The Right Amount of Sleep Is Essential for a Healthy Body

A lot has been learned about how lack of sleep affects the human mind.  As we reviewed last week, sleeping too little has a definite impact on mental ability.  It inhibits productivity.  It diminishes the ability to remember and consolidate information.  It lessens the ability to reason and do numerical calculations.  For most businesses, this can have serious implications such as reducing workplace safety and decreasing work quality.  Here is another consideration:  lack of sleep can also cause health problems.

Indeed, studies show that lack of sufficient sleep is linked with:

• Increase in body mass index – a propensity for obesity due to an increased appetite caused by sleep deprivation
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Increased risk of heart problems
• Increased risk for psychiatric conditions including substance abuse
• Decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information which leads to increased amount of accidents

But, as it turns out, there is also a correlation between too much sleep and health problems.  In fact, just as it is possible to overeat to the point of obesity, it is also possible to oversleep.  A study found that extended sleep durations (over nine hours) is associated with increased illness, depression, accidents and death. Two surveys of more than a million adults conducted by the American Cancer Society found that people who (on average) slept seven hours per night had lower mortality rate after six years than those sleeping less than seven hours or more than eight hours each night.  The surveys showed that too much sleep can be ‘too much of a good thing.’  Thus, the goal for sleeping – just like eating, exercising, working and playing – is to get enough without getting too much.  The key is balance.

What Is The Right Balance Between ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Too Much’ Sleep?

Sleep experts agree that, in general, adults need seven to nine hours of sleep.  But the need for sleep is affected by the person’s individual body and their sleep debt (sleep previously missed).  When it comes to sleep time, one size does not fit all.  While most adults require an average of eight hours, children need more… a lot more.  According to the National Sleep Foundation, young children need twice as much sleep as adults.  Ironically, adults with small children are likely to get less sleep than needed because they are consumed by the demands of caring for small children.

On the other hand, while many believe that older adults need less sleep than middle aged adults, this is actually not true.  An elderly adult (over the age of 65) needs as much sleep as any other adult.  However, often health issues, lack of mobility and environmental factors keep them from getting the sleep they need at night.  That’s why many older people sleep in dribs and drabs day and night.

Assess Your Own Sleep Needs

Start by asking yourself some questions to determine how much sleep you may need:

• Do I regularly get a good night’s sleep?
• Am I overweight?
• Am I at risk for heart disease?
• Am I experiencing sleep problems?
• Do you depend on caffeine to get through the day?
• Do I feel sleepy when driving?
• Am I sleepy during the day?
• Do I get leg cramps or tingling in my legs while I sleep?
• Do I snore intermittently (as if snoring and then gasping for air)?

If you answer yes to some or all of these questions, you may have a sleep problem which could be impacting your productivity and mental acuity at work and your overall health.

Here are some suggestions to help you determine how much sleep you need to feel productive, healthy and happy.  Consider the recommended amount for your age, and then examine the lifestyle factors affecting your quality and quantity of sleep.  Pay attention to your needs by assessing how you feel on different amounts of sleep. Keep a sleep journal for three weeks.  Vary the amount of sleep you get over that three-week period.  Try to get seven hours of sleep per night (every night) for a week.  Then increase your sleep time to eight hours per night for a week.  Then try to get nine hours of sleep per night for a week.  Keep a journal of how alert, productive and energized you feel each day throughout this phase.  Try to limit and keep caffeine intake consistent during the three weeks so as to not skew results.  Pay careful attention to your mood, energy and health after a ‘bad’ night’s sleep (one in which you either woke often or were unable to sleep) versus after a ‘good’ night’s sleep. If you are consistently unable to sleep at least seven hours per night, you may need to see a doctor or sleep specialist.

Ten Tips for Better Night’s Sleep

For those who have trouble falling or staying asleep, here are some suggestions:

1. Exercise regularly during the day.  A sedentary lifestyle impedes sleep.
2. Establish consistent sleep and wake schedules, even on weekends.
3. End all eating and drinking at least two hours before bedtime.  This will reduce the need to get up in the middle of the night.
4. Complete all exercise at least two hours before bedtime.
5. Set up a regular bedtime routine that is relaxing.  Start an hour before sleep-time.  Bathe.  Listen to soft music.  Dim the lights.  Pray or meditate.
6. Make your bedroom sleep-friendly:  dark, quiet, comfortable, cool and inviting.
7. Invest in a comfortable mattress, pillows, and linens.
8. Avoid stimulus such as using a computer, reading or using a telephone after getting in bed.
9. Avoid beverages with caffeine or alcohol or foods that are heavy at least two to three hours before sleep-time.

10.  Make sleep a priority and make sure you build your schedule around your need for sleep, instead of sleeping during whatever hours you have left after all your other priorities are accomplished.

Getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is likely to improve mental alertness and an overall feeling of well-being.  A healthy mind and body makes for a better employee, manager or business owner, and that is a key ingredient for success.  Sweet dreams.

Quote of the Week

“It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.” John Steinbeck

© 2012, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.