(Again…) We Must Get More Sleep, Not Less!
This is a response to “10 Tips To Reducing The Amount Of Sleep You Need.”
No disrespect, but this post is misleading. University students, particularly first-years, are under high amounts of stress while adjusting into their new ways of life. We need to have as much sleep as possible in order to thrive academically and be healthy.
The WHO defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Chronic sleep-deprivation is detrimental to one’s health. Research has demonstrated that sleep-deprivation negatively affects one’s (in a nutshell):
- Cognition: retention of memories, creative thinking
- Bodily processes: neurotransmitter regulation, release of growth hormones, moderation of hunger and obesity
- Immune system
I’ve written about this topic multiple times, in detail. Please read my post on the importance of sleep: “Reclaiming the Night.”
We must not reduce the amount of sleep. We should not be asking ourselves, “how do I stay awake?” Instead, we must better balance our time and maximise the number of hours slept in order to achieve a healthy balance in life.
Lastly, I would look up some peer-reviewed articles and evaluate the scientific value of certain sleep-reduction practises before attempting them. For future references, consider visiting the Woodward Library and asking a librarian to demonstrate the use of an online database like PubMed.
P.S.
The following makes no sense to me — at all:
“Sleeping 4.5 hours a night is stupid if you get sick.”
- Sleeping 4.5 hours is not too bright, regardless. Sleeping so little will weaken your immune system and be a major cause of your illness.
“The reason many feel tired is that they’re simply dehydrated.”
- Wait…. has water, all of a sudden, become a stimulant?
“It’s easier for your body to stay awake when your overall body temperature is lower.”
- On the contrary, your body temperature is lowest when you are asleep (mediated by the Circadian rhythm).
“…water helps rehydrate your brain.”
- Last time I checked, the brain runs on Glucose.
“Anything in-between is interrupting a sleep cycle…which is baddddddd.”
- Yes, your sleep cycles are approximately 90 minutes long, but they become deeper, step by step, as the night progresses. You are, in effect, never allowing your body to reach the deeper stages of sleep (e.g., Stage 4) by sleeping so discontinuously.
“So relax, the 4.5 hours of sleep a night is not killing me.”
- Sleep deprivation suppresses immune cells that fight off viral infections and cancer
- People who sleep 7 – 8 hours a day tend to outlive those who are chronically sleep deprived
- Older adults who have no difficulty falling or staying asleep live longer
- Chronic sleep debt alters metabolic and hormonal functioning in ways that mimic aging and are conducive to obesity, hypertension, and memory impairment.
-
Myers, David G. Psychology Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2006.
Related Posts
- I Found the Elixir of Life!
- Reclaiming the Night: an Essay
- Reclaming the Night
- Re: Bodily Acceptance and Health Consciousness are not Mutually Exclusive
- Happy New Year!
7 Responses to “(Again…) We Must Get More Sleep, Not Less!”
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Jeff on November 5th, 2009
Hey Eastwood,
I wrote the post pretty badly at 11:00 PM when I knew I was in for a rough night studying Philo. I simply needed to do something during my study break. The bio-ish parts are simply the observations that have worked for me during the adjustment period.
The biggest change in my life has been that I realize how much healthy eating affects energy levels. I’m hoping to go vegan/vegetarian whenever I get to move out.
The BIGGEST thing you’ve missed out on is that
I’m a polyphasic sleeper.
I’ve successfully made the jump into a solid sleep with lucid dreaming with my two twenty minute naps.
The polyphasic sleep community isn’t the widest known in the world, so please look into it and do some research
Polyphasic sleep and sleep deprivation are two ENTIRELY different things. There have been no documented or known health risks with polyphasic sleep. I assure you, if they find something out, I will stop
Until then, I’m quite happy with my sleep schedule.
Eastwood on November 5th, 2009
Thanks for your thoughts and feedback, Jeff. I’d love to read some peer-reviewed publications on polyphasic sleep.
Jeff on November 5th, 2009
Also, in psychology, we did a fun “sleep deprivation check” about a week ago.
99% of the class was “diagnosed” as sleep deprived.
In terms of severity for sleep deprivation, I was slightly under the class average.
It was an incredibly informal study, I know, but I’m relatively happy.
Tyler on November 5th, 2009
I can definitely attest to the immune portion of lack of sleep…
…and as for ““The reason many feel tired is that they’re simply dehydrated.”
Wait…. has water, all of a sudden, become a stimulant?”. I think it’s actually correct; my bio prof keeps mentioning the correlation to us.
Eastwood on November 5th, 2009
If a positive correlation between water consumption and one’s subjective experience of fatigue does exist — which I doubt — then I wonder 1) if there is a causal relationship to begin with (maybe the person who consumes more water is simply more health-conscious and more energised) and 2) if a causal relationship does exist, whether this is the result of a placebo effect or some other biochemical processes.
Jeff on November 6th, 2009
@ Eastwood
I’m not sure about the true biological basis for water and energy levels. But I know it’s there.
And from a functional standpoint…if you’ve drank tons of those aluminum water bottles…you’re going to have to go to the bathroom.
And that will keep you up. =)
Eastwood on November 6th, 2009
Haha… true!