You're probably not getting enough. Your mood suffers, your chance of a car accident increases, you take more risks, and there's a larger chance of depression. What is it? Sleep. Most Americans report they don't get enough sleep, affecting mood, family life, and school and work performance. Falling asleep at the wheel happens to 250,000 every day.(1)
We know we should get more sleep at night, but it's just so damn difficult given our family and work and technology demands. Americans are chronically undersleeping and there are health consequences. Inadequate sleep affects the hormones that regulate appetite and we crave more food, particularly carbohydrate-rich foods. Research suggests there's a link between less sleep and an increase in weight(2), increased chance of diabetes(3) and sleep apnea. Our blood pressure goes up as does the risk of calcification of coronary arteries. The immune system is affected and we're several times more likely to catch a cold.
There's a new Sleep Invader in our bedrooms--technology. At first, it was the TV. Eighty percent of American report they watch TV an hour before sleep.(3) The iPhones and Droids are in 4 out of 10 bedrooms (75% for teens) and 25% leave their cell phones on all night. One in five play video games in the hour before they go to sleep. This interactivity, light exposure from the TV or computer suppresses melatonin (sets our sleep clock) and shifts it to a later hour. So, it's harder to go to sleep on future nights. A bit of a vicious cycle, don't you think? Pretty soon, you're staying up to 2 a.m. buying another yoga top, mindlessly surfing or clicking through 500 channels of "nuthin' on" TV.
How much sleep do we need? Many feel it's perfectly fine to sleep 6 hours a night, even though they have a difficult time waking up, "require" the Starbucks hit in the morning and another one with M&Ms in the afternoon. Oh, and maybe a cup of Joe after lunch. But, tell someone you sleep 8-9 hours a night and they look at you like you're some lazy slob obviously without children or a job.
So what happens when we go for periods of time without sleep? We build up sleep deficiency and we then need time to recover that lost sleep. There is an experiment where researchers had subjects spent 14 hours in bed for one month. They slept 12 to 12.5 hours nightly for the first week(!). After the sleep deprivation payback, they finally settled to 8.2 to 8.3 hours per night.(5) Very interesting, no?
Although not much of a slacker, I am able to get around 8 hours of sleep at night. In addition, I can long siestas, and not just when I'm in Mexico. Contrary to research, a nap doesn't really cut into my ability to sleep at night. But, there has been a shift in my sleep due to the
menopause blanket boggie(6).
What helps? A cool dark, quiet place to sleep. We need to set aside enough time in bed--8 or 9 hours for an average adult and your teen needs at least 9 to10 hours of sleep. It helps to keep a regular schedule. And, for some, the hardest of all is removing technology from bedroom. That's right. Remove your cell phone, video games, TV, and your chargers. Can you do it?
(1) More at http://www.drivers.com/article/680/
(2) It's hard to eat when you're sleeping so more sleep can actually decreased calorie intake.
(3) I wonder if that means 80% of Americans aren't having sex during the hour before sleep? I mean, Jon Stewart is kind of good looking, but the show makes you more angry than sexy feeling.
(4) With less than 5 hours of sleep your glucose and insulin profile looks diabetic.
(5) Science Friday podcast at http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201103116
(6) Covers on, covers off.
