‘A powerful elixir for wellness and vitality’
An overview of why sleep can be a powerful tool to improve overall health
Is it possible that a major key to good health, the solution to many
health problems, improved memory, creativity and better mood is
something free and accessible to everyone?
Scientists say yes — sleep, that thing we all do, but most of us don’t do properly or enough of, is one of the most critical factors for maintaining many aspects of physical and mental wellness.
Whether because of schedule demands or sleep disorders, more
than 65 percent of the adults in the U.S. don’t get the recommended
seven to nine hours of sleep they need during the week, according to
sleep researcher Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC-Berkeley and author of the book “Why We Sleep.”
Over the past 80 years, the average amount of time we sleep in the U.S. has dropped from close to nine hours to about 6.5 hours a night, said Walker. At the same time, the percentage of obese people has risen from less than 15 percent to more than 35 percent. Walker ties lack of sleep to, not only
increased weight gain, but also, to a higher risk of cancer and depression of the immune system.
In his research, he has found that “insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor determining whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease.”
Last month, the Taos News explored how Chinese Medicine can help improve sleep. In observance of Better Sleep Month in May, we continue our exploration of sleep: Why we need it, practices
for good sleep hygiene and solutions to sleep disorders.
Why we need it
“A good night’s sleep empowers the body to recover and lets you wake up refreshed and ready to
take on the day,” says the Sleep Foundation.
There are three stages of sleep: light sleep, deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM), the stage in which humans dream. According to Walker, each phase plays a role in the healing power of sleep. Missing any phase will lead to brain impairment. One important
power of NREM sleep is aiding the ability of our brains to retain information. Being well-rested before learning new information improves the ability of the brain to learn, while resting after a deep
learning session can help our brains process and hold onto what we’ve learned.
As a result of 10 years of research, Walker identified that deep sleep enhances the functions of motor skills as well. Walker works with professional sports
teams to emphasize the power of sleep to provide a potentially game-winning advantage.
Sound sleep allows us to concentrate and prevents “microsleeps,”
which can be fatal if someone is driving a car or operating
heavy machinery, for example. Furthermore, sleep has been shown to reduce emotional reactivity, prevent weight gain and help protect against diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart attacks.
Research shows that getting adequate sleep can even lengthen our lives.
Function of dreams
Whether dreams serve any function has long been a subject of debate among scientists.
More of Walker’s research has shown that there are at least two key functions of dreams. The first is to help reduce the intensity of the emotional charge carried by traumatic events of the past. The brain accomplishes this by shutting off a
key anxiety-producing body chemical called noradrenaline during REM sleep and creates dreams of the emotional themes of the past trauma in a safe state. In this process, the power of the emotional
reaction to the event is reduced.
Other benefits of dreams include the ability to help us solve
problems and boost our creativity.
Challenges to good sleep
We all may occasionally experience problems falling asleep or
staying asleep that lead to us feeling tired and irritable the next day. There are many sources of stress
for our community right now in Taos County, including relentless
spring winds and nearby wildfires, not to mention the many national and international events that can add to any tension we might be feeling.
According to sleep researchers, modern life is generally not conducive to good sleep. When humans
lived in harmony with the rhythm of the rising and setting sun, our bodies received cues to wake up with the sun and to prepare to
sleep as the sun went down. Not only the fading of the light, but also the drop in temperatures at
the end of each day signaled the release of melatonin in our brains
that prepared us for sleep. Because we now light our homes into the evening and may spend hours looking at devices that emit blue light (the most disruptive kind to sleep) like TVs, computers and smartphones, our bodies don’t get the natural gradual clues to get ready to sleep.
We also try to hold the temperatures in our homes constant, so we don’t receive the signal of the cooling evening that would cue the body to sleep. Drinking caffeine and alcohol, in particular, can also disrupt sleep, preventing the brain
from entering deeper REM sleep.
Local solutions
Most of the health care practitioners at Taos Whole Health see
patients who have some issues with getting a good night’s sleep. Ryann Vernon, chief operating officer, gathered some thoughts on
good sleep hygiene from the staff members at Taos Whole Health who offer medical care, along with homeopathic and herbal approaches. Some of their suggestions include:
-Use the bedroom only for sleep. -Don’t bring phones or other devices into bed with you: Screen
time distracts the brain and scrolling can lead to depression.
-Don’t eat or exercise within two hours of bedtime.
-Clean sheets are an important part of good sleep hygiene.
Sleep apnea
In addition to an occasional sleep disruption, many people have an ongoing sleep disorder, and more than 100 different types of sleep disorders have been recognized by researchers.
For example, many adults suffer from chronic insomnia. Sleep apnea is another disorder experienced by an estimated 30 percent of people, according to the Sleep Foundation.
The following practice is one that can be done as a family at the end of the day or when a parent is helping a child fall asleep. When done together, a member of the family such as an adult or older sibling may read the script. Then, I suggest recording and reusing it so that everyone can relax together. If all members of the family fall asleep, that’s even better.
‘Of all the things we do on a regular basis, sleeping is one of the most extraordinary and least appreciated.’
JON KABAT-ZINN
Founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction