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.

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

Can’t Sleep? 4 Bulletproof Tools to Kick Insomnia

Can’t sleep? Tossing and turning making for some very restless nights? Losing precious hours of sleep can make even the most bright-eyed and bushy-tailed of us feel groggy, unfocused and just flat out cranky the next day. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems at least a few nights a week, and greater than 40 percent of adults experience daytime sleepiness severe enough to interfere with their daily activities at least a few days each month. If none of that describes you, we’re all jealous. For the rest of us, we need to be proactive to get ahead on some zzz’s. Science tells us that just like there are healthy foods that help you feel energized, boost your immune system and have glowing skin, there are also foods that help you sleep. But if you’ve got that covered, then I’ve got four non food tips for when you can’t sleep, too. Can’t Sleep? 4 Bulletproof Tools to Kick Insomnia Sleep (with the right) light: It’s time to stop caring what you look like when you’re asleep, peops. A sleep mask can go a long way by creating an environment of complete darkness. I’ve been accused of keeping it too bright in the bedroom, so take it from me, I know this change works. If the whole mask thing freaks you out or you’re more high tech than that you may want to try one of my favorite gadgets by Withings. This sleek alarm clock lights up your room in just the right way to help promote the secretion of sleep hormones! Yep, you read that right. Snooze without sounds: If the sound of cicadas is driving you crazy instead of helping you drift off to sleep, take control of your eardrums and invest in a white noise machine. On the go? Digital noise works, too. In fact, your white noise app just may take Instagram’s spot on your iphone. It’s also useful for those times when you find your hotel room is by the ice machine. Smell your way to sleep: Aromatherapy is one my favorite ways to help with relaxation and sleep. Try a dab of lavender on your pillow or rub into your temples. One study even showed essential oils like lavender cause a similar reaction on specific neuroreceptors as anti-anxiety medications. Lavender has long been associated with reducing anxiety and decreasing insomnia. Have you heard of Lavender and chill? It’s like Netflix and chill without the Netflix. Stress it out: Got things on the mind? I feel your pain, big time. I usually go to bed with just about 1,000 things on my mind nightly. A good way to put the buzzing in your head to rest is to write it down. Yes, put pen to paper and write down the few things you’re stressing about. You can get back to them in the morning but they’ll be less likely to take your zzz’s when you’ve released them for the evening. Can’t sleep just became can’t stay awake. Say goodbye to blinking cell phones, digital clocks, or faulty window shades. It’s time to make your dreams come true and get the rest that you deserve. Now go buy yourself some new fave pjs – seriously, if fun workout gear motivates you to get to the gym, then fun jammies should motivate you to get to bed – and challenge yourself to get a solid 8 hours tonight.