"Sleep Matters" By Winston J. Craig
Mom was right when she said, "You'll get sick and you won't be able to do those math problems if you don't get a good night's sleep."
Many people think sleep is time wasted and don't worry about what they may be losing by skimping on sleep. But sleep does more than cure sleepiness. New research shows the brain is very active during sleep, forming new connections within the brain and consolidating memory.
People stay up all night to study, work or have fun, and accept fatigue as a normal part of daily life. Burning the candle at both ends is not healthy. Adequate sleep is just as important for our health as a healthy diet and regular exercise. When we don't get adequate sleep there are both short- and long-term consequences.
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for many higher-level cognitive functions and is particularly vulnerable to a lack of sleep. Concentration, working memory, mathematical capacity, complex thought and logical thinking are all aspects of cognitive function compromised by sleep deprivation. A lack of adequate sleep exacts a toll on perception and judgement, affects mood and reduces efficiency, productivity and our ability to focus. It may increase the risk of errors, and serious accidents and injury. Falling asleep at the wheel from fatigue causes more driving fatalities than alcohol. Drowsy driving causes about 1 million crashes, 500,000 injuries and 8,000 deaths each year in the U.S.
Chronic sleep deprivation is usually associated with increased stress, increased blood pressure, impaired control of blood glucose and weight gain. Getting too little sleep upsets the balance of ghrelin and leptin, hormones that regulate appetite and eating. Thus sleep deprivation leads to many problems, including obesity. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a 15 percent reduced life expectancy.
Subjects who are sleep deprived report feeling less optimistic and more stressed, sad, angry, and mentally exhauses, and more prone to anxiety and depression. These symptoms improved dramatically when subjects return to a normal sleep schedule. Individuals who experience stress, anxiety and depression also find it more difficult to fall asleep, and their sleep tends to be shallow and less restful.
The Institutes of Medicine report that more than 1 million injuries and up to 100,000 deaths each year result from preventable medical errors. Many of these result from insuffient sleep among health professionals who work very long shifts. Nurses working shifts longer than 12 hours make 2 to 3 times as many errors as those working shorter shifts. Doctors-in-training have been found to make 36 percent more serious diagnostic errors when working extended shifts of 24 or more consecutive hours, compared with shifts limited to 16 hours.
A regular sleep schedule is vital. The synchronization of the sleep-wake cycle with your internal biological clock's circadian rhythm is essential. Exposure to light late in the evening resets our internal clock so we prefer to sleep later. Light also suppresses melatonin production, which affects quality of sleep.
Winston Craig, Ph.D., RD, is a professor of nutrition at Andrews University.
Many people think sleep is time wasted and don't worry about what they may be losing by skimping on sleep. But sleep does more than cure sleepiness. New research shows the brain is very active during sleep, forming new connections within the brain and consolidating memory.
People stay up all night to study, work or have fun, and accept fatigue as a normal part of daily life. Burning the candle at both ends is not healthy. Adequate sleep is just as important for our health as a healthy diet and regular exercise. When we don't get adequate sleep there are both short- and long-term consequences.
The prefrontal cortex is responsible for many higher-level cognitive functions and is particularly vulnerable to a lack of sleep. Concentration, working memory, mathematical capacity, complex thought and logical thinking are all aspects of cognitive function compromised by sleep deprivation. A lack of adequate sleep exacts a toll on perception and judgement, affects mood and reduces efficiency, productivity and our ability to focus. It may increase the risk of errors, and serious accidents and injury. Falling asleep at the wheel from fatigue causes more driving fatalities than alcohol. Drowsy driving causes about 1 million crashes, 500,000 injuries and 8,000 deaths each year in the U.S.
Chronic sleep deprivation is usually associated with increased stress, increased blood pressure, impaired control of blood glucose and weight gain. Getting too little sleep upsets the balance of ghrelin and leptin, hormones that regulate appetite and eating. Thus sleep deprivation leads to many problems, including obesity. Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a 15 percent reduced life expectancy.
Subjects who are sleep deprived report feeling less optimistic and more stressed, sad, angry, and mentally exhauses, and more prone to anxiety and depression. These symptoms improved dramatically when subjects return to a normal sleep schedule. Individuals who experience stress, anxiety and depression also find it more difficult to fall asleep, and their sleep tends to be shallow and less restful.
The Institutes of Medicine report that more than 1 million injuries and up to 100,000 deaths each year result from preventable medical errors. Many of these result from insuffient sleep among health professionals who work very long shifts. Nurses working shifts longer than 12 hours make 2 to 3 times as many errors as those working shorter shifts. Doctors-in-training have been found to make 36 percent more serious diagnostic errors when working extended shifts of 24 or more consecutive hours, compared with shifts limited to 16 hours.
A regular sleep schedule is vital. The synchronization of the sleep-wake cycle with your internal biological clock's circadian rhythm is essential. Exposure to light late in the evening resets our internal clock so we prefer to sleep later. Light also suppresses melatonin production, which affects quality of sleep.
Winston Craig, Ph.D., RD, is a professor of nutrition at Andrews University.
