How do you feel after a good night’s sleep? How about a not-so-great night of sleep?
What are you doing that contributes to each? On average, how many hours of sleep do you get per night? These are questions I ask my students, clients, and people I talk to. Sleep is an essential part of life; we cannot live without it.
Why is a good night’s sleep so important?
While there is no absolute consensus on why sleep is essential, experts agree that sleep is crucial for many reasons:
- To grow and repair at the cellular level
- Repair, replace and restore energy
- Interpretation of thoughts, experiences and emotions
- The brain plasticity theory (more on that later)
There are many benefits to a good night’s sleep:
- Learning
- Memory consolidation
- Fostering creativity
- Lowering risk of chronic conditions
- Better mood
- Less risk of accidents
- Clearer thinking
- Boosting the immune system
- Increased energy
The consequences of NOT getting a good night’s sleep are pretty much the opposite – affecting memory retention, creativity, the ability to focus attention, increased stress, high blood pressure, impaired control of blood glucose and increased inflammation. Sleep loss results in decreased functioning of the immune, temperature regulation, and endocrine systems, as well as cognitive and behavioral tasks.
Sleep stages
There are various sleep stages every human experiences during a night of sleep. The sleep stages allow the brain to recuperate from the day and support multiple functions. Three non-rapid eye movement stages and one rapid eye movement stage make up one sleep cycle. A person will typically go through four to six sleep cycles per night. The first sleep cycle is often the shortest, ranging from 70 to 100 minutes, while later cycles tend to fall between 90 and 120 minutes. In addition, the composition of each cycle – how much time is spent in each sleep stage – changes as the night goes along. Duration of stages can vary based on age, sleep patterns, alcohol, and sleep disorders.
How are a good night’s sleep and the body’s circadian rhythm related?
Our body and brain have a natural circadian rhythm. This is the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to light changes in our environment. It dictates multiple processes in the body, including alertness or sleepiness, appetite, and body temperature. Circadian rhythms can be disrupted by travel, work, or an underlying health issue.
Shift work can cause circadian rhythm sleep disorder. This results in poor sleep quality, feeling fatigued or exhaustive, even after 7-8 hours of sleep, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep several weeks after shift adjustment, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, headaches and poor mood & irritability.
50 to 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder. A sleep disorder is characterized by trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and/or waking up too early. Insomnia affects 30% of the population. Symptoms of insomnia may include daytime sleepiness as well as gasping or snorting noises that interrupt a person’s sleep. Generally, it occurs at least 3 nights/week for > 30 minutes each time. Effective treatments include devices that administer gentle air pressure during sleep. If you think you might be affected, you should consult your primary care provider.
Driving drowsy in equivalent to driving drunk and having a blood alcohol level of .08. It can be very scary. Here are some warning signs to look out for – yawning or blinking frequently, difficulty recalling the past few miles driven, hitting a rubble strip on the side of the road, missing your exit, or drifting from your lane. When these behaviors happen, it’s time to pull over and stop driving or change drivers.
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Adults should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Some helpful strategies for building healthy sleep habits include:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
- Create and maintain a consistent, relaxing bedtime ritual.
- Avoid alcohol and stimulants (caffeine) late in the day.
- Turn your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary.
- Go to sleep when you’re actually tired.
- Avoid hitting the snooze button.
- Exercise daily, but not right before bedtime.
- Limit the use of electronics before bed.
- Avoid tobacco use.
- Write a problem down instead of discussing it before bed.
- Avoid napping if possible. If you need to nap, make it 30 minutes or less.
- Stay away from large meals before bed. If you need a snack, try a healthy carb or protein.
- Consult a healthcare professional if you have ongoing sleep problems.
If you need help with developing better sleep habits, feel free to reach out to me to explore the benefits of health and wellness coaching.
