All settled down for a long winter’s nap … NOT!
With the holidays here, many Americans experience escalating stress, crowded calendars, and increased demands–leading to decreased hours of sleep and less opportunity to get that coveted “long winter’s nap” mentioned in The Night Before Christmas. Is that a problem?
Why sleep matters-and what happens when there’s too little
Studies consistently demonstrate that when people get insufficient sleep, they are more at risk for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, weight gain, even sudden death. When researchers bring people into the lab and allow them only to sleep for four or five hours of sleep a night instead of eight, the result is increases in blood pressure, markers of inflammation and insulin resistance.
Even our immune system can be compromised by too little sleep with some studies showing healthy volunteers who only slept six hours or less a night were four times more likely to get infected by a common cold virus than those who slept seven hours or more. Likewise, another study showed that people who sleep fewer than six hours a night have a dampened immune response to vaccines, not making as many antibodies.
And it’s not just physical health…
Sleep deprivation affects cognition, and can contribute to dementia, depression and irritability. It seems that late night hours celebrating at holiday parties may result in not such a jolly old fellow the next day! Why? Because we now know that an important function of sleep is the clearance of toxic waste substances that build up in the night and are cleared by a drainage system in the brain. This may explain why those who get less than seven hours of sleep per night are more at risk for developing Alzheimer’s. Even a single all-nighter can cause increases of a gummy substance thought to be involved in development of Alzheimer’s.
And one final reason why sleep matters
As Dr. Greger of NutritionFacts.org reminds us, “The biggest reason to lose sleep over losing sleep is motor vehicle accidents risk…Even just two weeks of sleeping six hours a night impairs your cognitive performance as much as pilling two all-nighters in a row.”
So how much sleep do we need?
Although this is somewhat dependent on individual biological variation, most studies agree with the recommendation of both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society that adults up to age 60 should get seven or more hours of sleep at night. For those over 60 the data isn’t sufficient to make a clear recommendation. Most experts agree you can judge your sleep need by how much sleep you get when you feel your best and are not sleepy during the day.
And the problem is not with just getting enough sleep but also WHEN you get that sleep
A study published this year using data from 6700 Fitbit users focused on the importance of when you go to bed and when you get up. Inconsistent sleep/wake schedules were tied to a whole set of unhealthy health markers including high blood pressure. This study and others demonstrated that those who kept more consistent sleep/wake cycles had a surprisingly lower risk of dying during the 8-year study than those who went to bed or woke at all hours.
So what’s the best way to ensure you get that important sleep?
Stocking up on pills is not the solution. Besides being potentially addictive, sleeping pills can increase one’s risk of dying, according to research published by the British Medical Journal with a dozen follow-up studies showing an association between sweeping pills and premature death.
Non-drug approaches have been found to work as well or better than pills. Such approaches include having a regular bedtime routine, exercising regularly, paying attention to what you are drinking and eating (avoiding rich foods especially late at night and avoiding or minimizing caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.)
These steps can be difficult during the holidays, but the abundant research makes it clear it’s worth trying. For further guidance, you can check out Mayo Clinics’ blog post: Sleep Tips: 6 Steps To a Better Sleep.
