Log 003 – A great day follows a great night
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Sleep is a biological need.
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We spend (or at least we should) approximately 1/3 of our lives sleeping. The magnitude of this ratio might go under-appreciated, so let’s apply that to our lifespan: say a particular individual lives until they’re 85 years old – they would’ve spent around 28 years with their eyes shut! That sounds so… unproductive, right?
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Today, we’ll learn the opposite is true. “If sleep weren’t of vital importance to us, evolution would’ve figured out a way to make us function properly with less of it.” You might have heard something along these lines before. Now it’s time for you to (finally) understand the what, the how, and the why behind it.
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We’ll start with some data – don’t worry, I won’t go too technical, just enough to provide you with irrefutable proof of the seriousness of what I’m saying. I just want you to sleep better, that’s all (and improve your life in basically every sense as a result).
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So, shall we?
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Adults should get between 7-9 hours of quality sleep. If you’re not putting those hours in, I’m sorry to say you’re likely experiencing sleep deprivation – even if you don’t feel the symptoms. Sleep deprivation is when you don’t get enough sleep.
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Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, is the broader concept that involves multiple sleep-related issues, including sleep deprivation and other disorders such as insomnia. It is generally caused by two main factors: lifestyle/occupational habits and sleep disorders.
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I get it – work, your social life, and many other things can get in the way of a restful night. But to the best of your ability, you should prioritise your sleep to protect and nurture your health.
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Here’s why: a lack of sufficient, quality sleep can lead to serious health issues. Sleep deficiencies are strongly linked to promoting or worsening metabolic disorders, which means your body’s metabolism (its ability to transform food into energy to power all of its functions, processes, and, well, everything it needs to keep you healthy) gets compromised or becomes less efficient.
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Some of these effects include:
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And each of these disorders opens its own Pandora’s box. But let’s take a moment to break things down into numbers.
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Studies suggest that adults who sleep less than 6 hours per night are 7.5 times more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI), while those who average around 7.7 hours tend to have the lowest BMI.
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This correlation can be partly explained by a study from Taheri et al., 2004, which measured two key appetite-related hormones and found that sleep insufficiency increases appetite. Specifically, those who didn’t sleep enough had lower levels of leptin (a hormone that suppresses appetite) and higher levels of ghrelin (which stimulates appetite).
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Sleeping 5 hours or less per night also increases the likelihood of impaired glucose tolerance by 2.5 times, significantly raising the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
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Finally, getting 5 hours of sleep or less has been associated with a 45% increased risk of both nonfatal and fatal heart attacks.
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Need I say more?
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And here, we’re not even accounting for the loss of cognitive function, increased risk of neurological disorders, worsened mood, reduced decision-making ability, and many other factors that can impact your day-to-day life more immediately.
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But don’t go rushing to stack up hours and hours of sleep either. Getting too much sleep has also been linked to similar health issues as those caused by sleep deprivation. This is known as a U-shaped relationship – both extremes of the spectrum tend to suffer from comparable negative effects.
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The key lies in getting just enough quality sleep. We’ll explore what that means next.
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Sleep needs change with age, but I don’t think any babies, children, or even teenagers will be reading this article – so I’ll focus on the experts’ recommendations for you. And that is: adults should sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night.
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But that’s just half of the equation. Beyond duration, sleep quality is the other essential factor we’ll now talk about.
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When we sleep, our brain goes through cycles – you’ve probably heard that before. While I’ll leave the in-depth breakdown for a part 2, it’s worth knowing now that each cycle is made up of four stages, split between light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement). In a typical night, we go through 4 to 6 of these cycles, each lasting about 90 minutes.
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Each of these stages plays a pivotal role in your overall health.
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During the light sleep phases, brain activity starts to slow, body temperature drops, muscles relax. After a few minutes, you’ll drift into deep sleep. This is what’s believed to be the restorative phase. It’s critical for your body to repair itself, regrow tissues, build bone and muscle, and strengthen the immune system. It’s also vital for memory consolidation (from short to long-term), cognitive performance, and the regulation of hormones involved in growth and development.
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Then comes the fourth stage: REM sleep. This is when brain activity ramps back up, your eyes move rapidly, and you’ll have your most vivid dreams. But it’s more than just dreams: REM is essential for processing emotions, solidifying memories, and boosting cognitive function. It’s how we emotionally reset and prepare to take on the next day.
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So, a quality night of sleep is one where your body gets the chance to move through all of these phases. It’s when your brain shifts roles and “acts like a kidney,” helping to clear out the waste from your system. As a reward, you shall:
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If you’re putting in enough hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep and waking up feeling refreshed, then you’re well on your way to a healthier, longevous life.
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Ready to start sleeping better? Here are a few things that you can do to set yourself up for a better night of sleep:
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And just before we wrap up, a kind reminder: meaningful changes take time to be adopted and to show results, and even then, there will be ups and downs. Be kind to yourself, test these tips out, see what makes sense to your routine, and thank yourself for giving another step towards your health!
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Sweet dreams, my friends!
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Wishing you a long, healthy, and vibrant life.
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End of transmission 003.
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REFERENCES (just in case you want to read more):
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation