Sleep Significance

If you total it up, we sleep approximately 36% of our lives, yet scientists cannot completely agree on why we sleep and many of us don’t give the importance of sleep a second thought.  In fact, Margaret Thatcher once said, “Sleep is for wimps” and Thomas Edison called sleep “A criminal waste of time.”  The one thing today’s neuroscientists do agree on is that we are largely sleep deprived.  Likewise, there are numerous physiological complications and shortcomings that consistently occur when we are not getting enough sleep.  So how much sleep do we require and how do we improve our sleep habits?

Sleep experts agree that ideally, we should be getting around eight hours of sleep each night and teenagers should be getting closer to nine.  In the 1950s most Americans committed this time, but by 2013, it’s estimated that most of us are only getting around 6 ½ hours nightly and teenagers often get less than this.  In addition to general irritability, lack of proper sleep is known to result in poor memory, poor judgment, and impulsiveness.  Likewise, our creativity and ability to solve difficult problems is decreased by approximately three times.  Perhaps the biggest downfall of inadequate rest is that it induces the stress response which is accompanied by an array of hormone changes and imbalances.  Over time, this stress physiology will result in an array of problems including higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.  In fact a study looking at people working swing shifts did show a higher incidence of cancers as a result of a generally suppressed immunity.  Finally, loss of sleep is linked to a hormone called ghrelin that causes us to crave carbs and sugars and results in weight gain.

To compensate for lack of sleep we tend to turn to stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine, and other energy drinks.  While this gives some short-term relief, in the end, it only makes the problem worse and increases the stress response.  Sleep experts recommend avoiding all stimulants including caffeine all together after lunch.  Likewise, for the millions of Americans who suffer from sleep disorders, it is recommended to make your bedroom as dark as possible and a little cooler in temperature.  Since bright light stimulates wakefulness, it is also recommended to avoid television, computers, and phone displays for at least a half an hour prior to bedtime.  You should even dim the lights in your bedroom or bathroom mirror when you prepare for bed.  For those who still have difficulty with uninterrupted sleep, I still recommend using a guided meditation c.d. to fall asleep.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen this help.  You can also try tryptophan or melatonin as a more natural sleep aid.  Neither of these should cause drowsiness the next day.  Change your routine, supplement if necessary, but either way, make sleep a priority not only for your mental state and productivity but for your overall health as well.