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Volume CXXXIII, Number 11 |
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Doc suggests sleep
JEFF BENSON, M.D.
DUDLEY COE HEALTH CENTER
Dear Dr. Jeff: Do you think it's always important to get eight hours of sleep at night, and if so, what are we all supposed to do while writing papers and preparing for exams?-C.L.
Dear C.L.: It is always important to get enough sleep, and somehow we all need to find a way to get it even during high pressure times like Reading Period. But, first, what is "enough" sleep?
Most experts seem to agree that eight hours of sleep are right for most of us. Some of us need more, and some need less. The simplest way to figure out what you need, according to the National Sleep Foundation, is to get up at the same time every day, but vary your bedtime until you've discovered the amount of sleep that leaves you most refreshed the next morning. That's how much sleep your body needs.
If, on the other hand, you routinely roll over to snatch a few extra zzz's in the morning, or you need to catch up on your sleep on weekends or holidays, or you're put right to sleep by long meetings (or classes), overheated rooms, or "heavy meals," then you are not getting enough sleep.
Most of us don't get enough sleep. In fact, it's estimated that 40 percent of Americans are so sleepy that it interferes with their daily activities. Nearly half of Bowdoin students report going to sleep after 1:00 a.m. on weeknights, and over 60 percent are up by 8:00 a.m.. Not surprisingly, over 40 percent of students indicate they have trouble staying awake in class at least once or twice a week, and nearly one-third feel too tired to function. More than 80 percent wish they could get more sleep. And that's not even during Reading Period!
Sleep is very simply a basic necessity of life, as fundamental to our health and well being as air, food, and water. If we don't sleep well, or sleep enough, almost every aspect of our lives will suffer. When we're sleep-deprived, we're less alert, less attentive, less able to concentrate, less able to make clear judgements, and less productive. We're also more irritable, more emotional, at increased risk for health and psychiatric problems, and, of course, more dangerous while operating machinery like bikes or cars.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to impair memory formation and judgement. One study showed that people who were taught a skill and then deprived of REM sleep, couldn't recall what they had learned. Other studies have demonstrated a distinctive and progressive impairment of one's ability to think quickly as one is increasingly sleep deprived.
Sleep deprivation is cumulative and can't effectively be "made up." Daytime naps certainly help. After all, more than half the world takes an afternoon siesta! Naps, though, need to be brief (no more than one hour), taken early in the afternoon, and should be avoided altogether if getting to sleep or staying asleep at night is difficult.
Back to the problem of getting enough rest during Reading Period. Other than trying to make it a priority, what else can you do?
It will be especially important to practice good "sleep hygiene." Avoid caffeine and other stimulants for at least four hours before bedtime and alcohol and nicotine for at least two hours before. Alcohol may help you get to sleep, but it can fragment your sleep cycles, leaving you drowsy in the morning. For the same reasons, bedtime alcohol may also impair memory formation (not a good thing the night before an exam!).
A balanced diet and regular exercise are both important for high quality sleep, but not right before bedtime. Vigorous exercise can raise your internal body temperature and thereby delay sleep onset. Try to maintain a regular bedtime and waking time, even during Reading Period. Develop bedtime routines to cue your body in to bedtime. Many people take a warm bath, drink some herbal tea or warm milk, or listen to music or read. Find some stress-reducing activity that will help you relax. Stress is almost always the chief cause of sleep problems. If you're going to read or watch TV, do it before you get into bed. Save your bed for sleep and sex.
Be well! And try to sleep well-and enough!!
Jeff Benson, M.D.
Dudley Coe Health Center
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