By Yew-Por Ng, M.D.
God is very efficient with time. If God turns the lights off and gives us time to rest for approximately one third of our lives, then sleep must be vitally important. We may feel that sleep is a time when we do nothing, or a waste of our time.
This is because we do not understand all the many and essential functions that take place during our sleep. Sleep is a reversible behavioral state of perceptual disengagement from and unresponsive to the environment. It is a very complex amalgam of physiological and behavioral processes.
Events that happen during sleep
1. Extensive cell division occurs at night
(Nursing Times. March 13, 1996 v92 n11 p72 (2)).
2. Injuries heal more rapidly.
3. Muscles continue to increase if exercised during the day.
4. Liver function is accelerated.
5. Short term memory is transferred to long-term memory.
6. Accelerated growth by increase of somatotropic (Growth) hormone (The American Journal of physiology. April 1993 v264 n4 pE594(5).
7. Central nervous system is recharged during sleep.
Rest is so important to life that the vital organs are designed with built-in rest periods. The heart rests between each beat, and the lungs between each breath. The stomach rests between each meal. Studies have shown 7-9 hours of sleep per night to be most healthful. Nine or more hours have been associated with decreased health; six or less with the poorest health. Required sleep varies from person to person.
You can tell if you have received enough sleep by the way you feel during the day and the ability to perform your responsibilities. Feeling tired is something we can all relate to. This is a safety device the Lord created in us to keep us from overdoing and to seek the rest that we need. Sleep is the “overnight battery charge for the body.”
There are two types of sleep
1. NonREM (Non Rapid Eye Movement)- deeper sleep, which has four stages, beginning with a light sleep, going into a deep sleep. These four stages last from 30-40 minutes. During this stage of sleeping, sleeping-walking, nightmares, and bedwetting occur. Slow-wave sleep (also called delta sleep, associated with physical growth and tissue repair) helps restore the body. A lack of slow wave sleep can suppress the immune system.
2. REM (rapid eye movement)- follows the NonREM stage and is a lighter sleep in which irregularities in vital signs occur. Dreaming occurs during this time and the thoughts of the day are stored during this time. Dreaming also aids the learning process and helps reduce effects of stress.
These two stages of sleep alternate during the night. An adult is in REM about 25% of the night and an infant 50% of the night. A proper combination of these stages is necessary for proper rest. Sleeping pills and alcohol cause a person to be in all NonREM sleep, which will not give the body the proper rest it needs.
The results of sleep deprivation are:
1. Behavior changes: battered nerves, grogginess, slurred speech, lack of coordination, lapses in memory, concentration and alertness, erratic behavior, mood swings, irritability, frustration and psychosis.
2. Physiologic changes: reduction in muscle tone, fall in body temperature, weakened immune system. (Even relatively modest sleep loss over one night markedly reduces the activity of killer T cells, an important type of infection-fighting immune cell. (Psychosomatic Med., April 1995)
What is causing people to be sleep deprived?
Researchers tell us that late night television is one of the major culprits, along with long work hours, academic pressures, rotating shift work, use of stimulants, dehydration and evening meals. You toss, turn, wiggle and squirm, desperately searching for the position that will send you off to dreamland. But you can’t find it. If it’s any comfort, you are not the only one having trouble. Roughly one-third of American adults complain of insomnia, or difficulty either falling or staying asleep, the American Sleep Disorders Association reports. And although insomnia may seem trivial, it is not. Without rest, people cannot perform at their best. Sleepy individuals are apt to nap more often than their well-rested friend and colleagues. And those who battle insomnia are twice as likely to have a car accident.
By definition a sleep disorder is a disruptive pattern of sleep that may include difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.
Insomnia is not a disease; it is a symptom. Approximately 17% of the adult population is plagued with chronic insomnia and at least that many others are thought to suffer occasional sleepless nights. Treatment varies, but minor lifestyle adjustments should be made first.
* Eliminate caffeine and nicotine.
*Establish a regular, consistent sleep pattern.
* Avoid eating late, heavy evening meals.
* Make your bedroom a comfortable place to sleep.
* Neutral bath (between 92 and 96 degrees) for 10-20 minutes will bring you pleasant dreams.
* Catnip tea may induce sleep.
Peaceful slumber does not exist for an estimated 4%-8% of Americans. For them, falling asleep is a high- risk activity. They stop breathing for as much as three-quarters of their sleep time, according to the American Sleep Disorders Association.
Sleep apnea
is a condition usually caused by a blocking of the upper airway during sleep. The key sign is jackhammer-loud snoring, punctuated by alarming pauses in respiration that usually last 10 to 20 seconds but can last as long as three minutes in severe cases.
Sleep apnea most commonly affects middle-aged, overweight men. Muscles or other structures in the throat repeatedly relax and sag, obstructing the airway and disrupting breathing. The need for oxygen briefly arouses but rarely awakens the person. Throughout the night, the obstructive- arousal cycle continues. Since the sufferer rarely achieves deep sleep, he is extremely tired in the daytime.
Exhaustion is not the only problem. Sleep apnea can cause or aggravate such dangerous health problems as high blood pressure, heart pain and even heart failure. Sleep apnea may have triggered the heart attack in many middle-aged, overweight men who died in their sleep.
Sleep apnea usually can be treated successfully. It depends on the severity of the sleep apnea. The mouth and throat are examined for obstructions. In addition, a doctor will assess respiratory function and sleep patterns. While these tests are often done in a special sleep laboratory, methods of home monitoring are also available.
Management of sleep apnea
involves treatment of any underlying illness and preventing loss of breath (apneic episode) during sleep.
Mild apnea often responds to simple measures, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol, or using medication for allergies. Moderate and severe apnea require intervention. CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, lets you sleep with your mouth and nose covered with a mask that forms a tight seal with the skin of your face. Air pressure through the mask keeps the airway open and your tongue out of the way.
Sometimes surgery may be required to remove nasal growth (polyps) or the uvula ( the structure that dangles at the back of your throat) if it has become enlarge by chronic snoring. If your anatomy is responsible for the obstruction (jaw too small for the size of the tongue, for example), then corrective surgery may provide relief. So a good, safe sleep should be part of the American Dream.
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