HEALTH FILE
WAKE UP TO WHAT A GOOD SNOOZE CAN DO FOR YOU
Avoid coffee, tea, and all caffeinated beverages in the late afternoon and evenings to achieve better sleep at night. Image credit: NEWS CANADA.
By AAMINAH NAJMUS SAHAR
Sleep is a crucial biological process necessary for the body’s rest and repair, but with the increasing demands of modern life, increased workload, stress, increased screen time, and social media, sleep is neglected by many individuals.
People are not aware of the significant impact of sleep on physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Sleep hygiene includes healthy habits, behaviours, and environmental factors to ensure high-quality, consistent, uninterrupted, and restorative sleep. It includes:
Maintaining a strict sleep routine. It is important to maintain a strict routine in going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps set the body’s internal clock, i.e., circadian rhythm, and helps with a better quality of sleep.
Avoiding caffeine later in the day. Avoid coffee, tea, and all caffeinated beverages in the late afternoon and evenings to achieve better sleep at night.
Avoiding screens and blue light about 1-2 hours before bed. Limiting screen time before bedtime is crucial. Electronic devices emit blue light, and this interferes with the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep regulation.
Optimizing the bedroom environment. Maintaining an ideal temperature in the bedroom, keeping the room cool and dark, using blackout curtains, etc., help in achieving deep, quality sleep.
Relaxation before bed. It is important to engage in relaxing activities like yoga, meditation, stretching, and reading before bed for good quality sleep.
Exercise during the day. Exercising during the day helps in sleeping better at night. But it is important to remember to avoid exercising in the evening or closer to bedtime, as that may delay sleep.
Getting sunlight during the day, especially in the morning. Getting sunlight in the morning helps reset the circadian rhythm and helps with falling asleep faster at night.
Managing stress, anxiety, and mental health. Stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions may impact sleep significantly. It is important to take proper help and care in managing these conditions for optimal sleep.
Insomnia. Conditions like insomnia can affect anyone, and the reason for insomnia can vary from person to person. It is important to seek proper care from a doctor to manage insomnia. The doctor may suggest over-the-counter sleep aids, cognitive behavioural therapy, or prescribe sedatives based on the underlying cause.
Seeking help earlier is crucial to avoid complications arising from a lack of quality sleep.
Understanding sleep hygiene, the importance of quality sleep, the ideal duration of sleep required daily, and the harmful effects of lack of sleep are vital in improving sleep and the quality of life.
Quality sleep is deep, uninterrupted and restorative sleep, and not just the number of hours spent in bed. Sleep is essential for the body to rest and repair. During sleep, the body undergoes essential restoration and repair, including tissue repair, muscle growth, and immune system strengthening. During sleep, the brain processes information, consolidates memory, clears metabolic waste, and regulates hormones that control appetite, stress, and mood. Lack of adequate quality sleep prevents these restoration processes and leads to short-term and long-term complications.
Short-term complications associated with lack of quality sleep include irritability, fatigue, brain fog, reduced concentration, and impaired decision-making. Cognitive skills like attention, memory, and problem-solving skills are negatively affected by lack of sleep, increasing the risk of errors and accidents. For example, drowsy driving or operating heavy machinery while drowsy is a major safety concern. In addition, lack of sleep affects emotional regulation and increases stress, anxiety, irritability, and mood swings. It also affects the immune system, reduces immunity, and makes the individual more susceptible to common cold, flu, and infections. Metabolic processes are also affected as lack of sleep increases hunger and cravings for high-calorie food, which may in turn lead to weight gain.
The long-term complications associated with lack of sleep are even more serious and affect health significantly. This includes increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, heart attacks, and stroke. It may also lead to metabolic disorders like Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus due to impaired glucose metabolism, obesity, and hormonal imbalances, etc. Poor sleep is also associated with depression, anxiety, and poor mental health. Chronic sleep deprivation negatively impacts brain health and increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Long-term sleep deprivation also reduces life expectancy and significantly reduces the quality of life, as the body needs quality sleep for rest, repair, and restoration.
How much sleep daily is ideal? For adults, 7-9 hours of sleep every night is ideal to achieve optimal health, cognitive function, and mood. This may vary a bit from person to person. Also, it is important to have deep, uninterrupted, and quality sleep, as sleep with frequent awakenings may keep the person fatigued. Teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep per night, and children need even more hours of sleep than adults for restoration and repair.
Maintaining good sleep hygiene is not a one-time task, but requires dedicated and consistent practice. Small changes such as maintaining a bedtime routine, avoiding screens before bedtime, optimizing the sleep environment, and managing daily habits can significantly improve sleep quality over time. This improved sleep quality in turn improves physical, mental, cognitive, and emotional health and improves overall well-being. It is important to recognize sleep as a necessity and not a luxury, and understanding the short-term and long-term complications from lack of sleep can help us take steps in prioritizing quality sleep.
Prioritizing quality sleep daily is one of the most effective and affordable ways to improve the repair and restoration of the body and improve overall health and well-being.
• Please consult your family physician before following any of the suggested remedies/steps above.
Aaminah Najmus Sahar is a medical writer and reviewer with a Pharm.D. In her blog Medscetera, she posts about healthcare topics. She is passionate about helping people make informed health choices.