Sleep. That all wonderful slumber. I seem to have a “love/hate” relationship with sleep. I really would like to know how much should I have; am I getting enough and who said as you get older you need less sleep?
I am one of those individuals who suffers from insomnia – it especially gets worse if I am stressed, have deliverables on my mind or sometimes if I have not eaten enough for the day; there is nothing worse than having your stomach growl at night “FEED ME”!
After almost two years of not going to bed until 10/11PM and getting up at 7; I am now unable to stay awake past 9:15 since I get out of bed at 4:45 each morning that I go into the office. On weekends I am a little more lenient in that I don’t get out of bed until 6AM; but, my body is certainly ready to start sleeping at 9:15. I feel like my great nephew, Callum who can certainly sleep 12 hours at night and then take a 2 hour power nap during the day.
At any time when I vary from this regimented routine I pay the price of my body wanting to sleep in the middle of the day. Case in point, this past weekend I did not sleep well – I had my great nephews with me on both Friday and Saturday night – Ryan the older one I do not need to worry about. But, Callum who is going to be 3 slept in my bed with me. I did not want him to fall off the bed (he is a traveler when he sleeps) so I built this huge pillow barricade on one side of the bed and I made myself the other barricade with him sleeping in the middle. I was up several times during the night as he moved around and tossed and turned – and since I had them during the day there was no opportunity to nap.
On Monday I went to dinner with my family (birthday celebration) and did not get home until after 9 and to bed until 10:30; WAY past my bedtime. Although on Tuesday I worked from home and got up at 6 so I had a bit more sleep than usual. But, the kicker was that I needed to be in the office for 6:30 on Wednesday.
I had a meeting at another facility for 8AM – it was 30 minutes drive from my office so I wanted to get into my office, settle, have my coffee and then drive to the other site. It is amazing what 15 minutes difference will do to your body. I woke up at 4:30 so I could be in my office at 6:30 in the morning. By noon my body was flagging and ready for a nap. I left my office at 1:30 and was home by 2:30PM; all I wanted to do was eat something and sleep. I did eat some lunch/dinner and then tried to watch the shows that I had DVRd from the night before. At one point I woke up to see that the show had played through but I certainly didn’t remember it. Needless to say that by 8 I was heading up to my bedroom to go to sleep; in bed by 9 I was hoping for a great rest.
Not what I got. I fell asleep shortly after 9; and then woke up thinking – “wow, I feel great, I guess it is time to get up soon” THEN reality set in when I looked at the clock and it said 11:45 – I had barely been asleep for more than 2 hours. And the rest of the night went the same way.
I don’t know about you but I am one of those individuals who really works well with about 5 to 6 hours of UNinterrupted sleep; if it is going to be a night when I am waking up several times a night then I would prefer to be in bed for at least 8 hours. Some people say “sleep is overrated”. I disagree with them. While you sleep your body is rejuvenating itself, your muscles are relaxing and your heart rate slows down.
I sometimes think that we do not take seriously the merits of a good sleep or the need for us as humans to sleep; so here are some reasons why sleep is important to our well being – they are all from the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School:
1. Sleep helps keep your heart healthy. Sleep helps to reduce the levels of stress and inflammation in your body. Sleep can also help keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels in check.
2. Sleep reduces stress. A good night's sleep can help lower blood pressure and elevated levels of stress hormones, which are a natural result of today's fast paced lifestyle.
3. Sleep improves your memory. That 'foggy' feeling that you struggle with when deprived of sleep makes it difficult to concentrate. This often leads to memory problems with facts, faces, lessons, or even conversations. Sleeping well eliminates these difficulties because, as you sleep, your brain is busy organizing and correlating memories.
4. Sleep helps control body weight issues. Sleep helps regulate the hormones that affect and control your appetite. Studies have shown that when your body is deprived of sleep, the normal hormone balances are interrupted and your appetite increases. Unfortunately this increase in appetite doesn't lead to a craving for fruits and veggies. Rather, your body longs for foods high in calories, fats, and carbohydrates.
5. Sleep reduces your chances of diabetes. Researchers have shown that lack of sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by affecting how your body processes glucose, which is the carbohydrate your cells use for fuel.
6. Sleep reduces the occurrence of mood disorders. With insufficient sleep during the night, many people become agitated or moody the following day. Yet, when limited sleep becomes a chronic issue, studies have shown it can lead to long-term mood disorders such as depression or anxiety.
I hope I have given you sufficient reason to take your sleep requirements seriously and next time listen to your body when it is craving some sleep.
I will get my body into a good rhythm although given our hectic lifestyles it is understandable when it needs to be out of a sync for a specific event.
Take that nap, get that good night’s sleep.
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