Wednesday, May 26, 2010
It’s becoming common knowledge that getting less than six hours of sleep a night can lead to severe health problems. A new study published in the scientific journal, Sleep, presents even more alarming news. According to an exhaustive study including more than 1.3 million participants followed up for more than 25 years, Sleep found that there is a significant danger in getting too little or too much sleep. The journal’s conclusion states: “Both short and long duration of sleep are significant predictors of death in prospective population studies.”
The study shows that 12% of people who regularly get less than six hours of sleep per night die before the age of 65. Sleep deprivation has been linked to severe health conditions such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. Professor Francesco Cappuccio, leader of the study and head of the Sleep, Health and Society program at University of Warich put the reports in context by saying, “Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work.”
The study also found there are some heavy consequences for those of us who sleep nine hours or more a night. According to the study, people who average nine hours or more of sleep per night are 30% more likely to die prematurely than those who average between six and eight hours of shut-eye. If there are many health problems associated with sleep deprivation, then why are people who get too much sleep at risk as well? The study postulates that those who oversleep are more likely to have a serious mental health issue like depression or a physical condition that keeps them bed-ridden. Capuccio believes that, “Whilst short sleep may represent a cause of ill health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill health.”
How many hours of sleep do you get every night? Are you regularly -making it past the six-hour mark? It could mean a world of difference. If you’re getting way too much sleep due to a health problem, be sure you’re getting proper medical attention. For the most part, you should be getting six to eight hours of sleep because, according to Prof. Francesco Cappuccio, “Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be optimal for health.”
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Writers of detective stories and spy thrillers have hinged many a plotline twist on plans and secrets divulged because a pivotal character talks in their sleep. But, in reality, for the most part sleep talking is comprised of nonsensical babble. Not the kind of detailed, thought-through speech that would contain the plans printed on a secret microfilm or a world-threatening nuclear secret. Although people who talk in their sleep may speak clearly from time to time, mostly it’s indecipherable mumbling resembling that of a person who’s had one cocktail too many. Sleep talking can range from quiet whispers to loud and violent outbursts that can seem alarming and out of character. Sleep talking can take the form of one side of a conversation or can be a long, continuous, meandering speech.
Sleep talking occurs more frequently in children. About 50% of kids chat away in their sleep whereas only about 5% of adults regularly talk in their sleep. It’s also a common misconception that people are acting out their dreams when they talk in their sleep. Most of the time a sleep talker isn’t even in a dream state. Sleep talking generally occurs during all sleep cycles, not just REM, the dream cycle.
Sleep talking is rarely a health problem, but it can be a symptom of REM sleep behavior disorder or sleep terrors. Sleep terrors are traumatizing for a sleeper to experience. They can cause someone to thrash around in bed, kick and scream loudly. People with REM sleep behavior disorder are also known to yell and act out violently. If you, your sleep partner or child’s sleep talking or behaviors have taken on a physical and aggressive tone, it may be cause to see a doctor or sleep specialist.
When most people think about sleepwalkers it conjures up ideas of people slowly walking in a zombie-like trance, arms outstretched like The Mummy, slowly moaning and ambling into the moonlight. Well, minus the menacing moaning and the outstretched arms, people do sleepwalk and they do it without any conscious idea that it’s happening. Although the thought of someone walking in a dream state may seem funny, sleepwalkers can put themselves into some dangerous situations. Sleepwalkers commonly find themselves in rooms of the house they don’t remember walking into or can even wake up miles from their own home, wondering how they got there.
After sleepwalking, many never recall what they actually did and, if they get back into bed, they may never even know it even happened. Some sleepwalkers are known to start cleaning the house or take a walk up the block. Also, contrary to popular belief, sleepwalkers do so with their eyes open. Although, if you’ve encountered someone sleepwalking they’ll have a glazed-over look on their face and don’t seem to be very “present.” Some call this look the “thousand-mile stare.”
Sleepwalkers are also known to act out in some strange and deviant ways whether they’re urinating in closets, exhibiting inappropriate sexual behaviors or, in some instances, driving far, far away from home. Even calm and relatively “normal” folk are known to act completely out of character during a sleepwalking bout.
Sleepwalking is known in the scientific community as somnambulism or noctambulism and happens most frequently during the first third of a night’s sleep and can, on rare occasions, happen during naps. Sleepwalking occurs most frequently in children and affects both sexes equally. About 17% of children sleep walk and it happens most frequently between the ages of 8 and 12. Sleepwalking occurs more often amongst identical twins and people with a first-degree relative that sleepwalks.
It is a common misconception that people who sleepwalk are dreaming. Sleepwalking is a “partial arousal” disorder, in which a person is neither fully asleep nor completely awake. Dreaming occurs during REM sleep but sleepwalking usually happens during slow-wave sleep. Slow-wave sleep, often referred to as deep sleep, consists of three to four stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep. Children spend more time in slow-wave sleep than adults so they tend to sleepwalk more often.
Sleepwalking is commonly caused by sleep deprivation and as the result of a chaotic sleep schedule. Magnesium deficiency, alcohol intoxication, fever and stress can also trigger people to start walking in the middle of the night. The popular prescription sleep aid, Ambien, has been linked to numerous incidents of sleepwalking, sleep driving and even sleep binge eating. Ambien has also been known to cause late-night unconscious purchases over the Internet and incidences of shoplifting. The Food and Drug Administration has said that reports made to the FDA by doctors show that Ambien is associated with more sleepwalking incidents than all other sleep aids combined.
If you’re a sleepwalker or live with one, here are some tips to keep them safe:
- If the sleepwalker is a child who shares a room, never put them on the top bunk. The child could easily fall off the bed during a sleepwalking episode.
- Don’t wake someone if you find them sleepwalking. Instead, talk to them in a soothing, calm voice and lead them back into bed. Waking them up could frighten them terribly.
- Sleepwalkers should be sure not to drink too much liquid before going to bed. The urge to urinate could encourage sleepwalking.
- Keep windows and doors shut and locked before going to bed.
- Put up a safety gate if the sleepwalker sleeps upstairs to be sure they don’t take a tumble and risk serious injury during the night.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Which member of a married couple should be allowed to hit the snooze button one more time before waking up? One might guess the man. Men tend to have physically more demanding jobs; they consume more calories and have more muscle mass to build at night. But, if you said that men need more sleep you would be wrong. The answer is, women.
Why is it that women should be allowed to sleep a little longer every night? Well, boys out there, you may not like this, but according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, “…women tend to multi-task and use more of their actual brain than men leading to a greater need for sleep. Essentially, the more you use your brain during the day, the more it needs to rest while asleep.” The article goes on to say that, on average, women should be allowed about 20 more minutes of sleep each night, which is about the equivalent of one extra snooze.
Studies have also shown that a lack of sleep can have a larger negative effect on women as it pertains to their psychological and physical health. An article recently published in the U.K.’s Daily Mail, quoting research done at Duke University, found that “Lack of sleep can also put them [women] at higher risk of heart disease, depression and psychological problems.” The studies show that women who were sleep deprived had higher levels of a clotting factor that has been tied to stroke, various markers which can lead to thickening of the arteries and an increased risk of heart disease. The sleep deprived women also reported more symptoms of depression, hostility and anger. But the men with sleeping problems showed no increased risk of the conditions that were affecting the women.
Given the fact that the lack of sleep greatly affects women more than men, one would think the logical conclusion would be for women to sleep longer. And indeed they do. A recent study by The Statistics Canada found that women sleep, on average, about 11 minutes more a night than men. “Men sleep an average of eight hours and seven minutes per night, compared to eight hours and 18 minutes in the case of women.” So it appears that, on average, women are only nine minutes shy of where they need to be. Another interesting point made in the study found that, “While 25% of men face trouble falling asleep, the number goes up to 35% in the case of women.” Why is that? It just could be that all of the thinking they’re doing is keeping them up at night.
Sources:
National Sleep Foundation, January 2010
Softpedia, April 2008
DailyMail, March 2008
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Whether you’re the parent of a teenager or a teenager yourself, you know just how hard it is for a parent to try to wake up their teenage child in the morning so they don’t miss class. Many parents just think their teen’s sleepiness is a behavioral problem and that their child is getting lazier and more lethargic with age. But, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s because like everything else in a teenager’s life, their sleep patterns are changing.
First, there is a lifestyle component as to why teenagers are so tired. A busy school life with athletics, cheerleading, student council, and of course, study and homework can keep a teen up late at night. There are also tons of social engagements to attend, late-night phone conversations and, for many teens, a part-time job. For most teenagers, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Also, the average school day begins at around 8:00 am, so a teen has to be up early to get to school on time. This is where new changes in their body clock begin to negatively affect their sleep habits.
The average adult begins to feel like they need to wind down at around 7:30 at night. But, changes to a teen’s body clock may push this back to around 11:00 in the evening. According to a Stanford research paper, “Sometime in late puberty, the body secretes the sleep-related hormone melatonin at a different time than it normally does. This changes the circadian rhythms that guide a person’s sleep-wake cycle. For instance, if you told your teen to go to bed at 10:00 p.m., she may end up staring at the ceiling until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. waiting to fall asleep.”
According to the National Sleep Foundation, “research indicates that adolescents require at least as much sleep as they did as preteens, 8.5 - 9.25 hours per night, fewer than 15% of adolescents report that they sleep at least 8.5 hours on school nights and more than 25% report that they get less than 6.5 hours of sleep on school nights.” This lack of sleep can have very negative effect on a teen’s studies. Sleep deprivation can impair memory and creativity making it a lot harder for the student to learn and remember their lessons. Sleep deprivation can also make it more difficult for teens to process their stress and emotions which is already a common struggle for that age group. Chronic sleep deprivation can even lead to depression and make teens more susceptible to illness.
What can parents do to help a teenager get the best night’s rest possible amongst the chaos of teenage life? First of all, teenagers should stay away from caffeine and nicotine which are both stimulants as well as alcohol. Avoid arguing with your adolescent just before bedtime. Make sure your teenager turns off the television or computer before going to bed. Let them sleep in on the weekend, but no more than two or three hours later than their usual awakening time or it will disrupt their body clock. Lastly, it’s very important to understand that your teen’s sleep behavior is changing and to learn to be flexible and try to accommodate of these changes – both for your sanity and your child’s.
Sources:
National Association of School Psychologists, January 2005
Stanford, October 1999
