Good Sleep Hygiene Makes the Dream of Health a Reality

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The subject of obtaining adequate sleep is not only important to our health and wellness, but it is multi-faceted. Statistics reveal that African Americans suffer more sleep deprivation than any other group. So let’s begin.?

Gender and Color-coded Sleep Quality

Well, it probably doesn’t surprise you, but as African Americans or other members of the BIPOC group (black, indigenous, people of color), we suffer disparities even in our dreams—during our sleep at least. Not only do we get less sleep, but the quality of that sleep is compromised by several socioeconomic and other factors.

And women, who are even more susceptible to anxiety and stress than men, get less sleep because, of course, stress can disrupt it.

Doctors and Scientists Agree: Get Some Sleep!

As I stated in previous articles, lack of sleep not only has several causes but numerous harmful effects on our health. Agencies such as the CDC and the Mayo Clinic have conducted studies on this subject at length.

The NIH contends that: “A growing body of research suggests that racial/ethnic differences in sleep deficiency, including extreme sleep duration, sleep-disordered breathing, and insomnia, may help explain disparities in cardiovascular disease..”

But while scientists emphasize the necessity of all of us spending a third of our lives in a sleep state, fewer and fewer people these days adopt that mandate.

Higher Tech, Lower Sleep Outcomes

Technology has accelerated the pace at which we live our lives and accomplish our tasks. So we would assume that would allow more time in our schedules for getting our rest. But somehow, sleep is often ranked as a low-priority item.

So why don’t we work more diligently at getting an adequate amount of quality sleep? Perhaps we need to know a little more about the science behind it. Let’s examine the:

• Reasons why we sleep at all
• Things that happen when we fall asleep
• Stages of sleep
• Sleep studies and their benefits
• Sleep disorders
• Reasons why people sleepwalk
• Causes of insomnia
• Effects of insomnia
• How age affects our sleep patterns
• Why too much sleep can be a bad thing
• Sleep hygiene recommendations

Why We Sleep

This has been a hotly contested issue for decades. The scientific community offers no solid consensus. While there are many benefits to sleeping, scientists are still unable to conclude why we do this on a regular basis.?

The brain does transfer “data” from short to long-term memory while we sleep. This lends credence to the suggestion that staying up to cram information all night will actually disadvantage college students when they sit for an examination the next day.

There is a theory that states we sleep because we need to conserve energy. Since the metabolic rate slows down during sleep and this conserves 35% of the energy we use when fully awake, this makes sense.

Not Everyone Fits the Sleep Mold

There are people who survive for years—yes years—with no sleep. I have observed sleep study documentaries where people were hooked up to brain electrodes and monitored by shift workers for several consecutive days and nights, documenting their constant waking state. To me, these study subjects appeared to be either superhuman or chronically endangered in terms of their health.

What Happens When We Fall Asleep

Even the process of falling asleep has its mysteries. There have been several times I have begun drifting off to sleep, only to grab my mattress because of the sudden sensation of falling—literally falling—from a height. And I do not suffer from a fear of heights.

When we become drowsy and relaxed as we fall asleep, our brain waves change. We produce what are called alpha waves during early sleep which morph into theta waves as we progress to a deeper sleep pattern. And alpha waves are the same brain waves we produce during meditation.?

Sleep Stages

When we first fall asleep, we enter non-REM sleep. You may remember from high-school science that REM refers to the state in which our eyes move rapidly from side to side. The non-REM, on the other hand, is a light sleep state we are in most of the night.

For each 75-90 minutes of sleep, we undergo one cycle of non-REM sleep and one cycle of REM.

The non-REM sleep is actually broken down into three stages when:

Stage 1: we experience a decrease in heart and breathing rates as well as eye movements. Muscles relax and we might feel a twitch or two.

Stage 2: our eyes stop moving, our body temperature drops, and our brain wave activity slows down.

Stage 3: we spend 20% of our sleep time with our brain waves slowing way down, making it more difficult to rouse us from our sleep, and absolutely relaxing our muscles. This is SWS.

What Exactly Is SWS?

This is slow-wave sleep, a much heavier sleep state in which millions of neurons, or nerve cells, go off like a well-coordinated fireworks display. This is the holy grail of sleep lacking in many stressed-out people of color, who then miss the many health benefits associated with obtaining it.

REM Sleep Allows Us to Dream

The last stage of sleep is the REM (rapid eye movement) stage, a dream state which paradoxically shows an increase in brain activity. One of the things that makes this stage interesting is the fact that the body is temporarily paralyzed to prevent us from acting out our dream while we sleep.?

If you have ever been semi-conscious, where you were in a sleep state that allowed you to be aware that you were neither fully awake nor asleep, you know it is a strange experience. You can hear sounds around you, but you can neither make a sound nor signal to people around you that you are partially conscious. It’s an incredibly uncomfortable feeling, and I have been there.

What Happens If a Crisis Forces You to Stay Awake 24 Hours?

The CDC issues warnings about this, but needless to say, your memory, cognitive functioning, and work accuracy will suffer. And after that much sleep deprivation, you should NEVER operate heavy machinery or drive without getting several hours of recuperative sleep first. The dangers are similar to driving while intoxicated.

Sleep Studies: Consider Getting One

If you have persistent problems with your sleep and you’ve talked them over with your doctor who was able to rule out other diagnoses, perhaps you would be wise to take your doctor’s advice to participate in a sleep study called a polysomnography exam. This study can help the doctor identify sleep patterns or disorders and possibly what causes them.

What’s Involved in a Sleep Study?

There’s nothing to fear when you get this examination. You will have to check with your provider, but most are covered by insurance—even Medicare. Brain waves, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and respiration rates are usually monitored by a trained group of night shift workers.

A sleep study is typically done overnight either within a hospital or sleep center setting. Some tests can be conducted at home with the proper devices and carefully followed instructions.?

Sleep Disorders Can Be Disconcerting

Let’s pause to examine a few of them.

• Narcolepsy - This is a condition of overwhelming drowsiness, sleepiness, or a tendency to fall asleep suddenly at any time of the day which can, of course, be dangerous. In some families, this can be genetic, but it also occurs in families sporadically, where no family history of narcolepsy exists.
• REM sleep behavior disorder - With this disorder, people act out what is occurring in their dreams.
• Sleep apnea - This condition causes a cessation of breathing, followed by a resumption of breathing several times a night. It is more prevalent in African Americans than in any other group.
• Periodic limb movement disorder -? Linked to what is called restless leg syndrome, people flex and extend their legs while sleeping and have an uncontrollable urge to move their legs while awake.
• Insomnia - Insomnia assumes different forms. The major classifications are:

1. Short-term insomnia - This is linked to a traumatic or shattering event, such as a house fire, a death, or a loved one’s severe injury.
2. Chronic insomnia occurs regularly regardless of the circumstances. This standard is associated with someone who has difficulty sleeping at least three nights per week for three months or longer.

Insomnia does not manifest as the same behavior for everyone. Some people have trouble:

• falling asleep
• staying asleep
• falling and staying asleep

Hypersomnia, or excessive nighttime sleep, is not considered a serious disorder, but its cause can be a serious issue:

• Certain medications
• Nervous system problems
• Tumors
• Head injuries
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy

That’s why checking with your doctor is so essential.

Fatal familial insomnia. Yes, this is a real condition that does what it says. Extremely rare, this syndrome leads to extreme exhaustion caused by months of sleepless nights.

Some consider it to be a waking coma that ultimately leads to death. It runs in families, and a cure is yet to be discovered, although recent studies have shown that the brains of the deceased mimic those who have Creutzfeld-Jakob or "mad-cow" disease.

So the ability to fall asleep is a gift I appreciate!

Somnambulism (Sleepwalking) Stories

Sleepwalking can include night talking and night terrors. It can occur at any age, but it is more common in children.

I knew an adult with PTSD who woke up lighting candles one night and cooking food in a skillet the next.

Medical experts insist it is a myth that waking up a sleepwalker will give them a heart attack. Here is their recommendation: You should wake them, but gently, and expect that they’ll be somewhat confused. Quietly lead them back to bed.

I knew someone who took a sleep aid after he had been up for extended periods of time studying. His college roommates later informed him that he had been running through the streets, naked, as if someone were after him. He had no memory of the experience.

So sleepwalking can have serious consequences and it can be caused by medications.?

Following are two legal cases that exemplify a sleepwalking defense—whether you concur with the verdict:

Massachusetts v. Tirrell. This controversial case was tried way back in 1846 when a man named Albert Tirrell was acquitted of a case involving the murder of a prostitute because he supposedly committed the violent deed in a deep sleep state.

Of course, attitudes toward women period, let alone those of “ill repute”, were much stricter and misogynistic then, and group therapy for battered wives existed nowhere. It’s also possible that Mr. Tirrell paid off either the jurors or the judge. But the jury appeared convinced of what was then a little-understood syndrome.

Regina vs. Parks. Many years later, in 1987, in another controversial case, a young Canadian by the name of Kenneth Parks was acquitted of his mother-in-law’s murder based on the sleepwalking defense. He had nearly killed the woman’s husband during that same incident.

The big difference is that Parks allegedly drove 14 miles to get to her house while in a sleep state. Police noticed he appeared unaware that he had incurred serious injury to two tendons in his hand and he was extremely disoriented when they arrived. Based on strong family history, his sleepwalking tendency might have been genetic.

Age Is a Factor in Sleep Quality

As we mature, our body’s Circadian (natural body) rhythms, including our sleep patterns, shift. This is because the body’s internal clock, a cluster of 20,000 cells called the SCN located in the brain's hypothalamus, deteriorates in a way that disrupts these rhythms.

Also, older people tend to get less natural sunlight exposure, which would ordinarily cue the behavior of their Circadian rhythms.?

The Role of Melatonin?

Finally, the amount of melatonin, a hormone your body produces in response to darkness, decreases with age. Although some users find melatonin supplements helpful in getting a good night’s rest, use them with caution only after consulting with your healthcare provider. Recent studies have indicated that some brands may misrepresent their melatonin content and even replace it with toxic amounts of THC, a crystalline component of cannabis.

The Effects of Inadequate Sleep Can Include:

• Hypertension
• Weight gain
• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Depression
• Anxiety

The Steps to Maintaining Good Sleep Hygiene Include:

• Eat lightly in the evening.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule and get a minimum of six hours per night. Ideally, it should be seven to eight hours.
• Don’t work at your laptop or watch TV in bed because the light is too stimulating.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine because they are stimulants.
• Be as active during the day as possible, as it promotes better sleep.
• Sleep in cool, comfortable temperatures.
• Meditate to reduce stress at the end of your workday.
• Create a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as listening to soft ambient music or ocean sounds.
• Avoid foods high in processed sugar.

CONCLUSION:

The message is clear: Get more quality sleep on a regular basis. You will do yourself and your loved ones a great service by making this a priority. The measures you take will help prevent serious diseases, extend your longevity, and contribute to a happier disposition. You deserve to be healthy and well.

Are you having trouble relaxing enough to fall asleep? Sometimes an EFT (tapping session) with a certified coach like me can help. I use it myself when I'm overstimulated from either positive or negative emotions that get stirred up right before I retire. You can feel results after just one FREE 20-minute sample session. Why not try it out?

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