If you haven’t noticed, we are on the brink of our first cool snap of the year. It is well into the first part of November and I have a brand new Halloween sweater that still has the store tags on it because it was too hot for me to wear it this year. Oh, well…watch out next October! Along with the first cool snap I start getting prepared for my fall rituals like making sure there is adequate firewood, stocking up on enough ingredients for that first pot of chili, and checking the condition of my sets of flannel sheets. That’s right. I have two sets- one for on the bed and one for changing on Saturdays. My guest rooms also have flannels. It is time for preparing for the proverbial long winter’s naps. Many of us prepare for sleep ritually and others barely scrape enough time out of a day to get in a few winks if we’re lucky. The next couple of columns will focus on the importance of sleep and acquiring the appropriate equipment for it. I hear innumerable complaints from people who are tired all the time and who just do not seem to have enough time to get the right amount of rest. Let’s take a look at sleep and just how important it is to our healthy lives.
In our ridiculously busy world, there simply are not enough hours in the day to do all that we feel compelled to do. How do we get it all done? Most of the time we rob our bodies of the sleep we need in order to function optimally. In the last century we have decreased the amount of time we spend sleeping by 20 percent. A survey done by a major mattress manufacturer revealed some startling information about sleep-deprived people. For instance, 40 percent of adults are moderately to severely sleep-deprived. 50 percent of adults say they get enough sleep but 75 percent of this same group admits to being sleepy during the day and not feeling well-rested. 1 out of every 4 adults does shift work and 56 percent of all shift workers fall asleep at work at least once a week. 64 percent of adults suffer from insomnia and 50 percent of business travelers do. Sleep deprivation costs an estimated 5 billion dollars annually in terms of lost productivity, illnesses, absences from the workplace, motor vehicle and on-the-job accidents, and loss of life.
Sleep deprivation manifests physically in some obvious ways and in some ways you might not think. Mental function decreases, reaction time decreases, and irritability increases. Metabolic changes occur in the body that can mimic effects of premature aging. Skin tone decreases and gives the “bags under the eyes” look. Not getting enough sleep taxes the immune system and lowers resistance to common illnesses while chronic illnesses lie in wait to attack people whose defense mechanisms might not be up to par. In order for our nervous systems to work properly, we need consistent uninterrupted sleep. According to Philip DeTrana, MD, a sleep expert, sleep is as important to our health as diet and exercise. Dr. DeTrana says that it is most important to get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. In order to accomplish this if we aren’t already we should make some lifestyle changes to set our bodies up for getting the 8 hours that we need on a regular basis. We should avoid caffeine as much as possible anyway but especially in the evening hours. Exercise should not be done in the evening just prior to bedtime since energy levels tend to rise just after a period of increased activity. Exercise early in the day to avoid the over stimulation of your nervous sys tem just before bedtime. A very important issue is that of setting a consistent schedule for going to sleep and getting up. Erratic sleep patterns are often responsible for leaving you feeling tired and run down. If you get used to a bedtime and awaking time even on the weekends you will feel more rested in general. Avoid the temptation to sleep in on the weekends. If, for example, you sleep really late on Sunday morning you won’t be able to go to sleep at your regular time Sunday night. Then getting up at the necessary time on Monday morning becomes a problem and there you are beginning another negative sleep cycle for the whole week. It is not really possible to “catch up” on your sleep. Sleep loss is a cumulative problem and it will catch up to you. Losing an hour of sleep per night for a full week can be as devastating to your body as staying up for a full 24 hours straight.
As time catches up with me and I face the second half of my life (after all I am 40 now and if I complete 80 years in health I will feel blessed), thinking about all of the years of losing sleep due to worrying, studying, and having committee meetings in my head as I tried to doze off makes me tired!! I am personally committed to being the healthiest person I have ever been as I venture into real adulthood. Getting the proper quality of rest for my body is one of the cornerstones of true health. Treat your body well.