The Importance of Sleep on Health
Sleep Matters
Sleep. We all do it. We all need it. However, in this fast-paced, competitive and often cut-throat world, requiring sleep is often seen as a flaw with phrases like ‘work hard, play hard’ and ‘you can sleep when you’re dead’ tossed around the workplace with pride. We often see powerful men and women in the media quoting that they survive on 4 hours sleep a night. Not needing much sleep is almost a status - proving endurance, their worth and lack of weakness. However, over time, are they doing a disservice to their health, longevity, productivity and creativity, as well as increasing their risk of chronic disease?
Although some may operate well on a few hours, most people are doing more harm than good if they are only sleeping for short periods. Sleep is absolutely integral to our health and our wellness. Humans sleep because we need to spend about one third of our lives doing this. Sleep provides the body time to restore, repair and rejuvenate, and there is empirical evidence collected from both human and animal studies to support this. Research shows that physiological functions such as tissue repair and muscle growth, protein synthesis and the release of certain hormones like growth hormone, occur mostly during sleep.
When night falls and it gets dark, the body releases a hormone called melatonin which makes us less alert and helps us feel sleepy. However, melatonin can be disrupted by a number of environmental factors such as: stress and anxiety, the blue light from your phone, iPad or TV, and house lights and street lights that don’t allow the night to grow dark.
Why sleep matters more than we think
A recent study on sleep and immune function summarised that there is evidence that sleep affects a wide variety of immune actions. Sleep deprivation can be viewed as a state of chronic stress on the body, negatively impacting our immune system’s responses. Reduced sleep enhances our susceptibility to infections and negatively impacts our general health.
“Ouch!”
Reduced sleep may also negatively affect how productive and creative we are in our work. The National Sleep Foundation advises that a lack of sleep impacts our ability to focus and pay attention, resulting in less productivity as well as reduced performance. In terms of creativity, sleep promotes the synthesis of new ideas, increases problem-solving abilities, and improves high-level and innovative thinking. So if our work requires creativity and high productivity, then time for quality sleep should be high on the well-being agenda!
Furthermore, as you sleep, connections between our brains cells are strengthened and short term memory information is transferred to long term memory. So the impact sleep has on our brain function and memory is not to be ignored.
Drinking alcohol is also detrimental for improving our sleep. After a drink you may feel relaxed and sleepy and it may help you initially get to sleep, but unfortunately alcohol reduces the quality and quantity of your sleep. Alcohol can affect important sleep-waves and circadian rhythms as well as REM sleep, making you wake during the night or earlier than usual and may leave you feeling unrested and lacking in energy. Alcohol before bed may also make you wake for a toilet visit or two during the night, which can further reduce your sleep quality.
There is growing research showing that all types of stress can harm our sleep quality and being stressed or anxious can contribute to how well we sleep. When we are stressed there are a number of chemical reactions in the body affecting the nervous system, immune system and our hormonal synergy. These reactions keep the body in hyper-arousal mode, in which both the body and brain stay alert for a perceived threat. So it’s a cycle of stress reducing sleep quality and reduced sleep increasing stress and anxiety. This vicious cycle is extremely detrimental to our health and wellbeing and unfortunately affects many people.
An amazing book called “Why Sleep Matters” written by Professor Matthew Walker explores why we need sleep and the changes in sleep patterns over a lifetime. He also discusses why sleep is so important to our health and longevity, but is very much neglected in our society, which may have the consequences of cancer, diabetes, obesity and dementia (very strong causal links to sleep deficiency). It’s scary stuff, but it’s all everything we should know if we are to make positive changes to our sleep hygiene by making our sleep a priority. It is well worth a read if this is a subject that interests you.
Many of us work ridiculously long hours, have stressful jobs, personal worries or family obligations, and other life demands that do not always allow a quality, 8-hour sleep every night. But there are things we can do nutritionally alongside lifestyle changes that can promote a better nights sleep.
Actions to support a better nights sleep:
In the house have soft lighting such as dimmers or lamps to reduce bright light and promote that atmosphere of it being night to help switch on your melatonin
Ensure your bedroom is dark. If you have bright street lighting coming in, install a black-out blind
Studies also show that the ideal temperature for your bedroom is 16-18 degrees Celsius. This can feel cold initially but it can enhance a better nights sleep
Turn off electronics AT LEAST 1 hour before bed. I know it’s tempting to check your Instagram or do one last email before you turn off your light, but it’s not ideal for enhancing a good night’s sleep
Keep caffeine intake to the morning and drink non-caffeinated beverages after midday
Make an evening list of to do actions for the next day so you can leave those thoughts outside of your brain and focus on bedtime
Find an activity that helps you with stress management (meditation, yoga, a gentle walk in the evening)
Eat a light meal containing slow-release carbohydrates and protein in the evening before bed, as this may help the production of melatonin
Build a sleep routine: turn off all technology, shower/bath, meditate/breathing technique for 5-10 minutes, drink a calming herbal tea such as camomile, valerian or a sleep infusion, read a light-hearted book. If you body gets used to a calming routine every night the brain will associate this with sleep. Even if work demands do not allow you to go to bed at the same time every night, a sleep routine will help your brain and body start to unwind and prepare for sleep. So work hard. Play hard. Sleep well.
Main Cover Photo: by Vino Li @vinomamba24
