sleep as a goal, you’re on the right track.
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