Most of us take sleep for granted unless it starts to become elusive. During sleep, your brain and body enter a state quite different from being awake – it is not simply a case of switching off. And when sleep is limited, the impact on li health can be significant.
As a society, we probably sleep less now than at any time in the past. Records show that, until the widespread availability of electric light in the 19th century, people slept for an average of nine hours a night. Today, the average is seven hours, and many people get by on less. But does sleep deprivation affect health? We cannot survive indefinitely without sleep – 11 days is the record (people can go without food for far longer ). Slee p, then, would appear to be essential, but there is still no generally agreed account of why this is so. Some scientists think that sleep is necessary because of the body’s need to have ‘down time’ in which to build glucose reserves or to exercise little-used brain circuits. Other suggestions include the need to conserve energy – but in fact, a body asleep continues to use up almost as many calories as it does when awake. Whatever the precise reason for sleeping, it is agreed that it plays an important role in keeping us healthy.
Sleep Problems
Sometimes, we miss out on sleep due to a lack of opportunity- the demands of a young family, for example, or an overloaded social life on top of a busy work schedule. But, the quality of sleep itself might be deficient, and this can indicate another health problem. For example, people suffering from depression may wake up very early in the morning and be unable to get back to sleep. Snoring, too, can be a sign of an underlying problem called sleep apnoea. This is a temporary cessation of breathing, perhaps hundreds of times a night. People who suffer from sleep apnoea are more prone to a stroke or heart disease, probably because vital organs (brain and heart) are intermittently deprived of oxygen. They are also prone to daytime sleepiness, which can be dangerous if they need to drive a vehicle. Of course, insomnia can occur without any obvious cause. But becoming anxious about sleeping will only cause worry and make us less able to sleep. For those people who worry that they are damaging their health through a lack of sleep, laboratory evidence has revealed that insomniacs get more sleep than they think. What seems like only half an hour’s sleep over the whole night may, in fact, be nearer five hours.
Body changes during sleep.
Sleep produces changes in our physiological cycles. Research in sleep laboratories has shown that there is a peak in the levels of growth hormone when people first fall asleep. In adults, this hormone is involved with cell repair and so maintains the health of skin, bone, and muscle. Another hormone produced in early sleep is testosterone, which helps to explain why sleep disorders in men can cause impotence. Sleep also helps the brain process memories. Studies have shown that it is harder to memorize complex material if sleep is interrupted.
How many hours?
The opinion is divided on how much sleep we really need. Six or seven hours of sleep a night may well be fine. However, the Canadian psychologist Stanley Coren believes that Western society is sleep-deprived, which leads to accidents and undermines day-to-day efficiency. If you are not sure whether you are actually getting the sleep you need, experiment with an hour or two more – or less -for a week or so and see how you feel.
A Good Night’s Sleep
Try the following tips to achieve sufficient quantity and quality of sleep:
- Make sure the bedroom is comfortable- neither too hot nor too cold and as dark as it can be made.
- Exercise can help us to wind down, but it should not be taken last thing at night. It will speed up metabolism and make it hard to settle down.
- As with physical exercise, it is important not to work immediately before going to bed or to get involved in stimulating mental activity.
- Try to choose television programming or reading matter that will not provoke too much thought.
- Try a milky drink or a soothing herbal tea. A bowl of cereal may also help because carbohydrates induce sleep.
- The popular belief that cheese causes nightmares is incorrect- it is far more likely to lead to a about of indigestion.
- If you have real problems, the best way to regulate your sleep–wake cycles is to get up at the same time every day, including weekends.
