In case you lost sleep over it...

How important is sleep for staying healthy? Most of what we know about sleep we have discovered in the past 20 years. Unfortunately it has kept us up at nights! The 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America poll found that 74 percent of American adults are experiencing a sleeping problem a few nights a week or more, 39% get less than seven hours of sleep each weeknight, and more than one in three (37%) are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with daily activities. Some studies show that one in six fatal car accidents are due to being sleepy. Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%.

So how much is enough? And how do I know if I’m getting enough? Although everyone is different, there are some basic guidelines: Teenagers need as much sleep as small children (about 10 hrs) while those over 65 need the least of all (about six hours). For the average adult aged 25-55, eight hours is considered optimal. As a group, 18 to 24 year-olds deprived of sleep suffer more from impaired performance than older adults. Some studies suggest women need up to an hour's extra sleep a night compared to men, and not getting it may be one reason women are much more susceptible to depression than men.

Some research has shown that even those who aren’t getting enough sleep regularly may not know it. Although they feel the effects early on, their body starts to get used to those indicators and ignores them after a few days. Anything less than five minutes to fall asleep at night means you're sleep deprived. The ideal is between 10 and 15 minutes, meaning you're still tired enough to sleep deeply, but not so exhausted you feel sleepy by day. Ten per cent of snorers have sleep apnea, a disorder which causes sufferers to stop breathing up to 300 times a night and significantly increases the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Snoring occurs only in non-REM sleep.

To drop off we must cool off; body temperature and the brain's sleep-wake cycle are closely linked. That's why hot summer nights can cause a restless sleep. The blood flow mechanism that transfers core body heat to the skin works best between 64 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. But later in life, the comfort zone shrinks to between 73 and 77 degrees - one reason why older people have more sleep disorders.

As we get older, sleep can be disrupted due to pain or discomfort, the need to go to the bathroom, medical problems, medications, and sleep disorders as well as poor or irregular sleep schedules. Establishing a regular bed and wake schedule and achieving continuous sleep helps you sleep in accordance with your internal biological circadian clock and experience all of the sleep stages necessary to reap the restorative, energizing and revitalizing benefits of sleep. At the start of the 20^th century, sleeping schedules were kept with the setting and rising of the sun. In today’s reality, especially with the advent of 24 hour entertainment on the internet, our sleeping schedule is getting smaller and smaller. Night shifts ad to the problem, since a lot of your body’s internal clock runs on the sun’s schedule.

So what steps can you take to improve your sleeping habits? Many of my patients suffer from chronic pain, which is exacerbated by higher stress hormones, which you guessed it, get higher with less sleep. Here are some simple steps I suggest to those who aren’t sleeping great:

• ·         Avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate) and nicotine (cigarettes, tobacco products) close to bedtime.
• ·         Avoid alcohol as it can lead to disrupted sleep.
• ·         Exercise regularly, but complete your workout at least 3 hours before bedtime.
• ·         Establish a regular relaxing, not alerting, bedtime routine (e.g. taking a bath or relaxing in a hot tub).
• ·         Create a sleep-conducive environment that is dark, quiet and preferably cool and comfortable. Do not read or watch TV in bed and regardless of your work or holiday schedule, go to bed and get up at the same time.

Back pain and tightness can decrease quality of sleep, getting adjusted helps you stay relaxed and decreases stress that will keep you up wondering why you didn’t see your chiropractor!