Week # 7 - Sleep!

It may be far and few between for some of us during this time of year, but getting a good dose of beauty sleep can do more than turn you into Brad Pitt’s lookalike. Several studies link sleep habits with long-term health benefits and consequences. Adequate sleep is a key part of a healthy lifestyle and can improve your heart, weight, mind and more.

Did you know that you will spend about one-third of your life sleeping? But why exactly do we need sleep, how much sleep do we need and what happens to our bodies while we are catching ZZZs? 

Our bodies go through several stages of sleep, moving from one stage or type of sleep to another in cycles that can last up to 90 minutes each.

·       Stage one- During this stage, you sleep lightly and drift in and out of sleep and you are easily awakened. Your muscles begin to slow down and your eyes move very slowly.

·       Stage two- In stage two, your muscles relax. Your brain waves slow down, though occasionally you have bursts of brain activity.

·       Stages three and four- Deep sleep sets in. Your brain waves become large and slow. Your breathing becomes rhythmic, and your muscles remain relaxed. At this point your body begins releasing repairative hormones. Stages one through four are referred to as non-rapid eye movement (NREM).

·       Rapid Eye Movement (REM)- During REM sleep your muscles stop moving completely. Your breathing and heart rate become rapid and irregular, your blood pressure is more variable, and your eyes move rapidly in bursts of activity. Your brain waves show a pattern similar to wakefulness. Scientists believe this indicates that your brain is using this time to sort and organize your memories. Dreaming takes place during this stage. If you're awakened during REM sleep, you may recall vivid dreams.

Sufficient sleep helps recharge our mental and physical batteries but chronically losing sleep can lead to serious consequences. Research from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School linked deficient sleep with serious medical conditions. Many of their studies have shown people who get less than six hours of sleep per night are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), are prone to developing diabetes, and can lead to depression or other mood disorders.  

During sleep, our bodies secrete hormones that help to control appetite, energy metabolism, and glucose processing. Obtaining too little sleep upsets the balance of these and other hormones. For example, poor sleep leads to an increase in the production of cortisol, often referred to as the "stress hormone." Poor sleep is also associated with increases in the secretion of insulin following a meal. Insulin is a hormone that regulates glucose processing and promotes fat storage; higher levels of insulin are associated with weight gain, a risk factor for diabetes. Insufficient sleep is also associated with lower levels of leptin, a hormone that alerts the brain that it has enough food, as well as higher levels of ghrelin, a chemical that stimulates appetite. As a result, poor sleep may result in food cravings even after we have eaten an adequate number of calories. We may also be more likely to eat foods such as sweets that satisfy the craving for a quick energy boost. In addition, insufficient sleep may leave us too tired to burn off these extra calories with exercise.   

A sleepless night can cause even a saint to be irritable and moody the next day. Chronic sleeplessness has been correlated with depression, anxiety and mental distress. In one study from the Division of Sleep Medicine, subjects who slept 5 hours or less a night showed declining levels of optimism and sociability and greater feelings of stress, sadness, anger and mental exhaustion.

Considering the many potential adverse health effects of insufficient sleep, it is not surprising that poor sleep is associated with lower life expectancy. It sounds so easy in theory though, right? Get eight hours of sleep a night (by the way the daily recommended amount is between 7 ½ and 9) and live healthily ever after. But with all of those reality shows on and Starcraft games to be played each night, before you know it it’s midnight and your alarm is set to go off in 5 hours.  Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic on how to get better sleep and more of it:

1.      Stick to a sleep schedule- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.

2.      Pay attention to what you eat and drink- don’t go to bed too hungry or too full. 

3.      Create a bedtime ritual- Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This might include reading a book, listening to soothing music, or practicing relaxation techniques.

4.       Get comfortable- Create a room that is ideal for sleeping: some place cool, quiet and dark.

5.      Include physical activity in your daily routine- This should be a given…since you are participating the wellness challenge and all…right?

6.      Manage stress- When you have too much on your plate your sleep can suffer. To restore peace in your life, consider healthy ways to manage stress.

Happy Sleeping!