You Need To Sleep!

Therese Natalia Elefano Santos

“Tired minds don't plan well. Sleep first, plan later.” - Walter Reisch

If you've ever stayed up late scrolling and felt exhausted the next day, you get the feeling. With sleep we love it and need it, but we rarely get enough of it. Busy schedules, technology, schooling and life always get in the way. Getting enough sleep can play an important role in your physical weight, emotional wellbeing, blood pressure, diabetes, mental and physical performance, and more. 

Sleep isn’t optional

Being awake for 17 hours is similar to having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05% (equivalent to the level some countries use for drunk driving violations). Lack of sleep means risking immediate cognitive impairment, extreme fatigue, and mood instability. Chronically, this could lead to impairment of memory and productivity. Sleep serves a variety of important physical and psychological functions, including:  

1. Helping with focus and concentration as it allows the brain to register and organize memories, all of which are vital to learning. 
2. Regulating emotions and better managing the physical and psychological effects of stress.
3. Sleep influences a person’s ability to recognize danger and threats. Healthy sleep supports sound judgment, good decision making, and other executive functions.
4. Research shows that “sleeping on” a complex problem improves a person’s chance of solving it.
5. It allows people to conserve energy through an extended period of reduced activity.
6. Sleep provides the release of growth hormone necessary for the body’s tissues to grow and repair damage.
7. Finally, supporting immune function, allowing the body to fight off diseases and infections.

To understand why sleep matters, it helps to look at what actually happens when we sleep.

Stages of sleep

The body cycles through specific stages of sleep enabling the beneficial processes that occur such as healing and learning. 

Stage N1:  This happens right after you fall asleep and is very short (usually less than 10 minutes). It involves light sleep from which you can be awakened easily.

Stage N2: This lasts from about 30 to 60 minutes. During this stage, your muscles become more relaxed.

Stage N3:  This enters the “deep sleep” stage and lasts about 20 to 40 minutes. During this stage, brain activity “increases” (in the way it does while the body is physically inactive) and you may have some body movements. It’s very hard to wake up someone in stage N3.

REM sleep: Most dreaming happens during REM sleep. During this stage your eyes and eyelids flutter, breathing becomes irregular and the brain temporarily prevents most muscle movement so that you don't act out the dream

During sleep, a person usually progresses through the 3 stages of non-REM sleep before entering REM sleep. This takes about 1 to 2 hours after falling asleep. The sleep cycle is usually repeated about 4 to 6 times each night.

Sleep tight!

Most people benefit the most from 7-8 hours of sleep per night, although this varies greatly between different people. It is not just the length of sleep however which is important. This is also dependent on our sleep quality. Having a good and consistent “before bed” routine is a must to improve and maximise sleep quality.

1. Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle.
2. Don’t go to bed hungry. Avoid heavy or large meals as well as nicotine and caffeine within a couple of hours of bedtime. It may cause discomfort and disrupt sleep. 
3. Limit daytime naps. Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. Limit naps to no more than one hour and avoid napping late in the day.
4. Manage stress. Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime. A restless mind cannot be forced to shut down.
5. Don’t force your sleep. If you're lying awake unable to sleep, don’t force it. If you're tired, then sleep may naturally take over. If not, do something you find relaxing until the sleepy feeling returns.
6. Create the right sleep environment. The right sleep environment is personal, so try different things and see what works for you. Most people prefer a cool, dark area. Some may want silence, some may want white noise.

Nearly everyone has the occasional sleepless night. It’s completely normal. Although if sleep problems persist, you shouldn’t ignore them. Seeking professional help can make a real difference. You should never underestimate the power of sleep, and never ignore it when it’s missing.