Catching Some Zzzs
Like most everyone else, I cannot wait for the time of day when my head hits the pillow, I can tune out the world, and sleep. However, despite how much all of us love this blissful activity, it can get shoved pretty low on the priority list. We often hear people say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” or “I have XYZ still to do, I’ll sleep when that’s done.” We can easily neglect one of the biggest things our bodies need, and it may be that sometimes we just forget how important it is.
Without sleep, you can’t make or keep the critical pathways in your brain that allow for learning and creating new memories. It also becomes harder to concentrate and have quick reflexes and responses. Sleep helps ensure that our neurons keep talking to each other. And while we feel “turned off” while we’re sleeping, we are actually removing toxins from our brain that tend to build up when we’re awake (NIH, 2019). So much in our brain counts on us getting good sleep.
What happens when you’re sleeping? In general, there are two kinds of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM. Non-REM occurs in three stages while there is just one stage of REM, and this cycle happens several times during the night. Stage one non-REM is when your brain waves slow down from the wakefulness patterns. Your muscles relax and breathing slows. Stage two non-REM is similar - you continue to relax. Your brain waves slow down even further but have short bursts of activity. Stage three non-REM is the deepest sleep and is necessary to feel rested and awake in the morning. REM sleep happens in the first 1.5 hours of being asleep. Your brain activity almost looks like it does when you’re awake, and you dream the most here. As you get older, you don’t spend as much time in REM sleep (NIH, 2019).
As far as how much time you need to spend sleeping, here’s a quick reminder. Babies typically sleep 16-18 hours of the day, and elementary-aged children and teenagers need 9.5 hours. As we become adults, 7-9 hours is a good amount of time to shoot for (NIH, 2019). For many of us, that amount of sleep may seem like a lot. You’re running off of 5 hours/night or less and still functioning. But do you feel at your best? When our brains aren't getting everything they need, it’s going to affect everything else in our lives. Maybe you feel you aren’t doing as well at work because you can’t focus as well, you’re spacing out frequently. Or maybe you can’t focus as well in class. When we choose to prioritize sleeping the right amount, we give ourselves the opportunity to be the best versions of ourselves. So next time you feel the urge to move sleeping down the priority list, remember - your brain will thank you later for giving it the rest it needs.
Reference: NIH. (2019). Brain basics: Understanding sleep. NIH. Retrieved from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep.
Challenges/Points:
We often don’t prioritize sleep because there are a million other things that require our attention; however, we can’t do as well on our everyday tasks if we aren't sleeping.
Sleep helps maintain pathways for learning and memories, reflexes, communication between neurons, and removing toxins.
If you are a teenager, you need 9.5 hours of sleep/night. If you are an adult, shoot for 7-9 hours/night.
Questions:
How much are you sleeping on average every night?
Do you find yourself prioritizing other tasks over sleeping?
What changes do you notice when you aren’t getting enough sleep?
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