Working overtime? Is the laundry piling up? Is your best friend wondering whether you've been kidnapped? With only 24 hours in a day, no wonder Americans don't get enough sleep. For many busy people, when the to-do list gets longer, sleep is the first thing to go. Sure, skipping rest might seem like a simple solution. But here's a word to the weary: in addition to decreased concentration, communication skills, and flexible thinking, poor sleepers risk their physical and mental health and tend to spend more on health care. When we lose an hour of sleep for Daylight Savings time each spring, drowsiness on the road causes a 10 percent increase in traffic accidents the following Monday. The next time your inbox starts overflowing and you put sleep on the backburner, it may be worthwhile to reset your priorities, not your alarm clock. The following will show you how to get healthy, lose weight, earn money, and connect with friends—all in a night's rest.
Benjamin Franklin knew the value of a good night's sleep: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Missing out on quality rest can be a drag on your mood and your brainpower. A common cause is sleep apnea, where breathing is obstructed during sleep and blood-oxygen levels dip. However, when sufferers of sleep apnea underwent a common treatment to open up their airways called positive airway pressure, they reported fewer bouts of depression and improved memory.
Being overweight usually takes the cake for health risks, but people who are thinner may have more to worry about when they miss their appointment with the sandman. Sleep deprivation results in excessive production of inflammatory agents that can cause health problems in all people, but those who are a normal weight or underweight see an even greater rise in these potentially harmful chemicals. Why? It may be because the more you weigh, the more your body releases cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone, so thin people have less defense against the perils of sleeplessness.
Sleep deprivation makes you yawn, and it also makes you more likely to fill your mouth with fatty foods. Sleeplessness disrupts the hormonal balance that keeps energy levels steady, and people tend to overeat when they're tired. Even after one night of inadequate sleep, people feel hungrier than normal, and they have higher levels of grehlin, a hormone that stokes your appetite. When chronically short of rest, this could lead to overeating and weight gain.
Also, spending less time in deep sleep puts you at risk for obesity. During the deep sleep, when brain waves are slowest and you are most difficult to rouse, the body is busy rejuvenating itself. It's the nightly process of recovery that keeps us in shape, healthy, and ready to wear ourselves out again the following day. Subjects in a study who spent less time in deep sleep were more likely to be overweight. A good night's sleep keeps you light on your feet.
Lost sleep equates to lost dollars. Reduced slumber time is also a burden on the communal pocketbook. The economic burden for medical visits, medications and sleep aids is upward of $14 billion in the US. Although those costs add up, the biggest financial stress is the loss of productivity at work due to sleepless nights. It's estimated that employers lose over $42 billion annually due to this reduced productivity, or worse, missing work entirely. Maybe the economic stimulus plan should include the office couch as a provision.
Recognizing patrons could contribute to the success of a bartender who sees many faces in a shift. Late hours may disrupt the pub owner's sleep schedule, however, and sleep improves memory, right? Actually, it might not be so simple. Staying awake for long periods of time may be enough to interfere with facial recognition even if you're well rested. Being active all day drains your brainpower, so sleeping may simply give you a break from being awake, and that can help recharge your memory for familiar faces. If you're staying up late, find time during the day to make up for lost shuteye and you're more likely to recognize customers—good tippers and bad.
An air traffic controller's job mandates vigilance, but working late hours can lead to sleepiness. In an experiment, some controllers were given a scheduled opportunity to nap at work, hoping to keep them aroused in the early hours of morning. Those who took a nap, even though it was only 18 minutes long on average, were more alert and performed better, with fewer bouts of dozing off. Every little wink counts.
Stress from work keeps many people tossing and turning in bed, especially when professional duties prevent them from unwinding with friends. Although generally better sleepers, women with demanding jobs are more prone to insomnia and impaired sleep quality when they are not provided opportunities to socialize. Is it time for a career change? No. The most effective way to improve sleep quality is to cultivate your personal relationships—particularly those that help you put office pressures in perspective. We get rest with a little help from our friends.
When it comes to sleep, chalk it up as a loss, guys. Women sleep longer on average than men, and spend more time in deep sleep. Poor sleep can compromise health by causing an increase in inflammatory chemicals in your body, which over time can cause serious heartache. Better rest may explain why women have fewer cardiovascular complications than men, and why they live longer.
