Six Reasons Not to Scrimp on Sleep, from Harvard Women's Health Watch2 March 2006
A recent survey found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleep difficulties visit 75% of us at least a few nights per week.
A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system's power, reports the Harvard Women's Health Watch.
While more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and health, it's safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange. The Harvard Women's Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:
1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to
memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies,
people who'd slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain
by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and
by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep
during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as
medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to
concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too
tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to
hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular
heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the
activity of the body's killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also
help fight cancer.
Also in this issue:
* Adult immunizations
* Obsessive-compulsive disorder
* Avian flu and you
* A doctor discusses: Pap tests after hysterectomy; red wine headaches
Harvard Women's Health Watch is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $24 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/women or by calling 1-877- 649-9457 (toll free).
Source: prnewswire
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