Sleep Is The Price We Pay For Working Our Brains
October 16, 2017 at 3:10 p.m.
By Max [email protected]
Sleep is still one of the secrets of science. Combine that with the fact that sleep deprivation or insomnia has become a major health problem in the United States that crosses all economic lines. A recent report indicated that nearly one-third of all working adults get six or fewer hours of sleep each night as opposed to the recommended seven or eight.
Insomnia is quite prevalent and affects a large share of the population. This is a serious issue and associated with an increased risk of mortality in men. Recent studies suggest that insufficient or disturbed sleep is associated with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. There is also ample evidence indicating that difficulty in falling asleep and non-restorative sleep are associated with the risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease in adults and in young children. There is much still to be learned about the cause, stages, benefits and insomnia, the most common sleep disorder.
According to a recent study, the body uses two mechanisms to regulate sleep. One is the body clock, which attunes humans and animals to the 24-hour cycle of day and night. The other mechanism is the sleep “”homeostat,” a device in the brain that keeps track of your waking hours and puts people to sleep when resetting is necessary. This mechanism represents an internal nodding-off point separate from external factors.
There are two kinds of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and non-REM sleep. Rapid eye movement is the stage where the eyes dart quickly back and forth under the eyelids. Dreaming occurs during this stage. The brain is active during REM sleep and brain waves resemble awake patterns. Breathing is rapid, shallow and irregular, and heart rate and blood pressure increase. This stage plays an essential but not fully understood function. REM sleep stimulates areas of the brain responsible for learning and memories.
There are three stages of NREM sleep. These range from drifting in and out of sleep (stage N1), through light sleep (N2) and into deeper sleep (N3). Stage N2 accounts for 40 to 50 percent of sleep time. Stage N3 is the physically restorative, as brain waves slow considerably. Older adults experience less N3 sleep than younger people. The average adult experiences four to five full sleep cycles in an eight-hour period. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes.
According to recent research, sleep is important because it weakens the connections among brain cells to save energy, avoids cellular stress and maintains the ability of neurons to respond selectively to stimuli. The scientist conducting the study noted that sleep is the price we pay for learning and memory. While we are awake, learning strengthens the synaptic connections throughout the brain, increasing the need for energy and saturating the brain with new information. Sleep allows the brain to reset, helping integrate newly learned material with consolidated memories. Studies in mice also indicated that the channels in certain cells of the brain can help remove a toxic protein called beta amyloid from brain tissues during sleep. Beta amyloid is known to accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, while there are a number of theories as to the purpose for sleep, there is still no agreed-upon definition of what sleep actually represents. This is further confounded by the fact that some species require a 19-hour period of inactivity while others only two.
Insomnia is defined as difficulty with the initiation, maintenance, duration or quality of sleep that results in the impairment of daytime functioning, despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep. Transient insomnia lasts less than a week, and short-term insomnia one to four weeks. Chronic insomnia — insomnia lasting more than a month — has a prevalence of 10 to 15 percent and occurs more frequently in women, older adults, and patients with chronic medical and psychiatric disorders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems.
As explained above, there is still much to be learned about the science of sleep. But until that mystery is solved, those of us with poor sleep habits would be wise to do the following: (1) keep a regular sleep schedule, (2) avoid stimulating activities within two hours of bedtime, (3) avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine in the evening, (4) avoid going to bed on a full or empty stomach; and (5) sleep in a dark, quiet, well-ventilated space with a comfortable temperature.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
Sleep is still one of the secrets of science. Combine that with the fact that sleep deprivation or insomnia has become a major health problem in the United States that crosses all economic lines. A recent report indicated that nearly one-third of all working adults get six or fewer hours of sleep each night as opposed to the recommended seven or eight.
Insomnia is quite prevalent and affects a large share of the population. This is a serious issue and associated with an increased risk of mortality in men. Recent studies suggest that insufficient or disturbed sleep is associated with metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes and obesity. There is also ample evidence indicating that difficulty in falling asleep and non-restorative sleep are associated with the risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease in adults and in young children. There is much still to be learned about the cause, stages, benefits and insomnia, the most common sleep disorder.
According to a recent study, the body uses two mechanisms to regulate sleep. One is the body clock, which attunes humans and animals to the 24-hour cycle of day and night. The other mechanism is the sleep “”homeostat,” a device in the brain that keeps track of your waking hours and puts people to sleep when resetting is necessary. This mechanism represents an internal nodding-off point separate from external factors.
There are two kinds of sleep: REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and non-REM sleep. Rapid eye movement is the stage where the eyes dart quickly back and forth under the eyelids. Dreaming occurs during this stage. The brain is active during REM sleep and brain waves resemble awake patterns. Breathing is rapid, shallow and irregular, and heart rate and blood pressure increase. This stage plays an essential but not fully understood function. REM sleep stimulates areas of the brain responsible for learning and memories.
There are three stages of NREM sleep. These range from drifting in and out of sleep (stage N1), through light sleep (N2) and into deeper sleep (N3). Stage N2 accounts for 40 to 50 percent of sleep time. Stage N3 is the physically restorative, as brain waves slow considerably. Older adults experience less N3 sleep than younger people. The average adult experiences four to five full sleep cycles in an eight-hour period. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes.
According to recent research, sleep is important because it weakens the connections among brain cells to save energy, avoids cellular stress and maintains the ability of neurons to respond selectively to stimuli. The scientist conducting the study noted that sleep is the price we pay for learning and memory. While we are awake, learning strengthens the synaptic connections throughout the brain, increasing the need for energy and saturating the brain with new information. Sleep allows the brain to reset, helping integrate newly learned material with consolidated memories. Studies in mice also indicated that the channels in certain cells of the brain can help remove a toxic protein called beta amyloid from brain tissues during sleep. Beta amyloid is known to accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, while there are a number of theories as to the purpose for sleep, there is still no agreed-upon definition of what sleep actually represents. This is further confounded by the fact that some species require a 19-hour period of inactivity while others only two.
Insomnia is defined as difficulty with the initiation, maintenance, duration or quality of sleep that results in the impairment of daytime functioning, despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep. Transient insomnia lasts less than a week, and short-term insomnia one to four weeks. Chronic insomnia — insomnia lasting more than a month — has a prevalence of 10 to 15 percent and occurs more frequently in women, older adults, and patients with chronic medical and psychiatric disorders. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems.
As explained above, there is still much to be learned about the science of sleep. But until that mystery is solved, those of us with poor sleep habits would be wise to do the following: (1) keep a regular sleep schedule, (2) avoid stimulating activities within two hours of bedtime, (3) avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine in the evening, (4) avoid going to bed on a full or empty stomach; and (5) sleep in a dark, quiet, well-ventilated space with a comfortable temperature.
Max Sherman is a medical writer and pharmacist retired from the medical device industry. He has taught college courses on regulatory and compliance issues at Ivy Tech, Grace College and Butler University. Sherman has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on all levels. Eclectic Science, the title of his column, will touch on famed doctors and scientists, human senses, aging, various diseases, and little-known facts about many species, including their contributions to scientific research. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
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