MILLIONS of people today are in serious
“debt.” This debt can be a major factor in wrecking their cars, damaging their
careers, and even ruining their marriages. It can adversely affect their health
and life span. It is a deficit that contributes to immune suppression, creating
susceptibility to various infections. Conditions as different as diabetes,
heart disease, and extreme obesity, as well as other health problems, have been
linked to it. Yet, most victims are oblivious of this debt.
The culprit is sleep debt, which develops
when a person does not get the amount of healthful sleep needed for well-being.
This can be caused by voluntary sleep deprivation resulting from a person’s
life-style or by involuntary sleep deprivation because of illness.
Medical researchers estimate that earth’s
population is now getting, on average, an hour less sleep per night than what
is needed. While this may seem slight, a nightly six-billion-hour debt has
become the focus of research into both the variety of sleep-related illnesses
and their impact on the quality of life.
The medical world once viewed the chronic
inability to sleep as just one disorder, commonly called insomnia. However, a
commission created by the U.S. Congress recognized 17 distinct sleep disorders.
At any rate, insomnia has so many causes that it is often considered to be a
symptom of other problems, much as a fever suggests some sort of infection.
Even occasional deprivation of sleep can be
disastrous. Consider the case of Tom. Although an experienced truck driver, he
plunged his 18-wheel vehicle over an embankment, spilling 100 gallons [400 L]
of sulfuric acid onto a major highway. Tom admits: “I fell asleep.” Studies of
two U.S. highways estimated that drowsy drivers caused some 50 percent of
the fatal crashes.
Consider, too, the occupational dangers of
being around a sleepy coworker. Says Australian researcher Ann Williamson:
“After 17 to 19 hours without sleep [participants’] performance on some tests
was equivalent or worse than that at [a blood-alcohol concentration of] 0.05%.”
In other words, subjects functioned as if at or beyond the legal limit in some
countries of alcohol permitted in a driver’s bloodstream! With hundreds of
thousands of sleep-related auto and job-site accidents happening annually, the
worldwide cost to productivity and family is enormous.
What factors may contribute to sleep debt?
One is the social phenomenon often called 24/7—operating 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. USA Today describes this as “a cultural earthquake that is
changing the way we live,” noting that “a new wave of round-the-clock retailers
and services is profiting by mocking the clock.” In many lands people watch
all-night television programs and access the Internet when they should be
sleeping. Then there is the toll taken by emotional disorders, often involving
anxieties heightened by stress and the pace of life. Finally, there are a
variety of physical diseases that can contribute to sleep debt.
Many doctors note how difficult it is to get
their patients to take sleep debt seriously. One doctor complained that chronic
fatigue is even considered “a status symbol” by some. And because their
condition often worsens very gradually, victims of sleep deprivation may not
recognize that they suffer from a serious sleep disorder. Many reason, ‘I’m
just getting old’ or, ‘I can’t cope with life, so I tend to shut down’ or, ‘I’m
tired all the time because I can never get the long rest I need.’
Reversing this sleep debt is a complex
challenge. But understanding how a healthful sleep cycle works and learning to
identify the signs of sleep debt can provide the motivation to change
Getting the Sleep You
Need
MOST of the progress in understanding sleep
mechanics has been made in the last 50 years. What has been learned explodes
some long-standing misconceptions. One is the assumption that since many bodily
functions slow down during rest, sleep is little more than a state of
inactivity.
By studying brain-wave patterns, medical
researchers have learned that there are repeated cycles and stages of sleep.
Far from being inactive, the human brain runs at high speed during certain
periods of sleep. Healthful sleep involves going through these cycles four or
more times every night and spending a sufficient amount of time in each cycle.
The
Complexity of Sleep
A normal night’s sleep is most easily divided
into two types: what is commonly called REM (rapid eye movement, or dream)
sleep and non-REM (nondream) sleep. You can tell that a person is in REM sleep
when the bulge of his eyeballs can be seen rapidly moving under his eyelids.
Non-REM sleep can further be divided into
four stages. After lying down, you gently enter stage one—drowsiness or shallow
sleep. During this stage your muscles relax and your brain waves are irregular
and rapid. Its first occurrence each night typically lasts between 30 seconds
and 7 minutes. When you move into stage two—true sleep—where you will usually
spend 20 percent of the night, brain waves become larger. You may have
fragmented thoughts or images passing through your mind, but you are unaware of
your surroundings and cannot see even if your eyes are open.
Next come stages three and four—deeper to
deepest sleep. Here, in what is also called delta sleep, your brain produces
large, slow waves. It is now that your body is most difficult to rouse, as most
of your blood is directed to the muscles. During this time (usually about
50 percent of the night), body recovery and repair take place, and it is
during delta sleep that young bodies grow. It is important to note that anyone,
youth or adult, who does not experience the deeper delta stages will likely
feel fatigued, apathetic, or even depressed the next day.
Finally, each cycle is completed by the
radically different REM stage. During this dreaming stage (typically occurring
about every 90 minutes), more blood is directed to the brain and your brain
waves are almost the same as if you were awake. However, you cannot move your
muscles. This immobility apparently keeps you from acting out dreams and
hurting yourself or others.
These REM, or dream, cycles get longer each
time they occur during the night and appear to be crucial to mental health. In
computerlike fashion, the brain sorts through short-term memory storage,
deleting unimportant data and retaining what is desired for long-term memory.
Abnormally infrequent dream cycles are known to result in emotional
difficulties. Insomniacs, for example, spend less time than average in REM
sleep, contributing to a vicious downward spiral of increasing anxiety.
So, what happens when we are regularly
deprived (voluntarily or involuntarily) of these repeated cycles, thus creating
a sleep debt? If we get fewer consecutive hours of sleep than we need, we won’t
get as much of the last and longest REM sleep period, which is vital to mental
health. If our sleep patterns become irregular, consisting of a series of naps,
we often don’t get to the deep delta sleep that is necessary to mend our
bodies. Those in serious debt suffer from shortened attention spans, memory and
vocabulary loss, a lessened ability to think analytically, and diminished
creativity.
What triggers the body to demand sleep? A
number of factors evidently combine to create a circadian (daily) rhythm, or
wake-sleep pattern. Brain chemistry appears to play a role. Also, there is a
nucleus of nerve cells located in the brain that evidently helps control the
sleep cycle. This “clock” is situated close to where the optic nerves come
together. Light thus influences how sleepy we feel. Bright light wakes you up,
while darkness induces sleep.
Your body temperature is also involved. When
your temperature is highest—typically midmorning and midevening—you are the
most alert. As your body temperature drops, you become increasingly drowsy.
Researchers agree that the pattern of wakefulness versus sleepiness varies with
individuals.
How
Much Sleep Do You Need?
Scientists tell us that, on average, humans
require about eight hours of rest per night. But studies also show that
individual needs vary dramatically.
An honest self-analysis can determine if you
are already in a healthful pattern or are experiencing a sleep debt. Experts
generally agree on these signs of healthy sleep:
▪ Sleep comes easily without resorting to
drugs or fighting restlessness or anxiety.
▪ You are rarely aware of waking up in the
middle of the night, but if you do wake up, you can go back to sleep quickly.
▪ Waking up occurs naturally at approximately
the same time each morning and usually without the aid of an alarm clock.
▪ Once you are up and going, you feel awake
and fairly alert all day.
Practical
Points
What about those with occasional insomnia?
Some experts suggest these practical steps:
1.
Avoid alcohol as well as stimulants such as coffee or tea near bedtime. Many people mistakenly
believe that alcoholic beverages will help put them to sleep. However, clinical
studies show that alcohol can have a rebound effect and keep you awake.
2.
Quit smoking.
One authority notes: “Smokers have greater difficulty falling asleep, because
cigarettes raise blood pressure, speed up the heart rate, and stimulate
brain-wave activity. Smokers also tend to wake up more in the middle of the
night, possibly because their body is experiencing withdrawal symptoms.”
3.
Avoid extreme mental or physical stimulation just before bedtime. Exercise promotes
proper rest but not if done immediately before trying to sleep. Tackling big
problems or mental challenges just before you go to bed can interfere with the
relaxed mood often needed to drift off to sleep.
4.
Make sure that your bedroom is quiet, dark and, where possible, relatively
cool.
Regarding noise, consider one famous study of people living near an airport who
claimed that they no longer heard the airplanes. When their sleep patterns were
tested, their brain waves recorded each landing and takeoff! The researchers
concluded that the test subjects averaged about one hour less of quality sleep
each night than those in a quieter zone. Earplugs or other methods of reducing
noise would have greatly assisted them in getting restful sleep. Some find that
white noise (defined as any low-frequency, steady, and monotonous hum), such as
made by an electric fan, is especially helpful if there is a need to mask
street sounds.
5.
Be cautious about taking sleep-inducing medications. There is growing
evidence that many drugs prescribed to induce sleep are habit-forming, lessen
in effectiveness with prolonged use, and have damaging side effects. At best,
such drugs may be useful for short-term therapy.
Since insomnia can be brought on by stress,
it is thought that one key to healthy sleep is making the time just before
going to bed a quiet, pleasant period. It may be helpful to set aside the cares
of the day and do something enjoyable, such as reading. There is an obvious and
powerful advantage to the Bible’s advice: “Do not be anxious over anything, but
in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving let your
petitions be made known to God; and the peace of God . . . will guard
your hearts and your mental powers.”—Philippians 4:6, 7.
Some Common
Misconceptions
1.
Drinking caffeinated beverages is the best way to stay alert on a long drive.
Studies
suggest that drivers often mislead themselves into thinking that they are more
awake than they actually are. If you cannot avoid making a long, nighttime
drive, it is better periodically to pull over in a safe area and take a short
nap (from 15 to 30 minutes), followed by walking or jogging while stretching
arm and leg muscles.
2.
If I am having sleep problems, napping is the answer.
Perhaps,
but many experts believe that the ideal pattern is one long stretch of sleep
every 24 hours. A short, midday nap (typically 15 to 30 minutes) may help
restore alertness during the afternoon slump without throwing your longer sleep
cycles out of rhythm. But napping within four hours of bedtime may be
detrimental to healthy nocturnal rest.
3.
The dreams we remember have robbed us of proper rest.
Dreams
(usually occurring during REM sleep) are a sign of healthful rest and typically
happen four or more times during each normal night’s rest. Studies indicate
that the dreams we remember are simply those from which we were awakened,
either while they were happening or within a couple of minutes after they ended.
On the other hand, a nightmare may create anxiety and make going back to sleep
difficult.
Recognizing Serious
Sleep Disorders
SOMETIMES one’s symptoms may indicate a
serious sleep disorder. Chronic insomnia, which lasts more than a month, is
often related to more serious problems, including depression. Chronic insomnia
may also be a symptom of a serious physical ailment.
Sleep
Apnea
Mario suffered from excessive daytime
sleepiness. When he drove the family car, his wife had to watch him carefully,
as he tended to lapse into momentary blackouts, which he rarely recalled. He
snored loudly and irregularly every night and at times violently jerked himself
awake, gasping for breath.
Mario had the classic symptoms of sleep
apnea. Apnea literally means “no breath.” An episode of sleep apnea may last
anywhere from ten seconds to two or three minutes. The victim often thrashes
around gasping for air and then falls asleep again, only to repeat the apnea
hundreds of times per night. There are three types of apnea.
Central apnea occurs when the
brain’s respiratory control center doesn’t give the command to breathe
regularly. With obstructive sleep apnea, the upper airway at the back of
the throat actually closes, blocking air movement. Mixed apnea is a
combination of the two and is the most common diagnosis. The victim of any type
of apnea can end up in virtually the same condition as someone who stayed up
all night, every night!
Those with sleep apnea may live dangerous
lives, for they can blank out while on the job or at the wheel of their
automobile. They may suffer from high blood pressure, an enlarged heart, and an
increased risk of stroke or heart failure. Dr. William Dement of Stanford
University estimates that 38,000 Americans die each year from the
cardiovascular consequences of sleep apnea.
While most common in obese men over 40 years
old, sleep apnea can occur at any age, even in young children. There are
several treatments—all best supervised by a medical sleep specialist. The most
effective nonsurgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is the use of a
device to create continuous positive airway pressure. The patient wears a mask
over his nose at night, and a pressure regulator (custom-set by a physician)
delivers just the amount of air needed to prevent apnea. If this does not
rectify the condition, there are several surgical approaches, including using
laser or radio-frequency waves to remove excess tissue from the throat.
Narcolepsy
Another sleep disorder requiring medical
attention is narcolepsy—a neurological condition that causes excessive daytime
sleepiness. Buck, for example, was constantly drowsy. He would fall asleep
abruptly, even during important meetings. He started holding keys in his hand
so that when this happened, the noise they made hitting the floor would wake
him. Then he developed cataplexy—a condition causing him to become weak in the
knees and collapse whenever he became excited. Next came symptoms of sleep
paralysis as well as occasional hallucinations just before he fell asleep.
Narcolepsy typically starts between the ages
of 10 and 30. Sufferers sometimes develop what is called automatic
behavior, wherein they appear to behave normally but do not remember the
passing of extended periods of time. The tragedy of this disease is that it
often goes undiagnosed for years, while the victim is viewed as lazy, mentally
slow, or peculiar. It is presently considered incurable, but symptoms can be
treated with medication and adjustments in life-style—with varying degrees of
success.
Other
Sleep Disorders
Two other disorders, sometimes appearing in
combination with each other, directly affect the limbs, resulting in chronic
insomnia. One is periodic limb movement disorder, in which the legs, and
sometimes the arms, jerk and twitch during sleep. Consider Michael. Tests
showed that episodes of periodic leg movements awakened him some 350 times each
night!
A separate disorder is restless legs
syndrome, in which sensations deep within the leg muscles and knees cause a
powerful urge to move, thus preventing the sufferer from falling asleep. While
this condition is sometimes associated with lack of exercise or poor
circulation, some cases appear to be related to caffeine intake. Alcohol consumption
is also known to aggravate the condition at times.
Bruxism is a disorder characterized by
grinding or clenching the teeth during sleep. If it occurs regularly, it can
cause abnormal wear of the teeth and extreme jaw discomfort, resulting in
serious insomnia. Depending upon the degree of the problem, treatments vary
from oral surgery to wearing a mouth guard at night.
This limited look at just a few of the many
sleep-related disorders illustrates that it can be dangerous to ignore them.
Treatment may be simple or complex, but it is often essential. If you or a
loved one suffers from chronic insomnia or shows signs of any serious sleep
disorder, it may be wise to get professional help soon. Even if treatment does
not totally eliminate the problems, it may significantly reduce the risks
involved and make the situation easier for all to endure. Then, in the future,
as the Bible’s promises are fulfilled, “no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’” All
illnesses will be completely removed as God makes “all things new.”—Isaiah
33:24; Revelation 21:3-5.
Culled from: AWAKE MAGAZINE
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