“I want to sleep but my brain won’t stop talking to itself.” — Anonymous
Introduction | Sleep Stages | How much is enough? | Quality Sleep | Bad Habits | How to improve? | Benefits | Effects Of Poor Sleep | Final Thoughts | Takeaway Points | References | Disclaimer
Introduction
Sleep is essential for our overall health and well-being. It is one of those easy-to-do things that will boost your daily performance if you get enough of it. On the other hand, if you sleep too little, it will negatively affect your life and health. The importance of quality sleep is very often underestimated. Insufficient amounts of rest at night can impact our immune systems, cardiovascular health, and mental health.[1][2] Today, where there is so much to do, see, and watch, people tend to treat a good night's rest as something secondary to all the other things going on in their lives. Most of us are very well aware of how crucial proper nutrition and regular exercise are to our health. Unfortunately, there isn't enough awareness about the significance of quality sleep and what it exactly means to our bodies and minds.
Stages of Sleep
When we go to bed and fall asleep, our body goes through four stages of sleep. Three of them are non-rapid eye movement [NREM] stages, and the last one is a rapid eye movement [REM] stage.[3][4] A full cycle of sleep lasts for around 90–120 minutes and is repeated on average 4–6 times during the night.
NREM Stage 1 [N1] - takes place as we fall asleep and lasts 1–5 minutes. It is a transition between wakefulness and sleep. In this phase, light sleep occurs, and our body and mind slow down.
NREM Stage 2 [N2] - lasts 10–60 minutes and is a deeper form of sleep. It is characterized by a slow brain wave rate, slower breathing, and a drop in body temperature.
NREM Stage 3 [N3, Delta Sleep, Deep Sleep] - lasts 20–40 minutes. As we move through this phase, our bodies become relaxed and refreshed. It is a restorative form of sleep that boosts the immune system and promotes many other bodily processes.
REM Stage 4 [REM Sleep] - lasts 10–60 minutes and is the phase of sleep where we dream. It is essential for proper cognitive and memory functions, as well as learning processes. The amount of REM sleep decreases with age, from 8 hours in infants to 45 minutes at 70 years of age.[5]
NREM stages of sleep constitute 75% of our overall night's rest, whereas REM sleep takes the remaining 25%.
What is the recommended amount of sleep?
Over the last three decades, the average amount of nighttime rest has decreased.[6] In recognition of how important sleep is for our health and our ability to function throughout the day, numerous studies have been conducted with a primary focus on the length of sleep. Depending on the age group, the recommended time frames are as follows[7]:
newborns: 14–17 hours of sleep,
infants: 12–15 hours,
toddlers: 11–14 hours of sleep,
preschoolers: 10–13 hours of sleep,
school-aged children: 9–11 hours of sleep,
teenagers: 8–10 hours of sleep,
young adults and adults: 7-9 hours of sleep,
older adults: 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
It is important to mention that adults who regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep at night are at a higher risk of developing various health conditions[8].
What is quality sleep?
Sleep quality is a measurement of how well you sleep at night. According to the USA's National Sleep Foundation, sleep quality can be measured based on four criteria:
Sleep latency: how long it takes you to fall asleep,
Sleep waking: how many times do you wake up during the night?,
Wakefulness: how much time you spend being awake,
Sleep efficiency: the amount of time you spend sleeping in bed.
The higher your overall score, the better you rest at night. When your sleep is consolidated and uninterrupted, you can simply feel it. Your body and mind feel energized, ready to take on the tasks of the day. On the other hand, if the quality of your sleep deteriorates and its pattern is fragmented, it will have negative effects on your daily life and health[9][10]. Fragmented or interrupted sleep changes the pattern of sleep stages and therefore prevents you from getting a restorative amount of rest at night. It impacts overall well-being, mood, metabolism, hormone regulation, and even gene expression[11]. Moreover, fragmented sleep has been linked with such disorders as neurodegenerative disease[12], Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. There is no doubt that a good night's rest is essential for the proper functioning of our brain and cognition.
What habits prevent you from getting quality sleep?
Various unhealthy and undesirable habits can easily affect sleep quality. They are those things that cause us difficulty falling and staying asleep. Among those habits, we find:
Eating a big meal too close to bedtime: it is recommended to eat your last meal of the day 2-3 hours before going to bed.
Drinking coffee too late during the day: avoid coffee and caffeinated beverages after 2 p.m.
Irregular bedtime: go to bed at the same time every evening. It helps your biological clock to self-regulate. Developing a natural circadian rhythm promotes healthy sleep.
Using technology in bed: screens emit blue light, which is highly disruptive and stimulates our brains. Avoid watching TV and using tablets and smartphones too close to bedtime.
Working out too late during the day: a physical exercise in the evening stimulates our body and mind and disrupts sleep.
Drinking alcohol: alcoholic beverages too close to bedtime can disturb REM sleep.
Naps: if you take naps during the day, make sure that they are not too long. A 30- to 45-minute nap will help you restore energy levels and won't disturb your sleep.
Sleeping better: What can you do?
If you are experiencing sleep difficulties, whether with falling asleep or simply staying asleep, you need to take care of your sleep hygiene. There are a few things that you can do and implement into your evening routine that will help you get a good night's rest.
blue light blockers such as justgetflux.com will help you manage your blue light exposure coming from the screen of the computer.
blue light-blocking glasses are a great solution if you want to watch tv or use other electronic devices in the evening.
However, the best option is to put all electronics away at least 2 hours before bedtime.
deep breathing techniques such as the 4-7-8 method will help you relax.
stretching or massage will soothe your muscles.
if you take a warm bath to relax, do it 1–2 hours before bedtime. It will help you fall asleep faster[13] and the body will have enough time to regulate its temperature.
limit rumination by being more aware.
stick to your sleep schedule. Your body has a biological clock, which is easily disturbed if you don't have a regular bedtime.
make sure that you get enough daylight exposure. It will help regulate your circadian rhythm and provide clear signals for your body to learn when to be active and when to prepare for rest.
control your room temperature. Find settings that are comfortable for you; both too-high and too-low temperatures in the room will disrupt your sleep.
The environment in which we sleep is an important factor in ensuring a good night's sleep. Our bedroom should be a quiet, peaceful, and dark place that our brain will associate with rest. Next to that, if you own an essential oil diffuser, you can try turning it on for a little while before going to bed. Choose extracts that promote sleep such as lavender essential oil, ylang-ylang essential oil, roman chamomile essential oil, or peppermint essential oil.
Benefits of quality sleep
There is no doubt that the quality of sleep has a direct correlation with our health and daily functioning. Sleep is essential for human beings and has a direct impact on our bodies and minds. If you regularly get a sufficient amount of rest at night, it will likely result in:
Additionally, if you combine quality sleep with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and the practice of intermittent fasting, it may bolster your physical and mental health even further.
Consequences of inadequate sleep
An inadequate amount of sleep can affect various aspects of our health. It impacts both mental and physical health. The first signal of sleep deprivation is overall tiredness, sleepiness during the day, and low energy. We lack focus and alertness, and our memory is malfunctioning. If our sleeping problems are acute and not persistent, everything should go back to normal after the next time we get a good night's rest. However, if our sleep issues don't go away and become chronic, we might expect bigger health complications. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, depression, immunodeficiency, and more.
Final Thoughts
In today's world, it might seem that there isn't enough time during the day to fit in all our tasks, and therefore, we try to stretch it as much as we can to get everything done. To achieve that, we seek compromises, and we tend to sacrifice sleep. There should be no doubt that sleep is essential to our health and overall well-being. Sleeping an inadequate amount of time night after night will leave its mark. The choice and practice of prioritizing things that contribute to our general fitness and well-being are the right choices. Next to nutrition and exercise, quality sleep is one of those things that will always benefit our body and mind.
Takeaway Points
Sleep is essential to our health.
Adults require 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
Sleeping for an inadequate amount of time has adverse effects on our mental and physical health.
Take care of sleep hygiene.
Change bad sleeping habits.
Combine sleep, nutrition, and exercise for the best health outcomes.
References
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