Can You Catch Up on Hours of Lost Sleep?
Q: I’ve heard the term “sleep debt” but have seen conflicting headlines on whether or not it can be repaid. If I miss a lot of sleep during the week, will sleeping in on the weekends counteract the health risks? A: Most of my clients over the years have had more sleep debt than they have credit card debt. When you’re killing it career-wise, are fitting in social time, and are potentially also raising kids, it can be nearly impossible to get enough shut-eye. RELATED: How Much Sleep Do You Really Need? But as you cut an hour here and two hours there, sleep debt adds up just like the financial kind. Instead of draining your bank account, it drains your body and leads to major negative health effects, from short-term foggy brain to long-term inflammation and increased risk of obesity and heart disease. RELATED: Why You Really Need to Get More Sleep The short answer is this: you can make up for lost hours by sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday when it comes to counteracting some of the negative effects of sleep deprivation, but it’s still better to prioritize sleep daily. Here’s a quick explanation of the research. Can You Repay Sleep Debt by Snoozing? First, the good news. Not getting enough sleep is clearly linked to weight gain, but recent research showed repaying sleep debt may counteract that effect. In a study on more than 2,000 people who didn’t sleep enough during the week, sleeping in on the weekends was significantly associated with a lower BMI. The more sleep participants made up, the healthier their weights were. Other studies have shown that measures of “daytime sleepiness” and inflammation are significantly reduced after sleep debt has been repaid. The same research, however, showed people weren’t able to bounce back as easily when it came to some negative cognitive effects of sleep deprivation, like attention span, and other research has backed that up. One very small study, for example, showed long-term sleep debt really threw off people’s mental acuity. RELATED: Are Your Sleep Habits Messing with Your Mental Health? An important point: that study was on long-term sleep debt, and that’s the kind I’d say you really want to avoid. If you only get five hours for a couple of days because of a big work event and a super fun night out with friends once in a blue moon, it’s likely fine to just let yourself sleep in before brunch that weekend. But weeks and weeks and months and months of not sleeping enough adds up. According to a Harvard sleep researcher, “If you’ve shorted yourself on sleep for decades, you won’t be required to put in a Rip Van Winkle–like effort to repay the hours of missed slumber. Nonetheless, it could take a few weeks to recoup your losses.” So, ideally, try to prioritize sleep the same way you would fitting in workouts. Make a daily effort to get enough—it’s just as important as eating your veggies.
Are Your Sleep Habits Messing with Your Mental Health?
Think getting enough sleep is just about making it through the workday with energy? In this excerpt from “The Sleep Revolution,” Arianna Huffington explains the research-backed connection between sleep and mental health. The title of the chapter says it all: If You Value Your Brain, Get More Sleep One of the most important recent findings is that sleep is essentially like bringing in the overnight cleaning crew to clear the toxic waste proteins that accumulate between brain cells during the day. Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, a codirector of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester, has studied the mechanism underlying these cleaning functions. “It’s like a dishwasher,” she said. Just as we wouldn’t eat off dirty dishes, why should we settle for going through the day with anything less than the full power and potential of our brains? What Nedergaard’s research on mice revealed is that the glymphatic system, essentially the brain’s plumbing system, functions at a much higher rate during sleep and plays a critical role in brain maintenance. As the mice slept, their brain cells actually shrank in size, creating more space for the spinal cord and brain fluid to flow throughout the brain and literally sweep away the toxic buildup associated with Alzheimer’s. Initial studies have shown that a similar process may occur in the human brain, a fact that could provide a major step forward in the prevention and treatment of dementia. This washing-away of waste chemicals and toxins happens only when we sleep— when we’re awake, the brain is too busy handling our body’s many functions. RELATED: How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need? As Nedergaard put it, “The brain only has limited energy at its disposal, and it appears that it must choose between two different functional states— awake and aware or asleep and cleaning up. You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you can’t really do both at the same time.” The consequences of not giving your brain this needed time to wash away toxins and waste chemicals go far beyond simple maintenance. According to Claire Sexton at the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, a lack of sleep over time is associated with a decline in the size of the brain itself. “We found,” she told me, “that poor sleep quality was associated with an increased rate of decline in brain volumes over three to five years. The question is whether poor sleep quality is a cause or an effect of changes in brain structure, or if the relationship is bidirectional.” RELATED: 6 Smart Tips for Better Sleep Beyond Toxins One thing is clear: sleep is profoundly intertwined with virtually every aspect of brain health. Lack of sleep over time can lead to an irreversible loss of brain cells— yet another debunking of the myth that sleep debt can be made up. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Peking University found in a joint study that sleep-deprived mice lost 25 percent of their LC neurons, which are involved in mental alertness, cognitive function, and attention span. “In general, we’ve always assumed full recovery of cognition following short- and long- term sleep loss,” Dr. Sigrid Veasey, one of the study authors, said. “But some of the research in humans has shown that attention span and several other aspects of cognition may not normalize even with three days of recovery sleep, raising the question of lasting injury in the brain.” Up until recently, she added, “no one really thought that the brain could be irreversibly injured from sleep loss.” RELATED: 5 Foods for Brain Health A 2014 study from Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School found that the less we sleep as we grow older, the faster our brains age. In Alzheimer’s patients, the brain ventricles— chambers that hold cerebrospinal fluid—widen as the brain shrinks, and the grooves and folds of the brain become more pronounced, creating gaps. Researchers found that lack of sleep in older adults increased the pace of brain-ventricle enlargement and decreased cognitive performance, the very markers of brain aging associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s. Two studies from Uppsala University in Sweden highlighted this further. One study showed that men who self-reported a sleep problem were one and a half times more likely to contract Alzheimer’s. The other revealed that just one night of sleep deprivation leads to an increase in two rare molecules in the brain (NSE and S-100B) that are signs of brain damage. (If you want to go to sleep now, feel free to put the book down!) Sleep is also intricately connected with our general mental health. Researchers from Canada and France found that consistent early bedtimes may reduce the risk of mental illness. The underlying mechanism involves our ultradian rhythms—cycles within our body’s twenty-four- hour circadian day— which govern body temperature, hormone regulation, and appetite. These rhythms are regulated by dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the reward and pleasure parts of our brain. Sleep disturbances interfere with our dopamine levels, leading to an imbalance associated with bipolar and schizophrenic disorders. Then there’s the matter of longevity. As of this writing, “Miss Susie,” Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York, is the world’s oldest person at 116 years old. When asked for her secret by a reporter from the New York Daily News, she replied, “I sleep.” She then proceeded to demonstrate her nap style. Reprinted from The Sleep Revolution. Copyright © 2017 by Arianna Huffington. Published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
Why You Really Need to Get More Sleep
Busy people prioritize pretty much everything else over hours spent in bed, but the case for why you should get more sleep might be more convincing than you realize. It’s not just about waking up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every morning, with energy to seize the day. (Although that’s a nice side effect!) Skimping on sleep seriously affects your health on multiple levels—from your mental state to how often you end up miserable with the flu. RELATED: How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need? Still thinking you’ve got to stay up to watch Girls and then wake up at 5:00 a.m. to make a pre-work workout class? Consider these five science-backed reasons to get more sleep, first. 4 Reasons to Get More Sleep 1. Sleep helps you maintain a healthy weight. The research is pretty conclusive: getting enough sleep is key to weight management. When you sleep more, you simply have less time to eat, and some studies have shown you may also make better food choices. But it’s deeper than that. Those who are sleep deprived have higher levels of ghrelin—a hormone that stimulates appetite—circulating in their blood, which causes an increase in hunger. In other words, your body’s hormonal response to being tired is to tell you to eat more. (Thanks a lot, body.) 2. Sleep protects your brain. Studies suggest that sleep flushes out toxins that accumulate in your brain during the day, and that process could benefit functions like reasoning and memory over the long term. There’s also major overlap between individuals with sleep disorders and conditions like depression and anxiety. (Although the research is not clear on whether lack of sleep leads to mental health issues or issues like depression cause sleep disorders…or both.) Bonus: Getting enough sleep is going to give you the energy to engage in other healthy habits proven to protect your brain—like exercising and making healthy food choices. RELATED: The Gut-Brain Connection and How It Impacts Your Health 3. Sleep is good for your heart. In a 2011 study, women who reported sleep deprivation had higher levels of biomarkers for inflammation associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke. A 2010 research review found “short sleep duration” is associated with high blood pressure, which is also a risk factor for heart disease. RELATED: What Inflammation Is and How It Affects Your Health 4. Sleep protects your immune system. Speaking of inflammation, sleep is a major regulator of immune system processes. Research shows not getting enough sleep over a long period of time creates a stress response that promotes chronic inflammation and weakens the immune system’s defenses against disease. Translation: less sleep equals more sick days. Ready to work harder on setting a bedtime? Try incorporating these sleep-inducing foods into your diet, breathing in these essential oils, or reviewing these six tips for better sleep.
Is a Sleep Disorder Undermining Your Healthy Habits?
By Tiffany Lester, MD for Parsley Health Many Americans are suffering from a sleep disorder that will go undiagnosed. How can you tell if it’s really a problem? You wake up after a full 8 hours of sleep. You hit the snooze button. Once, maybe twice. Then you drag yourself out of bed searching for the nearest source of caffeine. Sound familiar? RELATED: Having trouble sleeping? Talk to a free health expert today to find out how Parsley Health can help you get a better night of rest. Sleeping through the night is not a guarantee to wake up refreshed and alert. Sleep is about quality, not quantity. Quality sleep means you cycle through all 4 stages at least 5 times before awakening in the morning. Each stage allows you to clear out the cobwebs from the day and detox without any distractions. For most of us, losing just one night of sleep makes us irritable, craving carbs, and gives us brain fog. It also affects us on a much deeper level when the problem becomes chronic. Research says that after just three nights of sleeping 4-5 hours, our insulin sensitivity (the hormone that controls our blood sugar levels) is lowered making us less responsive to big upswings in glucose when we eat carbs. This is the exact same process that leads to diabetes. A sleep disorder and sleep deprivation basically throws your body into a pre-diabetic state which can lead to unwanted weight gain. We have all had a sleepless night here and there. It’s normal to wake up not feeling 100%. However, this should be the exception not the rule. If you are consistently waking up feeling exhausted, having a comprehensive evaluation by one of our highly trained Parsley Health doctors is essential to determine the root cause of your sleepless nights to try to figure out if you might be suffering from a sleep disorder. Some common reasons you may not be sleeping soundly include the following: Your cortisol is spiking at night. Cortisol is a major factor in our stress response. Normally it should start to rise about 3 AM and peak around 6 or 7 am. Then it slowly declines throughout the day and is low at night so you can sleep soundly. If your cortisol is elevated at bedtime, you are likely tossing and turning the entire night. This is a common sleep disorder that often goes undiagnosed. Tip: Meditating for at 20 minutes at night can help switch on your parasympathetic nervous system allowing your body to fully relax for a peaceful slumber. If this doesn’t help you likely need in-depth testing by one of our Parsley Health doctors. You have a mineral deficiency. Most of us live these crazy, stressful lives and spend 8-10 hours a day sitting and/or slouching over a laptop. This may lead to tight neck muscles and hip flexors. Couple this with a deficiency in relaxing minerals like magnesium and it’s a recipe for disaster. Rubbing a quality magnesium oil into your muscles before bed will help your muscles and mind relax into a peaceful slumber. You are exercising after 8 pm. Exercise is key to maintain a healthy weight and sound mind. However timing is everything. For a restful sleep, the ideal time to work out is in the morning. If that’s not possible, try to workout before 8 pm so that you don’t disrupt your natural circadian rhythm. Adding in a warm bath or hot shower before bed will raise your body temperature which is naturally followed by a drop. This is another way to prepare our bodies for sleep given that research has shown cooler temperatures are better for a good night’s rest. You have a “Netflix and chill” addiction. The blue light that emits from our devices lowers melatonin, the master sleep hormone. This tells our brain it’s ok to watch just one more episode of Chef’s Table knowing that we have to wake up in 5 hours. Do yourself a favor. Turn off all your devices at least one hour before going to bed so you have adequate melatonin to fall asleep and stay asleep. The subsequent problem is that people try to replace the lost melatonin with a supplement. This doesn’t work for everyone. I hear from patients all the time who have tried melatonin to help with their sleep issues and ended up feeling even worse than they do when they can’t get enough sleep. I am constantly being asked How much melatonin should I take to sleep? Why isn’t melatonin helping me sleep? There are plenty of reasons why melatonin might not be working for them, but one of the most common is that they could be taking it wrong. It’s helpful to first understand a little about what melatonin is and what it does. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland—a pea-sized gland in the middle of our brain. Its purpose is to regulate our circadian rhythm to fall in line with the natural dark/light cycles of the sun. When the sun goes down, our pineal gland gets turned on by the suprachiasmatic nucleus which is located in the hypothalamus. Then melatonin levels rise quickly to make you sleepy. However, if you are not in a dimly lit environment, the brain is tricked into thinking it is still daytime.That’s why you don’t get sleepy when you’re on your tablet or watching TV. The blue light emitted from electronic devices suppresses our natural production of melatonin. So even if we know we are tired and need to go to sleep, our brain is getting the opposite message. Some people may be wary of trying melatonin due to side effects. This usually occurs because the dosage is too high. Most people overdo it with the melatonin and then claim it doesn’t work. You only need tiny doses to support your natural sleep cycle. As little as 1-3 mg about an hour before you go to bed can boost your melatonin by
How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need?
How many hours of sleep do you get every night? 5? 6? 7? How many pounds do you want to lose? 5? 15? 50? Guess what? These two numbers go hand in hand. So many of my clients are terrible sleepers. They can’t fall asleep because their minds are racing or they fall asleep, but can’t stay asleep. Or they wake to use the bathroom and then wander into the kitchen at 3AM. Or they sleep OK, but wake exhausted. And they eventually end up in my office, asking for diet plans and how to lose weight. This is yet another example where I preach, “It’s not just about the food!” “Sleep deep” is a Nutritious Life pillar because how many hours of sleep you get affects your wellness and waistline as much as the healthy foods you eat, the exercise you practice and the stress you manage does. See, sleep deprivation messes up the hormones that regulate hunger, causing an increase in appetite and specific cravings for calorie-dense, high-carbohydrate foods. So after a long night, there is indeed a reason you are reaching for the bagel and cream cheese at 7am instead of your normal healthy breakfast of hard boiled eggs and berries. Research shows that sleeping only 4 hours per night for 2 nights causes leptin — the hormone that tells your body to stop eating — to drop 18%. And levels of ghrelin — the hormone that says “eat more”– jump 28 percent. Again, there is a reason you can’t stop chowing after pulling an all-nighter. Buh-bye healthy eating, so long balanced diet. Now keep in mind this happened after just 2 nights of sleep deprivation…just imagine what happens after weeks and weeks of missing sleep! No wonder your pants are tight, right?! So, how many hours of sleep do you need to be the healthiest you possible? Adults are supposed to get about 7-9 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. If you only get 6 hours, your risk of developing obesity rises 23%, if you only get 5, it increases 50%, and if you only get 4, it increases a whopping 73%! The thing is, if you want to improve your sleep, you’ve gotta work on your nighttime behaviors, just like you practice brushing and flossing or washing and cutting fruits and veggies right when you get home from the grocery store. What can you work on to better up your shut eye? If you wake up to pee, stop drinking 2 hours before bedtime and try to go right before you turn in for the night. If you fall asleep, but wake up a few hours later, give up all alcohol for a few days and see if it helps, or jot down your biggest stressors in a journal immediately before you turn in to quiet your mind. If you’re sleeping, but not feeling rested, flip your mattress, adjust the temperature in your bedroom, buy yourself new pillows or invest in snore-strips for your wake-the-dead, apnea challenged spouse. If you’ve flipped the mattress and that isn’t working, I’ll let you in on a secret – invest in an Essentia mattress. They are the only organic memory foam mattress available and I’m telling you, you’ll sleep like a babe. Can’t fall asleep? Ditch the caffeine after noontime and exercise in the morning, rather than the evening. Tonight, I want you to stare at the inside of your eyelids with the curtains drawn, in your favorite jammies, with your iPhone silenced, no matter what. Stop making lists in your mind or preparing for tomorrow’s presentation or folding the laundry. Tonight is about sleep. That’s it. If you sleep well, you’ll eat a better breakfast tomorrow morning, which might motivate you to eat a better lunch, which might motivate you to hit the gym, which might make you sleep better tomorrow night, which might help you drop those pounds you’ve been struggling with. Done and done.
