Let's Talk Sleep
When we think of health behaviors, we often think of ‘exercise’, ‘physical activity’, ‘balanced diet and proper nutrition’; but recently along with sedentary behavior (too much sitting), sleep has received more attention from a research and mainstream media standpoint, as an important component for health – both physical and mental. …we now know that sleep is an integral and important component for overall health and well-being – both physical and mental.
As stated by Drs. Michael Grandner and Fabian-Xosé Fernandez in their special section on sleep in the renowned academic journal Science, “Sleep is a non-negotiable biological state required for the maintenance of human life. Our need for sleep parallels those for air, food, and water.
Sleep is regulated by the brain, specifically the interaction between two different processes – our homeostatic sleep drive and our 24-hour circadian rhythm (drive for arousal; also known as our internal biological clock). These two processes interact to determine the time when we go to sleep and the time when we wake up, as well as how we feel and our alertness throughout the day.
Sleep is not a passive event, but rather an active process involving characteristic physiological changes in the organs of the body. Sleep is a highly organized sequence of events that follows a regular cycle; wherein you progress through different stages of sleep several times during a typical night’s sleep.
Sleep is Essential
Overall Health. There are several processes that occur during sleep. For example, we know that sleep is important for our physical and mental health. It helps clear metabolic waste in our brains. During sleep our muscles repairs. Sleep helps regulate several hormones, including hormones that affect your appetite and your cardiovascular health.
Energy and Mood. Sleeps helps your emotional health and mood. Lack of sleep for example affects areas of the brain that can impair our emotional responses and processing of information. This lack of cognitive control over our emotions is why problems can seem notably worst at night, after a full day of school, work, or socializing.
Sufficient sleep facilitates the brain’s processing of emotional information. A lack of sleep is especially harmful to the consolidation of positive emotional content – this can influence mood and emotional reactivity. When we don’t get enough sleep, we are more hostile, mistrusting, and less confident. If we are not getting enough sleep, or the quality of our sleep is not great, we tend to have less energy the next day.
Memory and Learning. During the night, the pathways we have tried to shape during the day while learning at school begin to take hold. Sleep is also very important prior to and during learning as sufficient, good-quality sleep helps us to pay attention/stay focused and has been linked to better academic achievement.
Sleep and Health
A lot of scientific work has focused on the link between insufficient sleep and poor health outcomes. Evidence has shown that poor sleep health is a major causal factor for either the onset or worsening of physical and mental health conditions. For instance, insufficient sleep is associated with poor mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, irritability), worsening metabolic health (i.e., how well we generate and process energy in the body), increased inflammation, and elevated risk of chronic disease (e.g., type 2 diabetes). We also know that poor sleep health is linked to other unhealthy behaviours (e.g., inactivity and screen time, unhealthy food choices) and heightened risk of injury.
Insufficient sleep and poor sleep habits can have negative consequences on our mental and emotional health. Similarly, as our mental health declines, there can be repercussions for our sleep.
From a performance standpoint, sleep helps us perform at our best. Think of yourself as a human battery. After a night of good sleep, your battery is full and you are able to reach peak performance in school, at home, or the sports/hobbies you take part in. But you will need to recharge your reserves and fuel up the tank to perform and maintain performance at top levels.
Sleep and Stress
Stress is one of the few things we all have in common – everyone deals with different types of stress in their daily lives. Academic stress usually stems from long hours of learning or studying. For athletes, stress may come from long hours at practice. General stress may come from having a part-time job, day-to-day tasks, chores, and other responsibilities.
Unfortunately, stress can impact your sleep. Chronic stress can negatively impact sleep quality and duration. It can prolong the time it takes you to fall asleep and it can cause you to wake up from sleep during the night.
Sleep is important because the more sleep you get the better you can function throughout the day. Sleep allows you to preserve more energy and mental capacity.
Tips for Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
According to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, it is recommended that adolescents aged 14-17 years get 8 to 10 hours of good-quality, uninterrupted sleep per night, with consistent bed and wake-up times.
Consider how much time you are spending on things that cause you stress.
Set an allocated time for sleep and put all distractions away.
Avoid caffeine and eating big meals before bed. Keep regular meal times.
Avoid electronic devices 1 hour before bed.
Avoid bright light exposure in the hour(s) before bed to avoid delaying your sleep period and disrupting your sleep.
Develop a healthy, bedtime routine.
Find calm, relaxing activities that you enjoy (e.g., reading, writing, meditation, podcast) before bed.
Reset your body clock: go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day.
Ensure you have a proper sleep environment – cool, dark, and quiet.
Engage in physical activity and find time for movement during the day.
Designate a space outside of the bedroom for homework, play, or electronic device use.