That’s the name of the cover story in Maclean’s magazine from July 17th. A great article highlighting how important sleep is, but not just for energy and concentration, but in all aspects of health from obesity to depression.
Some great facts from the article:
- North Americans are sleeping 2.5 hours less on average than we did 40 years ago
- 35% of Americans are getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night
Where do you fall in these statistics? Are you getting more than 7 hours of sleep? Are you sleeping 2.5 hours less than your parents or grandparents did at your age? Ready to find out the consequences of this under-sleeping?
Sleeping less than your required amount (7-9 hours for adults) can have a huge impact on your health, including:
- 89% increased chance of obesity
- 28% increased chance of developing type 2 Diabetes.
- Increase in depression and suicidal thoughts
- Increased sensitivity to pain (from menstrual cramps, to sports injuries, to arthritis)
The most interesting studies discussed in the article were about the effect of sleep deprivation on your hormones and cell function.
- Appetite: As sleep decreases, so does the hormone that makes you feel full (leptin) which means you can eat more before feeling like you should stop. To make matters worse, the hormone that tells your body to eat more (ghrelin) goes up. So your body wants to eat more and takes longer to feel full – no wonder there is an 89% chance of obesity!
- Diabetes: When skinny test subjects were deprived of adequate sleep for just 1 night, their actual cells changed. Their fat cells became less sensitive to insulin – just like the cells of someone with diabetes. This is amazing because we can see that there are real metabolic changes happening from a few hours of sleep loss – where even a thin, healthy person’s cells can change to look like those of a heavy, sick person.
- Protein: Sleep deprivation in mice showed that they were not able to make proteins properly. These are the building blocks of every cell in the body and are vital for cell function and repair. So when you’re not sleeping enough, you may be actually denying your cells the ability to make what they need for their most basic functions. Just imagine the repercussions…
Kids are definitely not immune to sleep loss and it can cause changes in mood, hormones (think teens), and hyperactivity. There was mention in the article that some cases on ADD/ADHD may be a misdiagnosis and that some extra hours of sleep may be more than medication.
So what to do? The easy answer is to sleep more, but it’s not always that easy! Here are some practical tips for getting more sleep:
- Keep a regular bedtime (even on weekends)
- Avoid bright light in the evening (including screens – TV, computer, phone, tablet, etc)
- Get some natural light in the day
- Take a morning walk in the sun
- Daily physical activity
- Avoid the nightcap – no alcohol before bed
Some people may have trouble sleeping adequately for other reasons (chronic pain, respiratory conditions, menopause, shift work, etc.) In these cases, more individualized health care may be needed. Talk to your Naturopath to bring balance back to all your body’s systems so you can go back to getting a great night’s sleep!
To read the whole Maclean’s article go here.
Naturopathic Doctor
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