April 29, 2021

Sleep: Do You Get Enough?

Articles by Dr. Erdman are for informational purposes, and are not to be taken as specific medical advice.

 

When is the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep? Have you been conditioned to think getting a full night’s sleep is not that necessary? When I asked one patient about his sleep habits he said, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead!” Prophetically, a lack of sleep will get you there more quickly.

It is estimated that 40% of Americans do not get proper sleep time. Many get less than five hours per night. Even the CDC has stated that a lack of sleep is a public health epidemic. Improper sleep habits are linked to a wide variety of health problems. Tired drivers are as dangerous as drunk drivers. By lacking sleep, you are risking far more than accidents, you are affecting your entire health picture.

After reviewing over 300 studies on sleep, experts have come to the conclusion that most people need roughly 8 hours of sleep to maintain their health.

Getting less than 7 hours has been shown to raise your risk of weight gain by increasing appetite inducing hormones.

Getting less than 6 hours leaves you cognitively impaired. Even a single night of only 4 to 6 hours sleep leaves you thinking less clearly the next day.

On a long term basis, lack of sleep is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Poor sleep quality can be just as hazardous to your health as not getting enough sleep. Obstructed sleep can increase your blood pressure, depriving the body of oxygen, causing irregular heart beat and making blood stickier. These can lead to risk of heart disease and stroke.

A study by the European Society of Cardiology in June 2015 found that men who had a sleep disorder were between 2 and 2.6 times more likely to have a heart attack and 1.5 to 4 times more likely to have a stroke over the 14 year study.

Improving sleep has another major benefit in that it helps reduce physical pain levels. Sleep problems tend to lower your tolerance for pain. Compared to individuals who reported no insomnia, those who reported one weekly episode of insomnia had a 52% lower pain tolerance. Those who reported one bout of insomnia per month had a 24% lower pain tolerance.

Another unfortunate finding is that night shift workers have a radically increased risk of disease and premature death. A worse finding is that there is no known remedy to this biological adversity.

The link between impaired sleep and cancer has been repeatedly established. Tumors in lab animals grow 2-3 times faster with sleep deprivation. Less sleep leads to less melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that has both antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. It inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells, triggers cancer apoptosis (self-destruction), and interferes with angiogenesis (new blood supply) to tumors.

Experts offer these tips to promote better sleep:

·         Avoid medications with pseudoephedrine (common allergy drugs) they are a stimulant

·         Avoid eating before bed

·         Blackout your sleeping room – any light interferes with the pineal gland

·         Keep bedroom temperatures below 70*

·         Avoid caffeine before bed

There are many benefits of proper and adequate sleep. Your path to better health depends on it.