lack of sleep Archive - Simply Healthy Sleep - The online-magazine for your perfect sleep experience - Powered by SAMINA

Simply Healthy Sleep - The online-magazine for your perfect sleep experience - Powered by SAMINA

Das Online-Magazin für den perfekten Schlaf.

lack of sleep

Severe and even dangerous consequences of too few sleep

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Already the German Physician Hufeland (1762-1836) quoted in a saying: “A human being ages during the day and rejuvenates during the night.” A true fact, since only during sleep – namely during deep sleep – our body is able to completely recover and even rejuvenate. Because, during the course of one year 98 per cent of our body cells become renewed during sleep. Healthy, restful and especially bioenergetic sleep provides your body with new power, vitality and balance. If you don’t get enough quality sleep you are going to feel exhausted, tired and sluggish.

Permanent lack of sleep makes us look tired and old. Furthermore it might trigger serious diseases. Therefore, healthy sleep is essential for you and your plans. We are sleeping about one third of our lives for a good reason! Each time, when you are in a phase of deep sleep your body uses the resting for regeneration of the organism, repairs damaged tissues, activates healing processes, organs and cells are supplied with metabolic fuels and old or diseased cells are replaced by new and healthy ones. These processes also become visible in your skin: after a restful night your skin is rosy and smooth, your complexion is glowing. This is because, the moisture depots under the skin are refilled during sleep.

Production of hormones during sleep

Sleep regulating hormones circulate in our blood. Before sleep onset, for example melatonin is released. The so-called sleeping hormone makes us tired and is responsible for a lot of positive physical effects: it supports memory performance, has a life-prolonging effect and strengthens your immune-system. While sleeping, your body also enhances production of growth hormones which support growth of muscles, cartilage and bones. At the same time, they support reduction of fat reserves. Growth hormones are only released during deep sleep, thus increasingly from 11.00 p.m. to 03.00 a.m. In the early morning hour, the body prepares for waking up: the production of the stress hormone cortisol becomes increased.

Severe consequences of sleep debt

The average amount of sleep needed ranges from seven to eight hours per night. Population surveys clearly show that we go to bed too late and have to get up too early. Inevitably, this leads to a chronic sleep debt. Amongst others, this is due to a lack of positive attitude towards the importance of sleep – ultimately, a question of personal life- and sleeping-culture. Sadly, this development leads to a more or less frequent lack of sleep. Many people underestimate the health risk of sleep debt. In a nutshell: lack of sleep is fattening, makes stupid and sick. US-studies prove, that the life expectancy of people with bad sleep is shorter.

Test series with test persons who had to learn vocabulary revealed that consistent lack of sleep makes stupid since memory performance becomes decreased. Just to remind you: learned things – hence knowledge – gets finally memorized during sleep! So, if you lack deep sleep you are going to forget much faster. During REM-sleep especially motoric skills like driving, playing piano, sports etc. are processed and solidified. Only when you have sufficient REM-sleep you will experience training progress.

Bad sleep might lead to overweight

You’d like to pay attention to your body weight and your shape? Better care for sufficient sleep! During nighttime, we easily do twelve or more hours without any food – something that is hard to achieve during daytime. Astonishingly, during the night our energy consumption is insignificantly lower than during the day. The reason why we still don’t need any food in the night is the hormone leptin which is inhibiting appetite. Once the sleep is interrupted, the sensation of hunger returns. Reason is the opponent of leptin – the hormone ghrelin which is taking over while we are awake. One reason why sleep disturbed people try to compensate their discomfort with a visit to the fridge. Furthermore, we tend to eat fat and unhealthy food when we have too few sleep.

Trends, visible in practice. Because, the modern, stressed human being tends to fewer sleep. During the last 25 years, we’ve lost about one hour of sleep. With catastrophic effects. A tiny example: more and more people suffer under diabetes type II. Unfortunately only the delivery of insulin is set, a change in lifestyle remains unconsidered. But, it is decisive that people concerned adept their lifestyle to their disease. Regarding this, the importance of sleep got proved in a study of the University of Chicago.

Too few sleep might be dangerous

161 participants suffering under diabetes type II had to write down their actual amount of sleep. And how much they subjectively would have needed. Furthermore, they had to evaluate their sleeping quality on the basis of 19 points. Subsequently, their HbA1c value was tested. This is a blood value stating the average blood sugar level of the last three months. A low value between four and six points reflects a healthy blood sugar balance. The result of the study: participants with too few sleep were not able to keep their blood sugar level permanently constant. So, diabetics not only should have sufficient sleep but should also improve their sleeping quality by sticking to a regular sleep-wake-rhythm.

Too few sleep might lead to a poor blood sugar value and a poor ability to react

Even three hours lack of sleep per week increases to blood sugar level by 1.1 points, as the study showed. This example reveals that the sleep duration has a big impact on our health. Especially risk groups – in our example diabetics – should care for sufficient sleep. Seven to eight hours are perfect.

But, not only is our health at risk. Too few or bad sleep also increases the risk of accidents in traffic and/or at work. Scientists found out that lack of sleep clearly reduces the reaction of drivers – it might be compared with the reaction of a driver with a blood-alcohol level of 1.0.

So, the decisive factor is and remains sleeping quality. A good sleeping quality only is achieved by sufficient and restful sleep.

 

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2845795/

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797616659930

https://www.dasgehirn.info/handeln/schlaf-und-traum/lernen-im-schlaf

https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g6125

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/

http://www-news.uchicago.edu/releases/07/071231.sleep.shtml

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1739867/

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June 21st: Day of Sleep

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For the German association „Tag des Schlafes e.V.“ (Day of Sleep) the longest day and hence the shortest night of the Northern Hemisphere is reason to draw the attention to sleep and its significance for our health, our well-being as well as our motivation and performance. When you are having too few and/or bad sleep you are more easily irritated, more impatient, more prone to mistakes as well as to sickness. Besides exercise and nutrition, sleep plays a key role in the harmonious continuity of our vital energies. This day offers the possibility to reflect your personal sleeping behaviors as well as the value you place to sleep. And to optimize it, if necessary.

We constantly sleep less as well as more and more inefficient

In reality, the number of people with constantly bad sleep has never been larger than nowadays. At the same time, many of us consider sleep as “waste of time”. But, several of our current problems are rather due to a lack of sleep duration as well as of sleeping quality than to a waste of time due to sleep. Too less sleep affects all levels of our lives: During sleep take place:

  • 70 % of our physical and
  • 100 % of our mental recovery.

It becomes clear, that lack of sleep has a severe impact on our physical power and mental fitness.

On the one hand, most employees, students and especially adolescents accumulate a sleep debt of about five hours per week and are constantly tired. On the other hand, the time spent in bed is no longer efficient. Even if you spend eight hours in bed – some actually sleep just about six hours. It’s quite clear that this has negative effects – physically and mentally.

Better sleep clearly increases performance and protects from diseases

The positive effects of sleep on our performance are easily visible with athletes. Athletes with a good and sufficient sleep are measurably more effective, their risk of injuring is lower, and they are in a better mood. Furthermore, healthy, restful sleep is a valuable prevention for diseases and health disturbances. Starting with infarction and cardio-vascular disturbances via metabolic disorders and diabetes II up to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, dementia and cancer.

Emotional disturbances due to bad sleep

Until now, it was clear that almost all people with mental diseases suffered under sleep disturbances. What’s new, is the fact that sleep disturbances actually are basis for mental diseases like studies of the University of California prove. Thus, bad and especially too few sleep lead to disturbances in emotional behavior and to failure of rational control.

Utilize the forces of healthy sleep

Healthy, restful sleep has certain conditions. Beginning with our daily habits concerning exercise and nutrition, time spent in fresh air via sleeping rituals, a natural sleeping underlay completed with a cozy duvet and a pleasant pillow up to a balanced and undisturbed room climate – all these things significantly influence our sleeping quality. And therewith our quality of life.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4190836/

Imagesource: @Fotolia

Mentally fit with bioenergetic sleep® #2

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Our brain – most important control center

Our brain plays a key role when it comes to be mentally fit. It consists of about 100 billion nerve cells. In this unimaginably big network each single nerve cell is connected with other cells via several hundreds and even thousands conjunctions – the so-called synapses. Our total thinking, acting, and feeling but also all our organic and physical processes are directed by transmission of all information via the synapses. Each second, quadrillions of electrical-chemical impulses. During sleep, our brain readjusts billions of its synapses. Only this makes room for our daily new life experiences.

The constant formation, rearrangement and elimination of these synapses increasingly arose the interest of science and brain research. Especially in connection with our sleep and the regeneration and learning ability involved. For a long time, brain research considered that formation of new synaptic connections is a basic prerequisite for learning. Just like in many other fields, too, here an incisive paradigm shift is happening. Because, the exact opposite reveals to be true: the latest findings demonstrate that the nightly degradation of old synapses is the secret of our mental fitness!

Our brain shrinks during sleep

There are still many open questions when it comes to sleep, like “why are we sleeping at all”. But, one thing comes increasingly clear: for our brain, concretely for our nerve cells and synapses as well as their optimal functioning, sleep is essential. Because, exactly during this rest our memories solidify and the things learned during the day are transferred into long-time-memory.

Therefore, it is plausible why we clearly make more mistakes, why our brain fails and why we even tend to false memories when we have a bad sleep or a lack of sleep. Furthermore, people with sleep disturbances and lack of sleep are more prone for stress-symptoms and are more nervous. One simply is not really mentally fit. Measurements of brain waves of people with sleep disturbances and lack of sleep show that their synapses are overactive and therefore not able to further grow. But, especially for good learning results this is a major precondition and would counteract a mental stagnation.

The role of sleep for formation of synapses

Already in 2003, Luisa de Vivo and her team of the University of Wisconsin wanted to know it more exactly and tried to find out what role sleep actually has when it comes to the function of synapses. So, the scientists examined whether the synapses of rested mice differ in size and structure from those that stayed awake. With the help of a high-resolution serial 3D electron-microscopy (SBEM) this was possible. To receive an appropriate result, about 7.000 synapses of the cortex of the animals were tested. And the sensation was perfect: the scientists were able to show that the contact surface of the synapses of the rested mice shrunk about 20 %, on an average!

Read in #3, why our brain needs room during sleep and what “neuronal disposal” means.

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Phases of sleep are important for physical regeneration

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A healthy, restful sleep is very important for our body. When you are lacking sleep, symptoms like lack of concentration, tiredness and fatigue might arise. Sleep consists of five different phases of sleep that alternate during the night. Besides the phase of falling asleep there are the phases of REM-sleep and deep sleep. During the last mentioned phases, our body cells are working at full blast. Cell repair takes places, growth hormones are released, impressions and learning contents are processed and saved.

Different phases of sleep

During night, the five sleeping stages repeat up to six times. The phases of falling asleep resp. of light sleep are phase one and two. There are two phases of deep sleep that form stage three and four. REM-sleep is the fifth phase. The longest phase of deep sleep is the first one; it takes about one hour. In the course of the night the duration of phases of deep sleep decrease and the duration of REM-sleep-phases increase.

Function and task of deep sleep

Deep sleep is the most relaxing one for our body. Here, the cortisol level is the lowest.

During deep sleep, muscle tension, body temperature and blood pressure decrease. The circulatory slows down. Also, growth hormones are released. These hormones stimulate cell repair and strengthen the immune system. The regulation of metabolism takes place. Furthermore, learning contents and impressions are solidified during sleep. A transfer from short-term memory into long-term memory takes place.

Consequences of missing deep sleep resp. of lack of sleep

Due to a natural rhythm of rest and activity vital body functions like breathing, heart frequency, muscle tension and body temperature remain constant. Missing or too short deep sleep unbalances these important body functions. Lack of sleep leads to an increased release of cortisol; permanent stress might arise. This in turn might negatively influence metabolism. Furthermore, people with a shortened or missing deep sleep have a decreased learning capacity and retentiveness.

Imagesource: @shutterstock

Is your head aching?

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Did you know that women suffer four times more often under headache than men? Almost every single person has already been affected by headache. According estimations at least 70 % of all people suffer at least once a month under headache. Often, headache appear in the form of migraine or tension headache – or a combination of both. Headaches belong to the most common diseases of humans.

How does headache arise?

Here, we must distinguish between primary and secondary headache. About 80 % of all headaches are primary pains and have no specific origin. Primary headaches are migraine, tension headaches or cluster headaches. Are headaches a consequence of a disease they are called secondary headache. Examples: head or cervical spine trauma, brain tumors, vascular headache (for example vascular disturbances), misusage of medications or infectious diseases. Mental disturbances, too, might cause secondary headache. Furthermore, disorders of teeth, nose or neck (cervical syndrome).

Are there further causes of headache?

Besides weather, your lifestyle might lead to headache, too. In case you are suffering under headache quite often, it is advisable to keep a diary to find out the possible cause. Stress, alcohol, nutrition but also sleep, wrong body posture, overexertion or lack of oxygen may trigger headache. With women, headache may be caused by hormonal fluctuations.

Sleep causing headache

An irregular sleep-wake-cycle, too few but also too much sleep may cause headache as well. Especially care for a regular sleep-wake-cycle and try to stick to your personal sleep duration.

Find some helpful hints in the oncoming article.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Imagesource: @fotolia

 

Sleep disturbances of school-aged children

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The holiday season is over, school life starts. This also brings a change into sleeping times of our children. If you haven’t changed the to-bed-go-time of your offspring a couple of days before school started, it’s advisable to do that now, at the latest. Children of preschool and primary school age need from nine to eleven hours sleep. Here, the individual sleep need can differ.

The time to sleep should be selected according to the time to get up. Meaning, if your child has to get up at 6.30 a.m., for example, you should take care that it sleeps at about 8.30 p.m. Don’t forget to consider the time for the ritual to fall asleep and the fall asleep time itself.

How can you tell whether your child has slept sufficiently?

Do you have to wake up your child several times in the morning? Is it difficult for your child to concentrate during the day, is it short-tempered and inattentive? Is there an increased urge for movement and your child can’t sit still? All these might be signs for lack of sleep.

Sleeping problems?

Sleep disturbances don’t arise all of a sudden, so take to above mentioned signs serious and try to solve the sleeping problems before they increase.

  • Rituals to fall asleep: Does your child try to frequently test the boundaries and refuses to go to bed at night? Hold firm! Develop binding rules which ensure that your child sticks to a regular sleep-wake-cycle and goes to bed at the same time. Rituals to fall asleep significantly facilitate going to bed. Read out some short and nice stories to your child before going to bed, tell a story, let it read something itself or let it listen to an audio book etc. No matter what you choose, best is to do this when your child already is in bed.
  • Exercise in the fresh air: Observe the daily routine of your child. Often children lack exercise and therefore still have a lot of energy in the evenings – and consequently are not tired enough for sleeping. Therefore take care that your child has sufficient exercise in fresh air.
  • Discuss fears and sorrows: In case you notice that something is bothering your child (a fight with a friend, an oncoming test etc.) – try to discuss it with your child. But, this discussion should not take place right before falling asleep. Otherwise your child will take its fears and sorrows into bed.
  • Leisure time stress, overstimulation and media consumption: Is your child watching TV or playing Video games in the evening? There are some points to consider: take care that the games or shows are not to stimulating and that they stop at least one hour before going to bed. Otherwise they might negatively influence falling asleep or lead to nightmares. Nightmares not necessarily have to be triggered by an exciting TV show. They also can be caused by stress and overstimulation. Try to quiet the everyday life of your child.

Receive further information in our sleep-healthy-guidebook “sleep yourself young, fit and successful”, free of cost.

Image source: @fotolia