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Ask the Experts
It’s making you sick- After just one night of skimping on sleep, you’ll experience changes in mood, headache and hormone imbalances. One week of sleeping less than six hours a night may result in changes to more than 700 genes. Ongoing insufficient sleep is linked with a list of diseases including heart disease, diabetes, depression, early death and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke, some cancers and multiple sclerosis.
It’s making you fat- Not getting enough sleep also contributes to gaining weight. After a night of insufficient sleep, people have higher levels of the hunger hormone and a decreased level of the fullness hormone. When people don’t get enough sleep, they tend to want high-calorie carbs and don’t have the impulse control to turn down a piece of cake.
It’s making you stupid– Lack of sleep can slow down your thinking, impair your memory, concentration, and judgment, decision-making and impede learning. During sleep your brain is busy processing information, consolidating memories, making connections and clearing out toxins. When you are asleep, your brain regenerates itself and not having adequate time to do this could potentially accelerate neurodegenerative diseases. Not getting enough sleep can actually shrink your brain.
After slow-wave sleep, your brain progresses into REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, in which it becomes a lot more active. This is when your brain runs through all the sleep cycles sequentially about every 90 minutes, then starts over again at the beginning. When you don’t sleep contiguously, your sleep is less restorative to your brain. You’ll feel it the next day even though the number of hours you slept may be OK.
1.Don’t nap during the day.
2.Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol too close to bedtime.
3.Exercise early and often.
4.Get more natural light.
5.Establish a regular bedtime routine.
6.Associate your bed with sleep.
7.Ensure that your sleep environment is relaxing and free of disturbances.