I will never forget an afternoon I called my mother when I was in graduate school. Through tears and hiccups, I told her that I did not know if I could handle the pressures I was under. I was in my third semester of school with a two month old baby and felt like I was cracking up. After a short time of listening and support, my mother kindly told me (although I would not have admitted it at the time) to take a nap. I was incredulous. “What?!?! I don’t have time to sleep!” Still, I took her advice and when I woke up, I had to admit with humility that my mom knew best. Brilliantly, she knew that my brain was so starved for sleep that I was beyond the capability to be comforted. I was a raw nerve: paranoid, desperate, and convinced something was deeply wrong with me. No amount of bubble baths, essential oils or mediation was going to make it better.
Since that time, I have come to realize that a huge part of well-being is adequate sleep. It is sadly undervalued but incredibly important for resiliency and sanity. You may be aware that sleep helps repair the body like tissues, muscle growth and protein synthesis. An equally important benefit is that it helps with mental functioning like making sense of what we have emotionally experienced and then storing it all into usable memory. If we are not getting enough sleep, we are preventing these vital processes from completing. It does not take long before this begins to have impact in unexpected ways.
Here are a few quick questions to determine if this relates to you?
- Are you often tired during the day or have moments of sudden sleepiness? This may mean that you have significant sleep debt- your body is like an accountant. If it does not get what it needs, it will decrease functioning until the debt is repaid.
- Is your weight stable or are you fighting a gain? Research shows that if you’re overtired, there is less interest in exercising or making the effort to make healthy meals. In addition, Leptin and Serotonin levels decrease, the hormones that helps you feel full. This means that tired people are hungrier, have lower metabolism, and crave high-fat and high-calorie foods. In time, this can lead to obesity and Type II diabetes!
- Does your brain feel a bit fuzzy and decisions-making difficult? Jodi A. Mindell, PhD is a professor of psychology at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and author of Sleep Deprived No More. She states that there are numerous studies that show sleep deprivation “impairs your cognition, your attention, and your decision-making.” There is a substantial decrease in solving logic or math problems, and odd mistakes (like leaving your keys in the fridge) are more common.” (For those of you who know me, I do misplace my keys and phone, but never my child).
- Are you fairly resilient to the common cold or frequently sick, making you want to run from the building screaming when someone sneezes? There are a few studies that have shown that those with sleep deprivation were three times more likely to get sick than those with seven hours or more of sleep per night. Knowing how gross Nyquil tastes, this might be worth it in and of itself!
- Are you at risk for heart disease or hypertension? Growing evidence of research suggests that seven or less hours of sleep greatly increased coronary artery calcification- a predictor of a future heart attack. There can also be elevated risks of hypertension, stroke, an irregular heartbeat, and heart disease. Yikes!
- If you have manic or unipolar depression, do your symptoms appear to be extra strong? This relates directly to the story mentioned at the start. Sleep deprivation looks almost identical to major depression. Hence the recommendation to fix the real problem, not the symptoms. Good sleep sets up the brain for positive feelings, while deprivation has enjoyment of activities reduced and interferes with people’s social lives. They also tend to be more angry or violent. (Dement, p. 274)
- What is your quality of life? How long do you want to live? Three separate studies suggested that sleeping five or fewer hours per night may increase mortality risk by as much as 15 percent.10
Most of us do not associate these struggles with sleep, but they are very real side effects. If you want to follow Spock’s advice of “live long and prosper,” then quality sleep must be included in the plan. Forget about cultural pressures to cut down the hours spent sleeping so you can be more productive. You’ll have more energy, a clearer head, and better health if you are meeting this critical need. How wonderful that a night spent under a cozy blanket means you are working on your mental and physical health. May you have many good nights to enjoy!
Resources
Dement, W. C. (1999). The Promise of Sleep. New York, NY: Dell Publishing. ringTag”)]=”z”,