•Sleep resets immune system, repairs the body, restores energy, does things that medications can’t do
A quality night sleep can work wonders in the body, sometimes more than drugs, a psychiatrist, Dr Margaret Isioma Ojeahere, has revealed.
In an encounter with COSMAS OMEGOH, Ojeahere, a consultant psychiatrist at Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Founder Medic Minders Health Services, tasked Nigerians to take their sleep very seriously.
What really is sleep?
Basically, sleep is a universal phenomenon that can be described as a normal process that allows the body and brain to rest. It is a reversible and recurrent state that is associated with utter consciousness, reduces responsiveness of the body and brain to its surrounding or external environment with decreased muscle activities with cycles of sleep.
That said, there are stages of sleep. It is important to know that when one is sleeping, it doesn’t mean that the brain is inactive. In fact, there are plenty of detectable brain activities that have been documented. These brain activities have predictable patterns that have been categorised by experts into stages. And these stages can be broadly categorised into two: Rapid eye movement which we call the realm sleep, and the non-realm sleep which is the non-rapid eye movement sleep.
What that means is that sleep moves or alternates from cycles of non-real and realm stages, each with its own distinct patterns of brain activities.
So, when one falls asleep, they move into the non-realm sleep which is stage one that makes up five per cent of the total sleep duration.
And then from the non-realm sleep, which is stage one, one drifts into the deeper stage two which is actually a light form of sleep that makes up 45 per cent of our total sleep duration. And from there, one enters into stage three of the non-real sleep. This is described as the deepest and most restorative phase. It has been shown that the body uses this deep stage to repair injuries and build its system.
It is also important to know that the said level is the hardest period to wake up someone who is asleep. And when they wake up, they have what we call sleep inertia. Some people call it mental fog or confusion.
However, what is important is that this stage of sleep is very vital. And if one does not get this adequate stage of sleep, one feels drained and unrefreshed. And it makes up about 25 per cent of the total sleep time in adults. Babies and children need more stage 3 sleep.
We have talked about stage one, being light form of sleep; stage 2 being a kind of light but deeper, and then stage three being very deep. So we go to the brain’s realm sleep where dreaming and brain activities resemble that of one who is awake and each of this makes up 25 per cent of our sleeping duration. The cycle just described usually lasts up to 120 minutes. And most people have up to 4-5 cycles per night which is up to eight hours of sleep.
How then do we fall asleep?
Falling asleep is a complex, coordinated process that involves the structures in the brain and others that reduce brain activities during sleep, and help transition the brain from the state of wakefulness to a more relaxed sleep.
When one falls asleep, there is a shift from that wakefulness; some structures in the brain help to coordinate this transition by responding to light signals. That way, it regulates the sleep- wake cycle. Therefore, as day time diminishes and we tend towards evening, the organs in the body send signals to the brain to release hormones that reduce alertness and prepare the body for rest.
Several times, some people have very bright lights in their homes. That is not bad, but it sends the wrong signals to the brain, making it not to produce adequate hormones to prepare the brain for sleep. That is why we discourage night-time screen use because aside blue light and its effect on sleep, it also sends conflicting messages to the brain.
While some organs in the brain exchange sleep messages, there is a build-up of new transmitters or chemicals in the brain as the days go on. This creates sleep pressure that reduces arousal and makes one feel increasingly tired. During the process, there are also other organs that work together to reduce brain activities and slow down the brain waves. All these working in coordination, tell the person “look here, it is time to go to sleep.” When this is happening, the cortisol level is dropping. There is also the relaxing of nervous system activities. All these work in sync to drive sleep. Once these processes align, the brain begins to transit from that state of wakefulness to a relaxed state and one goes into the light sleep, the deep sleep and the realm sleep – all geared towards restoring the body, the mind and the brain.
How much sleep does one need nightly to be healthy?
Studies have shown that adults need less sleep than babies. Although individual needs for sleep may vary, but an adult needs between seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night. That is the ideal. Newborns need 14-17 hours. Infants 12-16 while school-age children need between nine and 12 hours of sleep.
Can anyone control sleep?
The answer is usually yes and no. Yes, we have partial control over sleep because sleep is actually influenced by internal and external factors. Among the internal factors are the hormones, brain structure and the neuro-transmitters that are working to ensure that one gets into a relaxed state instead of wakefulness.
But again, we know that this is also guided by our environment, our activities – we talked about lighting as day time fades – and how the brain interprets it. So our environment can meaningfully shape how we fall asleep and how well we rest. And critical to this is having a consistent sleep schedule.
When we have an irregular sleep pattern, it kind of sends conflicting messages to the brain: “Oh, I’m not sure this is when I should have sent it.” It is like a boss and servant relationship. The boss says “today I want breakfast at 6 am, tomorrow at 9 am.” So the servant gets conflicting messages and that’s how it is.
So, consistent sleep schedules are very important in controlling sleep. Having calming routines – relaxation, meditation, having a soothing music playing there, a supporting sleep environment, less light, quiet place and all that. A bed whose level is undulating cannot give a good sleep. So, a good bed is important. That helps the brain to shift to good sleep mode.
Our lifestyle choices too: exercise helps to enhance sleep; blue light plays a vital role in how well we sleep.
Then, the substances we take play a part. Caffeine is one of the key things that show up. Caffeine affects one of hormones and neuro-transmitters. It blocks the receptors that should help one to get sleep pressures and reduces arousal. So, one misses out on that; same for alcohol. These are some of the lifestyle choices we make that can actually negatively influence sleep. And so, managing them are very important.
Stress too plays a major role in a healthy sleep. We have to manage stress in order to have a healthy sleep.
It is important to also say that while sleep is actually driven by natural factors and internal ones, we cannot actually direct the internal cues – how the hormones should be governed, how they move from stage to stage. They are not up to us. But the external factors are kind of within our control.
Any consequences when we don’t have good sleep?
Of course there are consequences! The consequences can be immediate, short or long term. This is because sleep is vital for our total wellbeing. And when it is consistently disrupted, we can see the effect – some can be chronic. When we fail to have a good night sleep, we wake up feeling cranky – there is that daytime sleepiness; we are yearning; we are trying to nap; we have trouble concentrating. There is that slower reaction to activities, or responses. We struggle with memories; we struggle with solving problems. These are some of the problems we see in the immediate.
But when this pattern persists because of deadline pressures, because we have to meet up with targets, then, this sleep can affect us across all the dimensions of wellness – the physical, emotional, mental, social, occupational, environmental, spiritual wellness etc.
The ones we easily see is physical wellness – the long-term consequences of sleep disruption. This has been linked to a wide range of physical challenges: increased high blood pressure, susceptibility to metabolic disorders, heart diseases, diabetics, weaken immunity, and several chronic illnesses: peptic ulcer and so on.
And by emotional wellness, poor sleep makes mood hard to regulate. So you see people getting irritable, anxious, being stress-tolerant and feeling more emotionally volatile than they ought to be or should be. This transits into mental wellness. And with chronic poor sleep, we see concentration is impaired, memory-decision-making problems. People are not as creative as they use to be before. This can lead to anxiety, depression and can actually trigger anxiety and depression in those who are predisposed to having it. For some, it can increase existing mental health conditions.
Over time, lack of sleep has been associated with issues like dementia, greater risk of neuro-degenerative conditions. Actually, some mental health conditions are associated with some sleep stages – sleep-related disorders, sleep terrors, sleep-walking, realm sleep disorders and hallucinations that usually occur in the real stage.
So, across the social realms, there is also fatigue and irritability. And this can affect how people interact with their social circles. When people are cranky or irritable, all that can affect their relationships with family and friends. People don’t like to be around those who give negatives vibes. With reduced focus, impaired concentrations, poor-problem-solving skills, low motivations, impair, low or erratic mood – all that can affect one’s performance at work or at school. There are also increased risks of errors and decreasing productivities in academics. There could be absenteeism and presentism – a whole lot of things.
In the environmental wellness, people struggle to maintain healthy routines. They might begin to inculcate unhealthy habits. They might start using substances or psycho-active substances that are detrimental to their health. Then there is the spiritual wellness. It has been shown that when people don’t enjoy good sleep, it is likely they will have low energy, poor connection with their creator and good values. It becomes difficult for them to reflect, to be grounded.
Basically, there are consequences across various dimensions of wellness.
Over time, these consequences can erode someone’s quality of life, lower productivity, strain relationships and diminish their motivations and outcomes. Later they cascade to very negative things across all wellness dimensions. So, it is important that we sleep.
What then are the benefits of sleep?
People should not see sleep as just go and rest or a routine. Oh it is night-time, go and sleep and then move on. No!
Sleep is actually a biological necessity that allows the body and brain to perform essential functions. During sleep, the body repairs and restores tissues. There is a growth hormone that is released. So, it is important for children because they keep growing during sleep.
The longer they sleep, the more likely they have more growth hormones released. That is beneficial to them. It strengthens their immune system. It also consolidates their memories.
There are studies that show that if you have problems you are dealing with and go to bed, somehow, there is a way the body tackles it, making it possible for you to be able to solve them. So, sleep promotes problem-solving abilities.
So sleep is very important to mental health. In fact, it is a red flag when a patient comes to us and says they are having sleep problems. That can be a trigger that they are having a mental condition that is about to manifest. So sleep is very important.
If one does not sleep well they can develop heart conditions; their physical health conditions can deteriorate. So, sleep is very important in making the body and brain to rest, repaired and be well maintained. That helps us to be effective in our daily activities.
So you mean sleep is medicinal too?
Yes it is! But I must state that medications are very vital. If one has been placed on medications for whatever conditions by a certified physician, one should continue with that. Don’t stop.
But sleep is very critical. One needs their medications as well as sleep. This is because sleep is one of the very powerful natural regulators of health and it often does work that medications might not be able to do.
The beauty of sleep is that it rarely has any side effect. Sleep, in good moderation, according to the duration that is required of one’s age, does not harm anyone. Rather, it helps to clear the tissues and clear the way the brain balances hormones, resets the immune system, and helps to carry out processes that no drug has been able to replicate exactly.
However, drugs help. There is a synergistic activity when one combines prescribed medications and good sleep. Therefore, because sleep is a natural regulator of the body, it is important that we sleep.
When we sleep, our body goes into active maintenance mode. It is not like the body is shut down. It is actually working in a healthier manner to actually repair itself, unwind, restore energy, balance important systems, strengthen the body’s immunity and consolidate information. So, sleep is very essential.
What happens when we snore?
Snoring is basically the sound of air struggling to break through the partially-blocked airways. When we sleep, the muscles in our mouth – tongue and throat, relax. And when they relax, they kind of take up space. And so the airway is kind of partially blocked. And so, there is a struggle for air to pass through the passage. So it creates this vibrating snoring sound because it is pushing through a narrower airway structure.
Snoring can happen for diverse reasons. It can be anatomical. Some are by virtue of what someone was born with. Some can be the way one sleeps; if one sleeps on their back, chances are that they will roll back, making it a little difficult for them to breathe. Some who have narrower airways due to nasal congestions or allergies can have that. Some people snore due to excess fat. Some people who are kind of obese and carry extra weight around the neck might have this challenge, likewise people who consume alcohol before bed time. This can also restrict their airways. It is more of a mechanical issue. However, there are also some habits that can worsen it.
There are some medical conditions that can narrow the airways during sleep: chronic nasal congestion from cold allergies and some other conditions – anatomical abnormalities.
Where the airways repeatedly collapse, it can be obstructed during sleep. So these can actually lead to snoring during sleep.
It is important that one goes to see a certified physician to be sure of what is happening. This is because snoring can actually lead to poor sleep.
It is very important that we take good care of our health because sleep is very vital. Therefore, we need to be more intentional about our sleep hours. This is because the quality of our sleep is very important to our health.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
No comments:
Post a Comment