What is the difference between shutting down your computer and putting it into sleep mode?

Generally speaking, yes, it is better to put the computer to sleep than it is to shut it down, for two reasons:

1. It's better for you - resuming from sleep mode is a lot faster than going through the entire boot up process.

2. It's better for the computer - resuming operation from a low-powered state is less harsh on you computer components than when you jolt it alive by turning the power on from a shut down state.