The science and medicine of sleep is still much a mystery. We do know one thing though, people can survive longer without food than sleep! In my personal case, I think I would take grilled chicken over sleep any day!

Recharging the Batteries

Sleep is the natural way that the human brain recharges its neurons and allows it to process and store all the data and memories that it has reviewed during the day.

Putting it like this, it shows that the brain does function like a computer! Sleep not only has an important aspect on the brain, but also on all the systems in the body. For example, the cardiovascular system relaxes during sleep and blood pressure and heart rate drops during sleep. The body also has a chance to replace certain chemicals and repair muscles and other aging and dead cells during sleep.

Stages of Sleep

There a number of different stages during sleep (although some researches talk of 5 stages).

Stage 1

Light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. The eyes move slowly and muscle activity slows. Many people experience sudden muscle contractions preceded by a sensation of falling.

Stage 2

Eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves.

Stage 3

Extremely slow brain waves called delta waves are interspersed with smaller, faster waves.

Stage 4

The brain produces delta waves almost exclusively.

Stages 3 and 4 are referred to as deep sleep, and it is very difficult to wake someone from them. In deep sleep, there is no eye movement or muscle activity. This is when some children experience bedwetting, sleepwalking or night terrors.

There is a stage called RAPID EYE MOVEMENT PERIOD (REM) where breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow. The eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralysed. Brain waves during this stage increase to levels experienced when a person is awake. Also, heart rate increases, blood pressure rises. This is the time when most dreams occur, and, if awoken during REM sleep, a person can remember the dreams. Most people experience three to five intervals of REM sleep each night.

The Importance of sleep and its effects

When We Grow

Many important hormones are secreted into the body’s blood stream during sleep. Growth hormone is an important hormone for repairing all the tissues and cells of the body. It is extremely important in children during their growing phases. The peak of growth hormone release is during sleep and this aids in repairs the nervous system, the skin, hair and nails and also ensuring strength in muscles and the bones. Many female and male sex hormones are regulated during the sleep cycle and these are an important aspect of sexual and fertility development in an individual.

A stronger heart

The cardiovascular system has many effects during sleep. On average, a person’s pulse will reduce by 20 beats per minute during sleep and blood pressure will drop by 20% to 30% during sleep. This is an important aspect in people with heart disease and blood pressure problems, as it clearly shows that sleep is a natural medicine for treatment of this.

Stronger Defences

The immune system and the natural defence of the body is greatly affected by sleep. Studies done in animals show that those that have had lack of sleep develop more opportunistic infections and also take long to recover from illness. This happens in humans as well. One of the commonest causes of viral infections of the throat and chest is tiredness and lack of sleep. When this happens, we catch all the opportunist bugs that fly around in the air, that normally we would be able to fight off if we had a good night’s sleep.

How irritable and clumsy are you?

A person who loses one night’s sleep will generally be irritable and clumsy during the next day and will either become tired easily or speed up because of adrenaline secretion. Missing two night’s sleep, a person will have problems concentrating and will begin to make mistakes on normal tasks. Three missed nights and a person will start to hallucinate and lose grasp of reality.
Long-term consequences can include the following:

• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Psychiatric problems such as depression and other mood disorders
• Mental impairment
• Increased mortality risk
• Relationship problems with a bed partner
• Obesity

The link between obesity and sleep is an interesting one as lack of sleep can cause weight gain by increasing hunger and affecting metabolism, and extra weight can cause sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea which cause sleep deprivation.

How Much Sleep do we need?

The amount of sleep each person needs depends on many factors, including age, health, recent physical exertion, and mental activity.

Infants sleep about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours on average. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. There is quite a bit of variation.

If you routinely fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably have severe sleep deprivation or a sleep disorder. Having very brief episodes of sleep and naps in an otherwise awake person are another mark of sleep deprivation.

Sometimes you’ll hear that you need less sleep as you get older. But that is incorrect. Elderly people often sleep less than young adults and children because they have insomnia for some reason. Some experts consider insomnia a normal part of aging, or it may result from medical problems that are common in elderly people and from the medications and other treatments for those problems.

Ways to help you sleep better

• Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.. Try to stick to it even on weekends and when life gets crazy. “Sleeping in” on the weekends will make it harder to wake up on Monday morning because it resets your sleep cycle.

• Avoid drinking alcohol close to bedtime. Alcohol keeps your brain in light sleep – you have trouble getting to the deep sleep and REM sleep phases and your sleep is less efficient.

• Avoid caffeinated drinks because they act as stimulants in the evening. Try not to drink fluids at least two hours before bedtime as a full bladder can interfere with sleep.

• Avoid nicotine in the evening. This includes both smoking and smoking withdrawal systems such as nicotine patches. Nicotine is a stimulant just like caffeine.

• Wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day.

• Keep the bedroom quiet and dark and at a comfortable temperature.

• Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day but not right before bedtime

• Develop a relaxing routine before bed. This may include a warm bath, light stretching, listening to soothing music, reading or other relaxing activities or my personal favourite is to listen to parliament time before bed – it’s a sure thing to get those boring neurons firing and to put me to sleep!

• Don’t go to bed feeling hungry, but don’t eat a big, heavy meal right before bedtime.

• Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t fall asleep within 30 minutes, go to another room and do something restful until you feel tired. Don’t read in bed. If you want to read, get out of bed and sit in a chair.

• Don’t have a visible bedroom clock because “clock watching” will only help intensify the misery of insomnia. Never wear a watch at night!

• Reserve your bed for sleeping and sex, (ummm come on now people keep reading and stop thinking those thoughts!). Keep the television, laptop, cell phone, food, etc. out of the bedroom.

• Don’t make bedtime the time to solve your problems. Make a to do list for the next day then try to clear your mind.

• Avoid sleeping with your pet because their movements or your allergies can decrease the quality of your sleep. Unless your pet is your partner, then your stuck I’m afraid!

The other way to fall asleep is to read this article over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and ………………

This feature is sponsored by Galen Health on Harley Street (www.galen-health.co.uk)