Sleep: Simple Word, Big Deal.

Sleep. It’s such a simple word. It’s short – just one syllable. It’s got that nice long eeee sound in the middle and a gentle, solid STOP at the end. It is an easy word to learn and to say – though little ones might get stuck on that l sound.

The thing is, simple words are not always simple, toss-it-to-the-side things. This particular, short, single-syllable word is a very big deal.

Sleep is one of 4 major life behaviors (including exercise, diet, and social behaviors) that most influence health. A quality, full night’s sleep is a healthy elixir for the human body. After a really great night’s sleep, we wake up feeling rested and refreshed. We feel good physically, emotionally, and mentally, and things feel easier. Quality sleep promotes healthy growth in children, increases attention span, promotes learning, helps memory, helps maintain a healthy immune system, promotes organ health, and helps with weight management. It improves quality of life and it even helps keep you safe. Getting enough sleep at the right time gives your whole system the break required to rest, rejuvenate, and heal. Without enough sleep, things can start to fall apart. It might begin at the edges with a short-tempered shout at a child or animal, a grumpy reply to a coworker, or difficulty concentrating on a task. Over the long haul, though, sleep deficiency can have deep, long-lasting consequences. Today we’re taking a closer look at sleep - what constitutes adequate sleep, the signs and consequences of sleep deficiency, and a few tips for helping you improve your ZZZZs.

What Constitutes Adequate Sleep Anyway?

Individual needs regarding sleep, like individual dietary needs, vary slightly. Still, some common bits add up to adequate sleep.

First, let’s talk about quantity and the reason the numbers are important. Generally, children between the ages of 6 and 12 need between 9 and 12 hours of sleep. Adolescents can function well on 8 to 10, and adults over the age of 18 do best with 7 to 8 hours of good, quality sleep.

A typical (healthy) night’s sleep consists of 4 to 6 sleep cycles. Each cycle lasts 1 or 2 hours and involves periods of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) followed by rapid eye movement (REM), the period that includes dreams. About 80% of total sleep time is made up of NREM; REM accounts for about 20%. As the night goes on, REM cycles increase in length.

Both parts of the sleep cycle are important. NREM aids in brain rejuvenation, memory consolidation, and clearing neurotoxic waste. During REM, the brain is doing a lot of work. It’s processing new skills, moving information to memory, and sorting data for critical thinking. REM sleep prevents daytime fatigue and drowsiness. Full completion of these sleep cycles helps maintain a healthy circadian rhythm. People who wake on and off through the night may not complete a full cycle, and people who don’t sleep enough hours, short sleepers, often miss out on the longer REM states.

Defining and Identifying Sleep Deficiency

About 40% of adults in the United States report insufficient sleep or what’s called, sleep deficiency. Sleep deficiency is a broad concept -- it includes disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea, but that’s not the end of it. Not getting enough sleep, sleeping at the wrong time of day, and disrupted sleep all fall under the umbrella of sleep deficiency. Shift workers, college students, veterinarians, doctors, new parents and caretakers, individuals living with mental illness, chronic illness, substance use disorders, and adults and children living in stressful home environments are at risk of sleep deficiency. Many people who are sleep deficient don’t know it or don’t realize that their lack of sleep is impacting their lives. Below are some signs that may indicate you’re not getting enough sleep:

• You nod off during the opening scene of a movie at the theater.
• You fall asleep on page 2 of the bestseller you’ve been wanting to read or while watching a show on TV.
• You doze off during a big meeting at work.
• You have difficulty staying awake after a light lunch.
• You fall asleep when riding in a car for more than an hour.
• You feel like taking a nap while sitting in your car at a traffic light.
• You struggle with sleepiness while chatting with a friend.

Sleep deficiency might look different in children. Here are 9 issues that can be signs of sleep deficiency in young people:

• Anger
• Impulsivity
• Overactivity
• Difficulty paying attention
• Acting out at school or home
• Mood swings
• Sadness
• Depression
• Lack of motivation

The Consequences of Sleep Deficiency

Not every creature in Nature needs sleep the way humans do. Take bullfrogs for example. Bullfrogs don’t actually sleep. They don’t have a sleep/wake cycle. That is not to say that bullfrogs don’t need rest. They do, and Nature took care of that. While bullfrogs don’t precisely sleep, they do experience dormant periods – times when their activity and their metabolism are very low. In other words, Nature has set up a way for bullfrogs to get the rest they need without actually sleeping.

Humans are not bullfrogs. Humans require sleep. Without good quality sleep in the right quantity problems emerge. Even losing just 1 or 2 hours of sleep per night can have a big impact on many people. Sleep deficiency can lead to:

• Difficulty learning new things, focusing, problem-solving, and remembering things;
• Trouble making decisions, coping with change, and managing emotions and behaviors;
• Slower reaction time, difficulty finishing tasks, and a tendency to make more mistakes;
• Trips, falls, car crashes, and other accidents, and an increased risk of injury in adults, adolescents, and young children;
• Increased risk of health problems and chronic illness including heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, stroke, seizures, high blood pressure, cancer, sepsis, migraines, and obesity; and
• Depression, suicidal ideation and behavior, and increased risk-taking.

Ideas for Improving Sleep Quality and Quantity

While cat naps may feel nice, and sleeping in late after a long week of insufficient sleep might seem like a good way to start the weekend, for most adults, neither of these tactics actually has many benefits. (In fact, napping for more than 30 minutes can actually throw off your body’s natural sleep drive, and disrupt your nighttime ZZZs). The best, most health-affirming way to go is to find ways to improve the quality and quantity of regular sleep. Here are some ideas:

• Eat a good quality diet during the day, and avoid late-night snacking, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
• Get regular, moderate exercise, and avoid intense exercise later in the evening or before bedtime if you are a shift worker.
• Turn off the TV and computer 2 hours before bed, and try reading an old-fashioned book rather than a digital reader.
• Store digital devices away from the bedroom.
• Set your bedroom up to be as dark as possible, or if you can’t completely get rid of light, try an eye mask.
• Keep your bedroom cool.
• Try to stick to a consistent bedtime.
• Consider incorporating pre-sleep rituals like sipping herbal tea, taking a warm bath, doing some light stretching, or writing a gratitude list before bed. Like your bedtime, keep these rituals consistent.

Back in the 1950s, people thought that sleep was just a time of passivity when nothing was happening. The benefits of good sleep and the consequences of sleep deficiency were yet to be understood. Now we know that sleep is one of the most important health behaviors that we have. With that in mind, if you are experiencing poor quality or disrupted sleep, take it seriously. Try the tips we’ve listed here, and if you continue to struggle, reach out for help. Sleep is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity.