I have been thinking a lot about sleep lately. I have been craving it. My body has been demanding it. In fact, some days I simply cannot fight it–I stay in bed, if I can, and obey my body’s demands, giving it every moment of sleep I can afford to give. While I had never been a great napper, I learned to love sleeping, and these days I even try to sneak in a siesta, if I can.
As a full-time business owner, full-time work-from-home mother of a very active toddler, who also wears many other hats, and whose husband commutes a combined 3+ hours to/from work each day, I constantly run short on sleep.
My day often begins before 7 am, when Sprout peels open her beautiful browns and marches into my room, wanting to cuddle and, naturally, asks for breakfast. From that point, often until 2 or 3 am the following morning, I am awake, working. There is very little “me” time, and even less “down” time.
This is not something that I talk about proudly. Lacking sleep is not a badge of honor in my book. I am paying the price for the life I have chosen, at least until we find our house and live closer to hubby’s work. For now, I tell my clients not to do what I do, if at all possible, because sleep is essential to our health.
Last year I had given you 12 Health Reasons to Avoid Sleep Deprivation. I will quickly repeat them now, before adding one more to the list:
Sleep deprivation increases inflammatory markers, which could lead to heart disease and other problems.
Sleep deprivation results in increased resting blood pressure and decreased muscle sympathetic nerve activity.
Cortisol levels go up, and heart rates can increase.
Production of human growth hormone decreases, which can impair many functions ranging from recovery from exercise to bone remodeling.
Since sleep is when the body processes information and consolidates memory, lack of sleep can result in diminished cognitive function and memory.
Immune function can become impaired, increasing susceptibility to colds and other condition.
Sleep deprivation increases hunger and the propensity to not only overeat, but to eat more foods high in sugar and fat.
Sleep deprivation can lead to increased risk of diabetes and heart problems.
Sleep deprivation can lead to increased risk for psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse.
Sleep deprivation puts a damper on intimacy: sleep-deprived individuals report lower libidos and less interest in sex.
Sleep deprivation leads to increased incidences of death.
Sleep deprivation ages your skin.
Now I am going to give you one more weighty reason to get your sleep at all cost possible.
While my body does not need any more scientific evidence to tell me that I need more sleep, I recently learned about one more reason why we should get regular restorative sleep, and I want to share it with you. And trust me when I tell you that when you learn what it is, it will blow your mind…or rather detox it.
I first heard about this reason on Ted Talks show titled: “One more reason to get a good night’s sleep.“
In his eleven minute speech Jeff Iliff describes why sleep has incredible restorative function for the mind. I will quote Iliff extensively in this article.
He shares a study which found that sleep
…may be a kind of elegant design solution to some of the brain’s most basic needs.
The brain, just like all other organs, has to have a way to continuously supply the nutrients needed to fuel its cells. Iliff says that brain, even more than other organs, has to ensure this process happens, because
…its intense electrical activity uses up a quarter of the body’s entire energy supply. So the circulatory system solves the nutrient delivery problem by sending blood vessels to supply nutrients and oxygen to every corner of our body.
Why is sleep important for the brain? Because that is the time when the brain gets rid of its waste byproducts–toxins. Since the brain, unlike other body organs, lacks lymphatic vessels, which normally are the vehicles the body uses to flush toxins out, by dumping them into the blood to dispose of them, it uses clear fluid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to transport its waste into the blood. Magically, this process can only happen in the sleeping brain.
The study done by Iliff and his colleagues discovered that
…at the same time when the brain goes to sleep, the brain cells themselves seem to shrink, opening up spaces in between them, allowing fluid (CFS) to rush through and allowing waste to be cleared out…
Our research suggests that when the brain is awake and is at its most busy, it puts off clearing away the waste from the spaces between its cells until later, and then, when it goes to sleep and doesn’t have to be as busy, it shifts into a kind of cleaning mode to clear away the waste from the spaces between its cells, the waste that’s accumulated throughout the day.
According to Iliff and the latest studies that focus on a waste product called amyloid-beta, a protein that is made in the brain all the time. When it comes to Alzheimer’s patients, this waste product, instead of clearing out, builds up and aggregates in the spaces between the brain’s cells. It seems that it’s the build up of this waste matter that’s thought to be one of the key steps in the development of Alzheimer’s.
The study measured how fast amyloid-beta is clearedfrom the brain when it’s awake versus when it’s asleep, and we found that the clearance of amyloid-beta is much more rapid from the sleeping brain.
A series of recent clinical studies suggest that among patients who haven’t yet developed Alzheimer’s disease, worsening sleep quality and sleep duration are associated with a greater amount of amyloid-beta building up in the brain, and while it’s important to point out that these studies don’t prove that lack of sleep or poor sleep cause Alzheimer’s disease, they do suggest that the failure of the brain to keep its house clean by clearing away waste like amyloid-beta may contribute to the development of conditions like Alzheimer’s.
So, the lesson we all need to learn, adding it to the list of reasons to get regular restorative sleep, is GET MORE SLEEP to clear out toxins from our brain regulary! While I am typing this article at a very ungodly hour (I am not even going to tell you what time it is), I personally make all possible efforts to reconfigure my schedule to allow even for a few extra minutes of sleep each day to begin paying the debt I owe to my body and to begin feeling human again. I highly recommend you do the same.
Share!
Did you learn a lesson that will help you create a new healthy habit? Make sure to share this article with others. Let’s create a healthier world, one sleeping brain at a time.
Do you have your own sleep or sleep deprivation story to share? Leave a comment below and let’s talk about it.
cover image credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/young-beautiful-woman-sleeping-in-bed-photo-p262882
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