Slumber Away Towards Good Health

Slumber Away Towards Good Health

           

Jakarta is fast becoming a metropolitan city. Economy is at its peak. The hustle and bustle of people can be seen and heard on the street. Due to the increase in demands, days are becoming longer and nights are becoming shorter. The cliché – you should sleep for 8 hours or more- is becoming more and more of a fairytale. On an average an Indonesian adult sleeps 6 hours or less per day. Sleep deprivation is very deleterious to our health. It has been linked to a number of health conditions including cancer.

           

What is sleep? Why is it so important?

Sleep is a dynamic activity. Until the 1950s, most people thought of sleep as a passive, dormant part of our daily lives. We now know that our brains are very active during sleep. Moreover, sleep affects our daily functioning and our physical and mental health in many ways that we are just beginning to understand. During sleep we pass through 5 stages: Stage 1-4 and REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement).

1. We all know that when we get a good sleep, we feel refreshed. Our day is rosier, our body seems to move faster and solutions to problems are derived faster. The reasons for these are as follows: 1. Sleep Improves our immune system à A study on rats have proved that, rats that are deprived of sleep have a shorter life span. These rats also tend to have a lower body temperature and they also develop sores on their tail and paws. All this is because of lowered immunity.
2. Sleep is necessary for our nervous system to work properly àSome experts believe sleep gives neurons used while we are awake a chance to shut down and repair themselves. Without sleep, neurons may become so depleted in energy or so polluted with byproducts of normal cellular activities that they begin to malfunction. This will result in drowsiness and unable to concentrate the next day. It also leads to impaired memory and physical performance and reduced ability to carry out math calculations. If sleep deprivation continues, hallucinations and mood swings may develop.
3.  Deep sleep coincides with the release of growth hormone in children and young adults. Many of the body's cells also show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. Since proteins are the building blocks needed for cell growth and for repair of damage from factors like stress and ultraviolet rays, deep sleep may truly be "beauty sleep." Activity in parts of the brain that control emotions, decision-making processes, and social interactions is drastically reduced during deep sleep, suggesting that this type of sleep may help people maintain optimal emotional and social functioning while they are awake.

How much Sleep do we need?

The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors, including age. Infants generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours on average. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. Experts say that if you feel drowsy during the day, even during boring activities, you haven't had enough sleep. If you routinely fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably have severe sleep deprivation, possibly even a sleep disorder. Microsleeps, or very brief episodes of sleep in an otherwise awake person, are another mark of sleep deprivation. In many cases, people are not aware that they are experiencing microsleeps.

Sleep Deprivation is DANGEROUS.

• Sleep Deprived people perform tasks worse than those who are intoxicated.
• Driver fatigue is responsible for most motor vehicle accidents. Since drowsiness is the brains last step before falling asleep, driving while drowsy can- and often does- lead to disaster.
• Irritability is probably the first visible side effect of lack of sleep. It is normal for someone who hasn't slept well at night to be irritable the next day.
• Memory loss and hallucination are due to lack of sleep
• A person with sleep deprivation is much more susceptible to having Diabetes type II as compared to someone who gets the required amount of sleep
• Lack of sleep suppresses the growth hormones and lead to higher levels of reaction to stress, urges for sex, immune system, moods, etc. This means that the individual starts loosing “self control”
• Lack of sleep impairs the healing abilities of our body
• Sleep deprivation affects the immune system, hence making it tougher to fight away disease
• Lack of sleep causes impairment of abilities. This is what makes you clumsy
• Lack of sleep is also linked to one of the factors resulting in obesity
• Memory loss and hallucinations are also acute lack of sleep side effects.

Do you deprive yourself of sleep or sleeping is a problem?

            In my opinion, there are 2 main reasons why some people have sleep deprivation. The first reason is self inflicted. The second reason is that they have a sleeping disorder or a psychiatric illness like depression, schizophrenia or other mental disorders. Sleeping problems are common in many other disorders as well, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, cancer, and head injury.

            I am sure most of you fall into the first category – self inflicted. If you have consciously made an effort to sleep and you cannot fall asleep or if you wake up tired after more than 8 hours of rest then you probably have a sleeping disorder. Some of the sleeping disorders are

1. Insomnia: Insomnia is present when all three of the following criteria are met:

- A complaint of difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, or waking up too early. Alternatively, sleep that is chronically nonrestorative or poor in quality

- The above sleep difficulty occurs despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep

- The impaired sleep produces deficits in daytime function.

2 Obstructive Sleep Apnea

            Sleep apnea is a disorder of interrupted breathing during sleep. It usually occurs in association with fat buildup or loss of muscle tone with aging. It is usually associated with loud snoring (though not everyone who snores has this disorder) The person may snort or gasp, then resume snoring. This cycle may be repeated hundreds of times a night. The frequent awakenings that sleep apnea patients experience leave them continually sleepy and may lead to personality changes such as irritability or depression. Sleep apnea also deprives the person of oxygen, which can lead to morning headaches, a loss of interest in sex, or a decline in mental functioning. It also is linked to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, and an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke. Patients with severe, untreated sleep apnea are two to three times more likely to have automobile accidents than the general population. In some high-risk individuals, sleep apnea may even lead to sudden death from respiratory arrest during sleep.

            Patients with the typical features of sleep apnea, such as loud snoring, obesity, and excessive daytime sleepiness, should be referred to a specialized sleep center that can perform a test called polysomnography. This test records the patient's brain waves, heartbeat, and breathing during an entire night. If sleep apnea is diagnosed, several treatments are available. Mild sleep apnea frequently can be overcome through weight loss or by preventing the person from sleeping on his or her back. Other people may need special devices or surgery to correct the obstruction.

Tips for a Good Night's Sleep:

Adapted from "When You Can't Sleep: The ABCs of ZZZs," by the National Sleep Foundation.

• Set a schedule: Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. "Sleeping in" on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.
• Exercise: Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. For maximum benefit, try to get your exercise about 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol: Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and keeps people awake. Sources of caffeine include coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, non-herbal teas, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.
• Relax before bed: A warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine can make it easier to fall sleep. You can train yourself to associate certain restful activities with sleep and make them part of your bedtime ritual.
• Sleep until sunlight: If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body's internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.
• Don't lie in bed awake: If you can't get to sleep, don't just lie in bed. Do something else, like reading, watching television, or listening to music, until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia.
• Control your room temperature: Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.
• See a doctor if your sleeping problem continues: If you have trouble falling asleep night after night, or if you always feel tired the next day, then you may have a sleep disorder and should see a physician. Your primary care physician may be able to help you; if not, you can probably find a sleep specialist at a major hospital near you. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively, so you can finally get that good night's sleep you need.