11:51 AM
Mick Turner
What does sleep loss do to our bodies? Our immune system becomes less efficient and productive with reduced sleep. Our ability to fight off infection under increased stress levels can become compromised.
For instance, increased reports of cold- and flu-like symptoms are reported at college health clinics in response to surveys about high stress-response levels (commonly presented as sleep loss). It is during deep (Stage 4) sleep when our immune system regenerates. Stage 4 sleep is also the time when growth hormone (the hormone responsible for growth and metabolism) is released, thus implicating the importance of a good night’s sleep for children.
Problems caused by sleepiness
The biological systems of our body follow a natural rhythm of activity and rest. Many of these cycles are activated during the stages of sleep, usually deep sleep (Stages 3 and 4) or dream (REM) sleep. Overall, all cycles follow an approximate 24-hour schedule. When an individual’s 24-hour schedule becomes skewed or altered due to work, travel, or personal habits, the timing of the sleep in terms of bedtime and wake time is offset. For instance, when traveling across time zones, we will experience a change in our sleep schedule. This change may present as either a delay (sleep occurs at a later time) or advancement (sleep occurs at an earlier time) in our sleep time. Last, our natural drive for sleep is strongest during the day and nighttime between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00. This feeling of sleepiness that occurs during the hours between 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. is often misinterpreted as sleepiness resulting from having lunch. Taken together, problem sleepiness occurs if we alter our schedule of activity and sleep at a time when the drive for sleepiness is the strongest. Treatment efforts address this change or desynchronization of our normal wake-sleep rhythms by scheduling naps, implementing light physical activity to the schedule and utilizinglight therapy at varying times during the day to promote either sleepiness or wakefulness.
What does sleepness mean?
We are generally aware of our level and ratings of sleepiness. We are all familiar with stories of businesspeople traveling and staying up late to prepare for a big presentation. Or there is the scenario of young adults and teens altering their sleep schedules with in-house socializing (e.g., instant messaging) by staying up into the late hours of the night. Additional examples include patients who are recovering from medical procedures who may easily awaken from experiencing pain or restlessly shifting positions while dipping in and out of sleep during the night. In each of these scenarios, poor sleep is experienced, and if these sleep patterns remain unabated, the individual is at risk for mood alterations and performance and health consequences. A mounting sleep debt, regardless of the process that triggered it, has the same result: decreased performance efficiency, mood instability, and poor health and disease and disorder formation. Our defensive response to the challenges we face with poor sleep is weakened and remains that way. Poor sleep, especially when continuously experienced, lowers the immune system response. Couple poor sleep with exposure to environmental toxins, disease and infection exposure, and/or mental or physical stress, and we may see how the immune system can significantly be lowered. It could be argued that the most common signs of sleepiness are not just ignored; rather, we do not know how to detect these signs. These signs are commonly reported as feeling the need to close the eyes, experiencing sensations of relaxed muscles, reduction in breathing (it starts to slow down), restless legs, and feeling chilled. Ultimately, daytime sleepiness is the consequence of poor, short sleep.
For instance, increased reports of cold- and flu-like symptoms are reported at college health clinics in response to surveys about high stress-response levels (commonly presented as sleep loss). It is during deep (Stage 4) sleep when our immune system regenerates. Stage 4 sleep is also the time when growth hormone (the hormone responsible for growth and metabolism) is released, thus implicating the importance of a good night’s sleep for children.
Problems caused by sleepiness
The biological systems of our body follow a natural rhythm of activity and rest. Many of these cycles are activated during the stages of sleep, usually deep sleep (Stages 3 and 4) or dream (REM) sleep. Overall, all cycles follow an approximate 24-hour schedule. When an individual’s 24-hour schedule becomes skewed or altered due to work, travel, or personal habits, the timing of the sleep in terms of bedtime and wake time is offset. For instance, when traveling across time zones, we will experience a change in our sleep schedule. This change may present as either a delay (sleep occurs at a later time) or advancement (sleep occurs at an earlier time) in our sleep time. Last, our natural drive for sleep is strongest during the day and nighttime between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00. This feeling of sleepiness that occurs during the hours between 1:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. is often misinterpreted as sleepiness resulting from having lunch. Taken together, problem sleepiness occurs if we alter our schedule of activity and sleep at a time when the drive for sleepiness is the strongest. Treatment efforts address this change or desynchronization of our normal wake-sleep rhythms by scheduling naps, implementing light physical activity to the schedule and utilizinglight therapy at varying times during the day to promote either sleepiness or wakefulness.
What does sleepness mean?
We are generally aware of our level and ratings of sleepiness. We are all familiar with stories of businesspeople traveling and staying up late to prepare for a big presentation. Or there is the scenario of young adults and teens altering their sleep schedules with in-house socializing (e.g., instant messaging) by staying up into the late hours of the night. Additional examples include patients who are recovering from medical procedures who may easily awaken from experiencing pain or restlessly shifting positions while dipping in and out of sleep during the night. In each of these scenarios, poor sleep is experienced, and if these sleep patterns remain unabated, the individual is at risk for mood alterations and performance and health consequences. A mounting sleep debt, regardless of the process that triggered it, has the same result: decreased performance efficiency, mood instability, and poor health and disease and disorder formation. Our defensive response to the challenges we face with poor sleep is weakened and remains that way. Poor sleep, especially when continuously experienced, lowers the immune system response. Couple poor sleep with exposure to environmental toxins, disease and infection exposure, and/or mental or physical stress, and we may see how the immune system can significantly be lowered. It could be argued that the most common signs of sleepiness are not just ignored; rather, we do not know how to detect these signs. These signs are commonly reported as feeling the need to close the eyes, experiencing sensations of relaxed muscles, reduction in breathing (it starts to slow down), restless legs, and feeling chilled. Ultimately, daytime sleepiness is the consequence of poor, short sleep.
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