Getting great quality sleep is something that comes naturally to all of us. After all, as infants, it’s the one thing we do best. As we grow up, sleep becomes less and less important to us. As adults, our actions throughout the day threaten our sleep quality with caffeine, highly stressful lives, and constant availability to cell phones, screens and TV’s. It’s no wonder that our sleep is one of the first habits that slips away when life gets hectic.

Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to sleep, which is why it is a priority of living a healthy life. Don’t believe me?

Here are three reasons why great quality sleep should be included in every healthy living plan:

1. Sleep quality affects your stress response.
When stressed, our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol which heightens our senses and keeps us alert for the situation we’ve encountered. Without being able to fully relax with quality sleep, our stress levels never fully recover after this response. With heightened awareness and stress, our likelihood of getting great sleep becomes even more difficult.

2. Sleep affects your digestion.
Digestion, absorption and assimilation of food takes quite a bit of energy from the body. In order to do this with ease, great quality sleep is required to let your body fully take advantage of that restful cycle.

3. Sleep curbs inflammation.
Increased amounts of inflammatory hormones are released into the blood when the body has not had time to get adequate quality sleep. This inflammation is a common link for many common illnesses, like heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Make the effort to add great quality sleep to your healthy living plan. Your body and your health will thank you for years to come.

Rachael Roehmholdt is a certified holistic health coach and founder of Be More Healthful. With a passion for good food and living a healthful and balanced life, she believes that small changes to our everyday lives can set us up for a lifetime of health and happiness.