Intriguing Experiences Related to Sleep

Is anyone reading when I write about sleep...or are we all just too sleepy? And, though I like to share positive ideas, I think some revelation of these impacts of lack of sleep are helpful to be aware of. Maybe these, along with all that I have already shared in previous articles about sleep (linked below) might convince us that 'regular' 'quality' sleep is non-negotiable for life supporting experiences and our overall wellbeing.

*Limit sleep to just five hours of sleep over four nights in a study and participants blood sugar impairment was so disruptive that they classified as being pre-diabetic. All from simply being sleep deprived! When we are lacking sleep, our pancreas does a poor job at releasing the necessary amount of blood sugar regulating hormone insulin...and what it does release, our cells become less responsive to.

*Limit sleep one night to just 4 hours and a 70% reduction in natural killer cells in our immune system has been observed. No wonder why getting less than six hours of sleep on average leads to almost three times the likelihood of becoming infected with the common cold.

*Lose an hour of sleep when we set the clocks forward in the spring? A 24% increase in heart attacks has been observed the next day, along with significantly increased rates of motor vehicle accidents and hospitalizations for other reasons. Even sentencing by judges has been found to be harsher the day after losing an hour of sleep.

The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. Oh, but what are some perhaps more positive intriguing things about sleep that I may not have shared much about before, which could be deeply helpful to know?

*When we get adequate sleep, we are a more attractive version of ourselves. Study has shown that pictures of people who were well slept were rated as more attractive than equivalents of people who were sleep deprived. There is some real truth to the idea of 'beauty sleep'.

*As we enter into the first stage of sleep, we begin to lose proprioception. A sudden awakening with the scary feeling of falling could be simply because we lose our awareness of the bed supporting us. So, nothing to fear...once we come to our senses, we can let ourselves 'fall' back asleep.

*Sleep onset is a process described as being much like landing a plane. Pilots usually don't just drop thousands of feet within a few minutes onto the runway. Likewise, we cannot expect to suddenly be able to enter sleep from running at high speed. A regular and predictable routine that is calming and clearing of our mind shows to be immensely helpful in bringing us into natural rest.

*We are a darkness deprived society, aren't we? But, darkness releases the brake pedal on melatonin release. And so, part of that 'wind down', the 'deceleration' to invite in sleep should probably include a dimming of lighting that mimics the setting sun and presence in darkness like that of the night time experienced by most humans throughout our years on Earth.

*We need to cool down by a little less than one degree Celsius to initiate true sleep, and we generally do this by bringing blood to the periphery, such as our hands and feet, to dissipate heat. We may find it easier to get to sleep when lying down in large part because this thermoregulation method more easily redistributes blood when we are horizontal. And, sleeping in a relatively cool environment...67 degrees Fahrenheit proposed as ideal...is helpful for our body in navigating the temperature rhythms of our sleep cycles.

*As I share within Ingredients of Sleeping Well: QQRT | LinkedIn,, all of quantity, quality, regularity, and timing are needed for the recipe of sleeping well. When studied, regularity (going to bed and waking up at the same time every day...give or take a half hour) had the greatest impact on decreased risk of mortality from various causes. For this, our very best recommendation for improving sleep and living well as a result is coming into a routine of regularity in timing for sleep each and every day.

Sleep well, my dear friends!

For more on what sleep offers us and how to develop a practice of truly restorative sleep, I have previously shared...'Sleep for Deep Learning' at Sleep for Deep Learning | LinkedIn, Ingredients for Sleeping Well: QQRT at Ingredients of Sleeping Well: QQRT | LinkedIn, ’Sleeping for Emotions and Creativity’ at Sleeping for Emotions and Creativity | LinkedIn, 'For a Good Night's Sleep' at For a Good Night's Sleep | LinkedIn and 'Sleep is Fascinating: Imagining Eight Hours of Sleep' at Sleep is Fascinating: Imagining Eight Hours of Sleep | LinkedIn