11 Reasons why you should start taking care of your sleep
A Study done by Raconteur with data collected by the users of the app Sleep Cycle showed that:
- 49% of the people think they get enough sleep,
- 10% think they sleep extremely well,
- 67% of the adults wake up at least one during the night,
- 63% sleep longer during the weekend compared with work week,
- On average people sleep 6,8hours during the week and 7,8 during the weekend,
- 80% of the worldwide population would like to improve their sleep.
But what are the implications of sleep deprivation and the benefits of a good night of sleep?
Physical health
1. Sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain
- Hormonal lack of control — increased production of the hormone that increases hunger, Ghrelin and decreased production of the hormone that indicates that we are satiated, leptin.
- Consume more calories — Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can lead to an extra consumption of 559 to 594 calories.
- You have a desire for more caloric foods — A study by the University of (Berkeley) California concluded that with the restriction of the number of hours to sleep, the activity in the frontal cortex and insula cortex decreases (areas that evaluate appetite) and increases activity in the amygdala (the part of the brain that regulates rewards). This makes you look for foods that give you the feeling of immediate rewards (for example, sweets).
2. Lack of sleep can cause inflammation
Studies show that people with less than 6 hours of sleep have higher levels of inflammatory proteins in their blood. This increase can lead to several chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, stroke and others.
3. A good night of sleep helps in muscle recovery
After resistance and strength training (damaged muscle tissues after training are recovered and new muscle fibres are generated).
4. Your blood pressure dropped
Your blood vessels have time to rest and recover.
Mental Health
5. Take out the body rubbish
Some toxins that accumulate during a stressful day are removed during the night.
6. Decrease the risk of depression
Studies have demonstrated the relationship between various sleep disorders and depression. A study in Michigan found that people with insomnia are 4 times more likely to develop depression.
7. Decrease the risk of depressive attacks in people with bipolar disorders
In people with bipolar disorders, manic or depressive attacks were also associated in the nights preceding sleepless nights.
8. Worsen anxiety symptoms
People with anxiety disorders may see symptoms aggravated after being subject to sleep deprivation.
Learning
9. It helps to consolidate the learning of motor skills
Sleep plays a role in consolidating the learning of motor skills. Studies have shown that people with the same training tested after a night’s sleep performed better when compared to people tested before bed.
10. It helps to consolidate the learning of cognitive skills
This study also showed a role of a good night sleep on the consolidating cognitive skills.
11. You loose easily the focus
Lack of nights of sleep can compromise the learning process — you can’t keep your focus and jeopardize the process of consolidating new memories.
But how to improve our sleep?
Have already happened to you be in bed for 8 hours and wake up feeling exhausted? Did you have a night when it took you longer than usual to sleep? Have you ever felt tired during the day?
My answer is yes and, researching how important sleep is for us to be able to live and enjoy every moment of our day, I decided to try to better understand how I would effectively classify my sleep and how it could improve it.
Sleep facts:
- On average a person needs 7h30min of sleep,
- These hours are divided into 1h30 cycles,
- Our sleep has 2 major phases: 1. Non-REM (restorative phase) and 2. REM (phase where memories and thoughts are processed),
- Over the course of a night’s sleep we go through each stage several times.
To consider that we sleep well it is not enough to just be in bed 7h30min. The time we go to sleep, the stimuli we give (or don’t give) to our bodies before going to bed, what we eat and when we do it, are just some factors that influence the quality of sleep and the balance between the two phases.
There are several applications that help us improve our sleep. They allow us to:
- Measure sleeps quality
- Realize what can cause sleepless nights.
- Implement some improvements and monitor sleep to see the benefits
This is through the analysis of how many hours we spend on each stage of sleep, minutes awake at night, calculate the best time to go to sleep and to wake up, and others.
Apps
Oura
Oura is a ring with several sensors that measures: total sleep, efficiency, tranquillity, REM, deep sleep, latency (time in bed before falling asleep), time to lie down and wake up, body temperature, heart rate, calories expended, steps taken and frequency respiratory.
Premium cost: The application is free, but to be able to use it you need the ring that has a minimum price of €250.
I recommend it to: People who have the possibility of investment. It is the application and usable that gives more information and with greater precision.
Compatible with: iOS and Android
Advantages:
- The measurement is done by the finger, which makes it much more accurate compared to the measurement on the wrist.
- The sensor type (PPG) is also more accurate compared to the LEDs used in most smartwatches.
- You can measure your body temperature directly, without relying only on the external temperature.
- In addition to sleep, it also measures the active calories consumed during the day.
- Make sure you don’t have to have your phone close to you to be able to give you all the information.
Disadvantages:
- It requires a high investment.
- You need to sleep with the ring so that you can collect sleep information and use it during the day so that I can count the calories. Personally, it only bothered me slightly on the first day.
Sleep Cycle
The application uses your phone’s microphone and motion sensor to analyse your breathing and movement and determine when you are awake, in deep sleep or in REM sleep. Sleep Cycle has an intelligent alarm that wakes you up at the end of a sleep cycle. You have access to several metrics to analyse sleep, and you can integrate with the Health application (only for iPhones).
Premium version: you can monitor your mood when you wake up and integrate it with smart bulbs to turn on the light when your alarm goes off. You have a diary, so you can record your habits and associate them with your sleep. Detect if you snore and have access to audios to help you fall asleep. Premium cost: €29.99 / year
I recommend it to: People who want to make sleep more efficient without major initial investment.
Compatible with: iOS and Android
Advantages:
- The application will define when you have to wake up (depending on the maximum time you have to wake up), so that you can do it during the light sleep phase.
- Prevents you from interrupting a sleep cycle.
- In the premium version you can connect with smart lamps if you have them, and they will light up automatically when the alarm rings.
- Cheaper and even the free version already has good features.
Disadvantages:
- You have to keep the phone next to the pillow or on the night stand. You can put it in flight mode if you are afraid of possible health risks from sleeping with your phone next to you.
Autosleep
This app automatically start and stop the tracking without the need for you to press any buttons. However, if you want to have more accurate data you can use the option of “Lights off” where you can select when you go to sleep.
Cost: App is paid. €4,49 lifetime.
Compatible with: iOS. This one is only for iPhone and Apple Watch users
Advantages:
- You can add to your Apple Watch face
- You can see your sleep information on your watch
- Display of information is really similar to the Apple Watch information display (rings visualization),
- If you have Apple Watch 6 the app will measure you Oxygen level
- According to a time interval the app will wake you up through a “tickle” or a “nudge” when you are on light sleep.
Disadvantages:
- You need to sleep with the watch
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