CR5 Issue 152 Jan 2018

Health By Alison Runham www.alison.runham.co.uk
Sleep: Vital for Good Mental and Physical Health
We’ve known, vaguely, for a long
time that losing sleep can make us
struggle to concentrate and keep
smiling. Even Shakespeare knew
the value of sleep, describing it as
the ‘balm of hurt minds’ and the
‘chief nourisher in life’s feast’.
But research is increasingly proving
that a lack of good quality
sleep can seriously damage our
physical and mental health. More
than 20 large-scale studies have
proved conclusively that the shorter
your sleep, the shorter your life
- and it’s not hard to see why…
HOW A LACK OF SLEEP AFFECTS
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Weight gain and obesity
Research shows that insufficient
sleep is a factor in weight gain
and obesity. This is probably because
sleep deprivation reduces
levels of leptin (the hunger-inhibiting
‘you’re full’ hormone) and
increases levels of ghrelin (the
hunger-stimulating hormone). It’s
a vicious circle, too, as you’re more
prone to sleep problems if you’re
overweight.
Increased diabetes risk
People who usually sleep less than
five hours a night, particularly
those lacking deep or ‘slow-wave’
sleep, are at increased risk of developing
diabetes. Their body processes
glucose differently, reacting
as though suffering from insulin
resistance (a condition in which
your body doesn’t react properly
to insulin). Tiredness causes you
to secrete more stress hormones
(e.g. cortisol), making it harder
for insulin to function correctly
and leaving excess glucose in your
bloodstream.
Increased cancer risk
Professor Matthew Walker, author
of Why We Sleep, says that after
just one night of only four or five
hours’ sleep, your natural cancer-attacking
cells drop by 70%. US
researchers have discovered that
night workers produce 80% less of
a by-product of DNA tissue repair,
indicating their bodies aren’t carrying
out their natural overnight cell
restoration.
Increased Alzheimer’s risk
During deep sleep, amyloid deposits
(a cell-killing toxin that
accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s
sufferers) are ‘cleaned’
away. Without sufficient sleep,
these plaques build up, especially
in deep-sleep-generating regions –
meaning you sleep even less. It’s a
vicious circle.
Increased risk of heart disease,
heart attack and stroke
Persistent sleep deprivation causes
increased heart rate, blood pressure
and inflammation, which can
all put extra strain on your heart.
Over-45s sleeping less than six
hours a night are 200% more likely
to have a heart attack or stroke.
Weakened immunity
Sleep deprivation damages production
and distribution of immune
factors.
Reduced fertility and libido
Research has revealed that insufficient
sleep can cause lower libido
in men and women, and reduce
the secretion of reproductive hormones.
HOW A LACK OF SLEEP AFFECTS
MENTAL HEALTH
Increased risk of depression and
anxiety
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Many studies have linked anxiety
and depression to poor quality
and insufficient sleep. Daniel Freeman,
co-author of major research
on the link between mental health
and sleep published in Lancet Psychiatry,
says that having insomnia
doubles your chances of developing
depression and that treating
insomnia is shown to reduce depression.
Increased risk of paranoia, hallucinations
and psychotic episodes
The same study also showed that
when people sleep better, they’re
far less likely to suffer from paranoia,
hallucinations or psychotic
episodes. General mental health
is much improved in people given
therapy to improve their sleep.
Reduced memory, concentration
and reaction times
The odd late night isn’t a problem,
but after persistently poor sleep,
your reaction times, concentration
and decision-making decline significantly.
This can affect not only
your health and safety, but that of
others you work with, care for – or
drive past.
Studies show that sleep deficiency
harms your driving ability as much
as, or more than, being drunk.
Four hours’ sleep? You’re 11.5
times more likely to be involved in
a crash. Driver fatigue is estimated
to be responsible for around
100,000 car accidents and 1,500
deaths each year.
A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE
“No aspect of our biology is left
unscathed by sleep deprivation,”
says Professor Walker. He believes
we have “stigmatised sleep with
the label of laziness” because we
want to seem busy; a lack of sleep
is “a badge of honour.” That’s an
attitude we need to change.