Sleep Deprivation and Its Side Effects
I don’t get enough sleep. There. I’ve said it. Even if I go to bed at a decent time, I don’t drop off immediately. My husband, on the other hand, can go to sleep within a minute. I swear. If I were to time him from putting his head on the pillow and his first snore, I’d need a stop watch! He’s says its from clean living! Ha! I read something this morning that said people with higher IQs have trouble falling to sleep because they have trouble shutting down their brains. I think I’ll be using THAT in our next argument.
However, I was also reading an article on what effects lack of sleep can have on you. I’m sure most of you have felt that disorientation, sluggy feeling from lack of sleep. You need chug more coffee (or your caffeine source of choice!) to stay semi-alert. But that is only a minor consequence. Get these…
According to a study reported at the 2012 SLEEP conference (yes! Who knew there were conference dedicated to sleep!), middle and older adults (*cough* that’d be use *cough*) who get fewer than 6 hours of sleep have a higher risk of stroke, regardless of their stroke history, whether they are overweight or have a history of sleep apnea. YIKES.
Researchers from Penn State University reviewed studied published between 1996 and 2011 on the relationship between sleep and hunger. What they found was that getting six or few hours of sleep per night was linked to an increase in the ghrelin, a hunger-stimulation hormone, a decrease in insulin sensitivity (a risk factor for diabetes), and a decrease in leptin, a hormone that is key for energy balance and food consumption. In other words, not getting enough sleep is key to overeating and weight gain, as well as an increased risk of developing diabetes.
According to a new study by University of California, Berkeley scientists, not getting enough sleep can effect a person’s ability to retain memories. As we age, the length and quality of our sleep deteriorates. This lack of deep sleep causes ” medial prefrontal cortex gray-matter atrophy.” This means that memories get “stuck” in the part of the brain used for “short-term” storage. These memories don’t get “moved” as they should to the area of the brain key for long-term memory storage, which is what happens when we sleep. So the next day, when new memories are stored in the short-term memory area of the brain, they “over-write” the ones there.
Lack of adequate sleep can lead to osteoporosis, if studies conducted in mice is correct. This could be linked to the importance of sleep in generating bone repair.
The studies are few and the link is being studied, but there appears to be a link between getting fewer than 6 hours of sleep per night and an increased incidence of cancer.
Research shows that people who get less of six hours of sleep per night have a 48% increased risk of dying from or developing heart disease.
One study has found that for younger adults, getting fewer than seven hours of sleep per night on a regular basis, had a higher risk of dying young. That’s right. Not getting enough sleep can kill you.
So, if you’re still awake after reading all these facts and figures, I haven’t done my job. 
My recommendations for you include:
1. Turn off the television, computer, digital reader at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
2. Learn to say “no” to people who demand too much of your time…and no, I’m not talking about Shawna’s new baby! However, that does bring up #3
3. Get family members to share the load. Whether that means someone else cleans the kitchen, or puts the kids to bed or whatever, divide the workload.
4. Keep a sleep chart for a month. Write down how much you slept. See if you have a problem.
5. If you have a problem going to sleep, or staying asleep, see your doctor. Your life may depend on it.
This has been a health service announcement!
What tricks and tips can you share that help you sleep?
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:04:42
Not much trouble sleeping here. I read for about an hour in bed, and when I start to lose my place or wish the chapter would end, I stop. I’m a light sleeper though and I wake up often, but then I fall right back to sleep. I seldom nap in the afternoons; my mom says I was never a napper.
Your studies are interesting and thought-provoking. I can’t imagine turning my Kindle off an hour before I go to bed, though!
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:25:43
I’ve found that reading in bed isn’t the best idea for me. I get involved in the book and don’t want to leave it!
And Naps! LOVE them.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 14:09:08
I’m the same way. If I start reading I’ll never go to bed! And I love naps!!
Gwen Hernandez recently posted..Be the master of your fears
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:08:49
Wow Cyndi, So sorry you don’t sleep well – that is the loneliest feeling – like you’re the only person on earth alert.
One more side effect of sleep deprivation – mental issues. I don’ t have a hard time sleeping, but when I developed RLS (restless leg syndrome) after back surgery, it was brutal – legs twitching or threatening to…I saw commercials for the meds before I developed this, and thought, “Oh come on, we really need a drug for that?!!”
Yes, we do.
My husband complained I kicked him all night – but he’s been known to exagerate my ‘flaws’ (huh?) But then I started having anxiety – one weekend I spent in agony, just knowing my boss was going to fire me on Monday. For what? I didn’t know. Monday, of course, nothing happened. My doctor sent me to have a sleep study… I was never getting into REM sleep – kicking 70 times an HOUR and waking myself up. But I didn’t remember it.
Added benefit of the meds – they put me to sleep!
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:27:46
I don’t know a lot about RLS but I understand it’s bad. From what you’re saying, it’s horrible for both the person with it and her partner!
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:17:22
I have no problem falling asleep, but it’s staying asleep that’s tough. Hubby snores. And snores. And snores. Got any advice for that one! LOL
Thanks for pointing out the health risks. Now I can share them with him so he knows how important sleep is!
Melissa recently posted..Introverts Need Love Too
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:29:16
Staying asleep is a real problem, Melissa. The snoring? I keep shoving hubby on his side. But once he lost about 40 lbs and the snoring stopped. hmmm
Snoring can be the sign of other problems. You might want hubby to check it out.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:24:29
Five years ago my husband changed careers due to lack of sleep. He was a plant manager for a company that ran multiple shifts. That meant our phone rang at all hours of the night. Never a good sleeper to start, the interruptions took a toll and eventually snowballed into some fairly scary health issues. We take our sleep patterns much more seriously now.
I have always been a champion sleeper. I sleep deep. Unfortunately, I’m in a phase where I’m having difficulty falling asleep. I’m starting my bedtime rituals earlier and limiting screen time just before sleep. Hope you are able to get some rest!
Margaret Ethridge recently posted..Monday Mayhem – Appearances
Mar 19, 2013 @ 08:30:57
Right now, I’m so sick, I’m sleeping all the time. It’s a drug induced sleep so not as good as natural sleep.
When I think about all the doctors I used to work with who were so sleep deprived….YIKES. I’m surprised more patients didn’t suffer.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 09:54:05
And if all that fails, don’t be too proud to medicate. Seriously. I was an emotional wreck, constantly exhausted, my boys didn’t even want to see me coming. I finally admitted just getting fresh air and exercise wasn’t doing the trick anymore and went to my doctor. Ahh. Sleep. My friend once again.
Kari Lynn Dell recently posted..Wake Up Call
Mar 19, 2013 @ 16:24:02
My husband take 1/2 tab of Bayer PM every night. He swears by it.
I try to avoid medications until I just HAVE to do something. My problem is that I seem to always have a hangover in the morning.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 10:12:29
all that poor heart health, little sleep you just mentioned?
guess who has high cholesterol even though I naturally eat a low cholesterol diet about 80% of the time? Yep. me. It’s not horrible bad. LDL is 123. I’m less concerned about today and more worried about 5-10-15years from now if change doesn’t happen.
as I’m wrapping up contracts, my new goal is to work so I can take better care of myself. More sleep, more time out of this chair (recent article said long time sitting could = poor heart health too!).
Keri Ford recently posted..Your 30 Dress and Shoes
Mar 19, 2013 @ 16:28:49
I’ve seen stories about people who write while walking on a treadmill all day. I don’t think I could do that but…..!
I wish I could go back in time and talk me at your age. I don’t know that I’d listen but if I could, I’d tell me to get into the habit of exercising, and eating better. Maybe you could pretend you are me at your age and listen to what I’m saying
Mar 19, 2013 @ 12:33:31
I put naps on my daily to-do list.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 16:29:21
I love naps. Seriously! Always have, always will.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 13:51:02
Cyndi, great, important post. For Melissa, above, if you’re husband is snoring, chances are he has Sleep Apnea, too. My husband is a heroic snorer…. Now that is not a misprint. That’s his classification… I said are you sure they didn’t say horrific, he puffed out his chest and said, no, they said heroic.
You can have all the best intentions in the world, but if your partner snores and you’re a light sleeper, you ain’t going to sleep.
Cyndi, I am guilty of “all of the above,” so I am going to concentrate on keeping a chart of how much I sleep. Thanks for the er… wake up call!
Donnell recently posted..The Intervention
Mar 19, 2013 @ 16:33:07
I wondered about Melissa’s husband having sleep apnea also. My dad has the kind of snore that literally can wake up the household!
If your partner snores and you are a light sleeper, the best thing you can do FOR YOUR OWN LIFE, is to move to another room to sleep. I’ve moved to another room when the snoring got too much to bare. Even though I believe married couples should sleep in the same bed, if it is detrimental to your health, you have to rethink your priorities.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 14:12:48
Great advice, Cyndi. I’m usually a pretty good sleeper, though I have to force myself to go to bed at a decent time so I won’t be exhausted when I get up. I’m a night owl on a lark’s schedule.
What I hate is those mornings when I wake up early and my mind spools up and I just lay there. Eventually I just get up and start my day, but it’s so frustrating to be tired and not be able to get back to sleep. Luckily, it’s not too common.
Gwen Hernandez recently posted..Be the master of your fears
Mar 19, 2013 @ 16:34:06
Glad you can use the advice! I used to be more of a night owl but I find that changing as I age.
Mar 19, 2013 @ 20:14:49
Oh, yeah. *raises hand high* Put me in the lineup for all those things. The studies make sense, because sleep is supposed to be your body’s time to repair itself and all kinds of stuff. Even if it’s not solely responsible for the increases (I mean, type A personalities, for example, have high stress AND don’t sleep enough AND 15 other things, so it’s impossible to fully identify one main contributor of anything), just the fact of decreased productivity and reaction time and all that stuff is reason enough to get more sleep. Amen on the doctor comment!
I’m a natural night owl. Ideally, I’d be up until midnight or 2:00 a.m. and sleep until 8 or 10 every day. Unfortunately, the need for a day job and my kids’ schedules don’t allow that. So I work until midnight or 2:00 a.m. and get up at 6:30. LOL
Okay, no, I’m not USUALLY that bad. I have been known to do 4-5 hours a night for a week, working until almost midnight and getting up at 5 or 5:30 to do more work before I go to work. That’s usually when I’m on deadline and swamped with client projects, which ALWAYS happens at the same time. I’m trying to be better now, getting to bed by 11 and lights off by 11:30 or midnight. The problem is just that there aren’t enough HOURS for everything!
Caffeine doesn’t help me be more alert anymore, but lack of it certainly makes me LESS alert.
My husband snored, too, until he lost 50 lbs. He’s gained 10 or 15 back but still isn’t snoring. He did sleep studies that showed he stopped breathing over 300 times in the testing period. He tried the CPAP machine but it didn’t work. Made him wake up choking. I can’t sleep elsewhere because it’s already harder to fall asleep out of my bed, and I could hear him EVERYWHERE.
Cyndi, see if you can find a supplement called 5-HTP. Its active ingredient is hydroxytryptophan, a form of the amino acid that is in turkey and milk and makes us sleepy on Thanksgiving and the reason warm milk is good to help you sleep. Number One told me that since *elementary school* she’d taken an hour or two to fall asleep, and woke up several times a night. My boss (a nutritionist and chiropractor) suggested it, and it’s worked wonders. She falls asleep with no problems and stays asleep most of the night. It’s a natural supplement rather than a drug, so less likely to have negative side effects.
Natalie J. Damschroder recently posted..Sneak Peek Sunday, March 17—Something Completely Different
Mar 19, 2013 @ 20:27:07
5-HTP Hmm I’ll be on the look out. Right now, I’m so sick, I’m spending more time in bed than out.
Mar 25, 2013 @ 16:20:15
I wish I had some and this post scares the bejeebus out of me. : / LOL I have a hard time sleeping. Worse, for some odd reason, when I go to bed, I don’t want to sleep. I mean, I’m exhausted but I find time to play a game of bejeweled or similar time-suck game on my phone. I decide I want to read for a bit… all when I KNOW I am cutting into my sleep time. When I know the baby will be up in two, one and half, one hour, now thirty minutes.
I call it winding down but really it’s insanity. My husband? He turned off the light, puts his head on the pillow and three seconds later, gentle snoring.
Mar 25, 2013 @ 19:15:06
OMG, Shawna, that’s me, right down to the Bejeweled! LOL
I used to fight to stay awake during TV shows, because I hated not finishing. But when I didn’t remember a couple of episodes that I’d done that with, I started turning them off partway through to finish later. THEN I’d lie there on the couch, under a soft blanket, with a warm cat on my lap, and play a game or read Twitter until I couldn’t keep my eyes open, then I’d lie there dozing for half an hour until I forced myself to go upstairs to bed. THEN I’d get all waked up brushing my teeth and stuff, I’d read for another half an hour before turning off the light!
The irony is that I hate to get out of bed in the morning, too! LOL
Natalie J. Damschroder recently posted..The Romance Reviews Anniversary Party