The Importance of Good Sleep, and How to Get It

The Importance of Good Sleep, and How to Get It

By, Dr. Nikki Martinez, Psy.D., LCPC

We have all experienced periods of poor sleep. We feel grumpy, struggle to concentrate, and battle daytime drowsiness. However, did you know that there are serious health implications when lack of sleep is a long term issue? Lack of sleep impacts many areas of your life including your work life, your relationships, your physical appearance, including your weight, your memory and concentration, your intimate life, your safety, and can even have more serious health implications. It is important for us to understand the repercussions of long term sleep issues, as well as steps we can take to correct them.

WebMD identifies 10 areas that we may not consider when it comes to sleep loss. Areas that can have serious implications to your health and your life due to loss of sleep:

- Accidents caused while driving, at work, and at home
- Loss of critical thinking and memory skills
- Development of serious health issues
- Seriously reduce sex drive
- Increased rates of depression and anxiety
- Aging of your skin and impacts to your appearance
- Forgetfulness
- Weight gain
- Increase to your risk of death
- Impaired judgement and interpretation

It should come as no surprise that chronic sleep issues make a person unsafe to drive. When a person struggles with sleep, they become drowsy, their concentration is lacking, and their reaction time slows down. People with lack of sleep, especially chronic lack of sleep are said to be as dangerous as drunk drivers on the road. These are not the only type of accidents that lack of sleep causes either. Issues with sleep are responsible for a significant increase in accidents at work and in the home. Our judgment and understanding is impacted, and we are more likely to make impulsive, and often hazardous decisions.

Are you trying to go to school, taking online courses, or attending trainings at work? Lack of sleep has a significant impact on concentration, focus, and memory. We are not able to think, process, and apply the material that we are learning, so it will not convert to our memory and become permanent part of new information and skills for us. We struggle to convert things to long term memory, which will prevent us from accessing it at a later time. While the college student "all-nighter" may be a famous practice, this clearly shows that lack of sleep actually impacts the students ability to remember what they study when it comes time to retrieve the information for tests.

While many may assume that lack of sleep causes health issues, they may not realize how serious of an issue it is. According to WebMD, chronic sleep issues can lead to: heart disease, heart attacks, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, strokes, and diabetes. So, lack of sleep is not a matter to be taken lightly, it can have serious and permanent consequences. During our deepest levels of sleep, our immune system replenishes itself. Getting to that level of sleep plays a vital role in our overall health. Individuals who get 5 hours or less per night are shown to have double the risk for death from cardiovascular disease.

Another side effect that should not be surprising is that lack of sleep has a serious impact on sex drive and libido. This is true for both men and women. It makes sense that without energy and motivation, it would be difficult to gather the energy that it would take to be intimate with their partner. It can become so severe, that men who suffer with long term sleep issues, suffer with diminished testosterone. Clearly, this would be a major issue with drive and ability to perform.

WebMD discusses a 2005 study, called the Sleep in America Poll, which showed that people who were diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety slept less than 6 hours per night. It is clear that lack of sleep plays a vital role in the worsening and formation of depression, as individuals need to get to their deepest level of sleep to rebuild their levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. These are the chemicals that are responsible for mood, so one could see how essential sleep is to ward off, or diminish levels of anxiety and depression.

We can stock up on all the night creams in the world, as well as drink our 8 glasses of water per day. However, if we are failing to get enough sleep, our skin and out appearance will suffer. We have all seen dark circles and puffy eyes, but lack of sleep will have much more long term effects than this. We will have dark circles that struggle to go away, we produce cortisol, and removes our skins protein. A long history of poor sleep can also weaken our bones and muscles.

Another unfortunate problem related to lack of sleep is weight gain. This is for several reasons, including increased hunger and appetite, eating out of boredom, and cravings for food that are satisfying, but not healthy. When we sleep less hours, our brain tells our body that it is not full, so we eat more. Individuals who sleep 6 hours or less per night are 30% more likely to become obese (WebMD). Only an average of 1-2 more hours of sleep per night, changes that factor. Also, eating a healthy diet overall, is better for sleep and overall functioning.

The good news is that there are a number of tips and techniques that we can implement to improve the quality and quantity of our sleep. They are simple changes that we can make, and they can improve all of these areas of functioning. To improve our sleep we must strictly adhere to good sleep habits such as:

- Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day and night of the week.
Try and avoid caffeine and nicotine altogether, but if this is not possible, make sure to avoid it for at least 4-6 hours before bed.

- Avoid alcohol if possible, but at least for 4-6 hours before bed. Many people have the misconception that alcohol is a relaxation tool that helps us sleep better, but it actually causes restless sleep.

- Remember that your bedroom is for sleeping and sex ONLY. Remove the tv, do not play games or read articles on your phone in bed. Screens are actually very stimulating to the mind, and they will keep you awake.

- Do not take naps if possible. Try and wait out the fatigue until bedtime, and this will help you get back into a regular sleep-wake cycle. If you must nap, make it a short one.

- Create relaxing evening and bedtime routines. Doing things that are relaxing such as a hot baths, PM yoga, stretching, progressive muscle relaxation and guided meditation, can have a very positive impact on sleep.

- Create a calming atmosphere in your bedroom. Paint calming colors like blue or green, make the room as clutter free as possible, and display items that induce feelings of peace and calm. Ear plugs and a sleep mask will not hurt either.

As you can see, continued lack of sleep can have serious impacts on your health and well-being. Lack of sleep can lead to emotional and physical issues. The lucky thing is that factors that can help improve our sleep are clear and simple. If you are consistently practicing good sleep habits, your sleep is likely to improve, as will your health, mood, and memory. Give these tips and techniques a genuine chance, and you should see improvement in no time.

www.ccihealth.wa.gov.au/docs/info-sleep%20hygiene.pdf

www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/10-results-sleep-loss?print=true