How new lifestyles can change our sleep patterns

The demands of today’s world have made many people consider sleep as leisure rather than a basic need. Employees and their bosses are in constant pressure to perform to impress their shareholders by out-smarting their competitors.

The era of smartphones, for instance, has come with a price to pay such that our fingers are on the phones keypad 24/7, everywhere we go, including the bathroom and at bedtime. This on its own is a disease as we eventually delay to sleep as we lay on our beds for many hours afterwards.

That’s not all! Around the world, the pressure is on countries to take the top spot as a leading economy on the planet.

Students are not left out. They are constantly reminded by their teachers to do their best irrespective of the process because of the stiff competition.

For one to attain one’s dream job, they are forced to sleep a thousand seconds less than before.

In the process, people sleep less and less and although the fruits of the long hours of hard work and reading are undeniable, casualties due sleep deprivation are numerous.

The link to diabetes

So often less talked about, but patients walking into doctors’ rooms with maladies related to lack of sleep are on the rise.

Adequate sleep is part and parcel of a healthy lifestyle and nothing can replace a good night sleep. Many modern day diseases including diabetes melitus (DM) can be associated to lack of enough sleep with a number of studies showing how this happens.

People who do not have enough sleep or have interrupted sleep tend to have higher insulin resistance leading to a pre-diabetic state.

But often times, as I have come to observe, people who tend to sleep less are more likely to be obese.

The reason behind is that they spend long hours at night awake and hence predisposing themselves to eating more than the regular Joe who sleeps on time.

In addition, it has also been pointed out that those who suffer from DM are more likely to not to sleep well (poor sleep) as a result of high sugar levels forcing them to urinate frequents. DM and poor sleep are therefore close cousins.

People who have the desire to be less forgetful must ensure that they sleep soundly and on time consistently. Sleep provides time for the brain to process and consolidate memories. People who tend to not sleep well also have a poor ability to learn and focus during their day time activities.

In this regard, some human resource specialists have encouraged their workers to have a 30 minute nap. This has shown to boost brain power and reduce fatigue at the work place.

Insomnia

The most common reason for poor sleep is insomnia — difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Insomia can be due to a myriad of conditions from stress to eating late in the evening.

Unfortunately, many drugs that are prescribed to abate insomnia can also impair memory and general brain function. Therefore, it’s best to try improving your sleep habits first and turn to medication only if those steps don’t help.

The natural remedy remains the best approach when tackling insomia. If you do need sleep aids, using the lowest dose for the shortest time needed to get your sleep back on track is the best recommendation.

One needs to prepare well to have a good night sleep, something many of the patients I encounter with fail to do. On top of failure to prepare is the inconsistency of the time to sleep.

Our bodies, in order to function well, require an equilibrium which includes same time to sleep, same eating hours and a range of other things to remain constant.

This consistence is well encrypted in the body’s biology, enabling it to maintain homeostasis in the blood system and other organs. Interruption of this programmed function can lead to catastrophic results. Hence good sleep is the uninterrupted one.

Preparation for enjoyable and healthy sleep will entail switching off smartphones as we head to bed. The light from the phone screen and colourful LED lights keep the brain active when it shouldn’t be.

As we enter our rooms to sleep, it also advisable to switch off all the lights. The darkness in the room can be conducive enough for one to sleep. A bright lit room has never been a perfect place to have deep night sleep.

Before you go to sleep

For those that are very active most of the day (gym goers), it is important to go the gym or wind up exercising some four hours before bedtime.

Exercise as we all know it, spikes the metabolic rate and hence when you are in bed with a high pulse rate, you will not achieve sleep till after long hours of tossing and rolling in bed.

Caffeine and similar drinks that increase heart rate are not the best of beverages at bed time.

I usually advise people to only have such drinks at noon as the last cup.Evening outings that include sipping of coffee will amount to a disturbed sleep.

Avoiding arguments in the evening times can be a good trick in achieving a good night sleep.

This will help you reduce the adrenaline that comes with it.

But more important is the stress associated. Actually stress of any kind should be mitigated to ensure a good night sleep.

One needs to switch to a relax mode a few minutes before bed so as to achieve the best results of sleep.

Sleep should be enjoyed but also more importantly, it is required as a way to remain healthy and keep one’s brain functioning at optimal levels.

Of further benefit is that it is a preventive phenomenon, since it also puts a few diseases at bay. So to live is to sleep too.

The author is an Oncologist from Mahimbili National Hospital(MNH)