A MATTER OF CONCERN
Benefits of sleep are obvious. Sleep is a natural blessing, it is desirable and it is sweet to a man. “The fear of Lord leads to life so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.” (Proverbs 19:23).
An occasional sleep problem is more a matter of annoyance rather than a serious concern that will go away even if nothing is done to address it. But continuation of such a problem on regular basis is certainly an issue whose telltale signs are excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability, trouble in controlling emotions, lack of concentration, poor response to environmental change and compulsive need for caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. In a driving test, sleep-deprived people performed as if under the influence of drug, and no amount of caffeine or fresh air could negate the ill effects.
Chapter:2
SLEEP: NATURE‘S BEST MEDICINE
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Three Key Messages
1.Sleep heals both mind and body and raises threshold of pain. Many healing processes, including wound healing, have been shown to be positively influenced by sleep.
2.Growth hormone is primarily secreted during sleep. Both heart rate and blood pressure are at an optimum level during sleep.
3.Persons not sleeping well are at an increased risk of obesity (a forerunner of diabetes), greater risk of cancer and increased production of inflammatory chemicals that raise propensity for heart attack and stroke.
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“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.”
(An Irish Proverb)
SLEEP – NATURE’S BEST MEDICINE
Sleep is a basic requirement for survival which influences many aspects of our lives, including how we think, what we believe in, our rest, leisure and economic activity. It is a sensitive barometer of health and is being increasingly recognized as an important health issue. Sleep is an element of potential energy which is to be managed consciously, for getting an appropriate amount of sleep has a salutary effect on one’s wellbeing both at home and at work. We recognize that after a well-rested good night sleep or after a midday siesta one feels more energetic and alert. In an experiment, rats deprived of sleep, died within two to three weeks. Sleep affects every aspect of our physiology “the heart, lungs and kidneys; appetite, metabolism and weight control; immune functions and disease resistance; sensitivity to pain; reaction time, mood and brain function,” according to sleep specialists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
Getting the right amount of sleep is vital, but just as important is the quality of sleep. Sleep deprivation or fragmented sleep marked by many nighttime arousals affect decision making, cause lack of focus and concentration, make one impatient, irritable and cause memory impairment. These are some of the insidious effects of sleep deprivation at night which invariably slows down mental cognition involving learning, memory, judgement and problem solving. These are fundamentally mental issues which often accompanies aging marked by chronically poor sleep In addition, it is a sure recipe for marital disharmony.
How much sleep we need varies between individuals, but this need changes as we age. The non-profit National Sleep Foundation in the United States suggests that children from 5 to 10 years of age require 10 – 11 hours of sleep each day, 10 – 17 years need 8.5 to 9 hours, and adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep daily to function optimally during the course of the day. By the rule of thumb, healthy adults do well with 7 – 8 hours of sleep each day for their normal physiologic, psychological and sociological functions. But according to National Health Interview in 2005 nearly 30% of adults reported an average of 6 hours or less of sleep each day. Sleep insufficiency is, accordingly, a great national health problem and harbinger of many health issues.
Half of the Americans have at least occasional insomnia. As detailed in Wikipedia a survey of 1.1 million residents in the United States it was found that severe insomnia – sleeping less than 3.5 hours in women and 4.5 hours in men led to 15 percent increase in mortality. Apart from this finding, the use of sleeping pills was found to be linked to increase in mortality rate. The lowest mortality was found in those sleeping between six and half hours and seven and half hours per night. Again, as long as an insomniac refrains from sleeping pills, there is little to no increase in mortality directly associated with insomnia (in fact, it is an axiomatic - “Insomnia, per se, has not killed anyone.”), but that does not appear to increase in longevity .
Sleep stage on awakening is an important factor in amplifying sleep inertia which tends to be very little if the sleeper awakes from light sleep. If awaken from deep sleep, sleep inertia or sleep hangover is high. The amount of sleep we need is the duration of time necessary to wake up refreshed and alert. However, on the total amount of sleep for optimal day health, alertness and well-being, opinions vary widely, with most of them converging on an 8-hour average duration for a 24-hour period. This is generally accepted as a norm for healthy adults. Adults sleeping less than 7 – 9 hours per night are more likely prone to ill health and to have difficulty in performing many daily tasks.
An estimated 50 – 70 million US adults have sleep disorders which presage them to number of psycho-somatic issues. Chronic failure to get enough sleep can compromise the functioning of body and mind or even shorten life by negatively affecting a number of vital systems – the heart, lung, kidneys, appetite and weight control, immune system and disease resistance, sensitivity to pain, reaction time, mood and brain function in addition to being a major risk factor for depression and substance abuse. Getting fewer than six hours of sleep a night can raise the risk of stroke according to a research paper presented at to 2012 Associated Professional Sleep Scientists meeting in the United States.
During daytime work an individual uses up a lot of hormones which keep him/her in good health. These hormones are replenished by the endocrine system when we are asleep. Among these, somatotropin (also called growth hormone) is also released during sleep, which helps in the reconstructive task of repairing worn out cells and those cells destroyed during the waking hours. . Release of growth hormone is related, in part, to repair processes that occur during sleep. At the same, certain chemicals in the body, among them peptides, are produced, which not only have sleep-inducing effects but are also known to bolster human immune system by increasing the production of anti-bodies.
Sleep is deeply inter-connected with health and performance - an important biological ritual for every night which is to be taken very seriously. Michael J. Twery, a sleep specialist at National Institute of Health says that sleep affects almost every tissue of our body. A number of body systems are adversely affected by inadequate sleep – the heart, lungs, kidneys, appetite, mood , immune system and disease resistance, reaction time, sensitivity to pain, nerve and brain function. Recently some researchers led by Timothy A Rochers, Ph.D (at Sleep Disorders and Research Center, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, US) found out that extra sleep might trigger chemicals that help brain cope with pain. These findings were