Sleep Without the Drugs

Reliance on prescription sleep aids has reached almost epidemic proportions, with Americans spending almost $3 billion in 2007, according to Consumer Reports. That represents 50% more than in the prior decade, with the sharpest increase found in young adults and women. According to a Duke University study, poor nutrition, fluctuating hormones and higher anxiety are to blame for insomnia.

Rubin Naiman, PhD, sleep and dream specialist and clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona's Center for Integrative Medicine, is a staunch adversary of prescription of sleep remedies, advocates a more natural approach to slumber. "Truly restful sleep requires quantity and quality," he says. "Most sleep drugs literally knock you out and can compromise both REM and deep sleep, so you often wake up hungover.  Dependency is also a huge issue."

Naiman's first recommendation is to quit the pills cold turkey. "Keep them around for emergencies, but stash them out of sight."

"Steer clear of over-the-counter 'PM' products, like Tylenol PM containing diphenhydramine [Benadryl] which remains active in the body well into the morning and can negatively impact cognition and perception. The only thing I'd recommend is melatonin."

Scale back on cocktails, as alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that facilitates sleep initially, but hinders it later and disturbs dreaming once the drowsy buzz wears off.

Another recommendation is to break the habit of unwinding in front of TV reruns because the blue component of light from the TV disrupts melatonin production.  Instead, adopt a bath-and-aromatherapy ritual, which coaxes the body and mind into rest.

Lastly, personalize your bedroom environment. The goal is to make it intimate, to look the way you would want it to look if you were spending eight waking hours there.

Sleep - It's About Time

How sleepy you are depends largely on how well you've been sleeping, how much sleep you've been getting, and your biological clock.  Scientists have now identified this "clock" as a tiny bundle of cells in your brain that responds to light signals and promotes wakefullness. In combination with other bodily processes, your biological clock can cause you to feel drowsy between midnight and 7 a.m. and again in midafternoon.

Night shift workers often find themselves drowsy at work, followed by having difficulty falling to sleep or staying asleep during the day when their schedule allows sleep.  Their lack of sleep can put them at risk for injury at work or on the road.  Interestingly, night shift workers are more likely to have conditions such as heart disease, digestive disorders, infertility and emotional problems - all of which may be at least partially related to their chronic lack of sleep.

Adapting to new sleep times can be difficult for travelers who cross time zones, resulting in what is known as jet lag.  Jet lag can lead to daytime sleepiness, trouble with falling asleep or staying asleep at night, reduced concentration and irritability.  While it is possible to adjust your biological clock, it can only be shifted by 1-2 hours per day, requiring several days to adjust to a significantly different time zone or different work schedule.  If you are traveling to a new time zone for just a few days, you may want to keep your normal sleep schedule so as not to have to adjust twice in a short period; but if you are moving to a different time zone, you may want to begin shifting to the new time zone a few days before leaving.

Guarding your sleep schedule - ensuring that you are not steadily lacking sleep without being able to recoup your losses - is vital for your health and safety.

Sleep Basics

Though sleep has long been thought of as just a period of time in the day when you are not awake and productive, studies conducted in recent decades have demonstrated that there are distinctive stages of sleep which are vital to maintaining your good health and enabling you to function at your peak.  Certain of these stages contribute to your feeling well rested and energized.

How much is enough?  Sleep needs can vary from person to person, and then tend to change through the stages of life.  Adults generally need 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Newborn babies sleep 16 to 18 hours per day, while preschool children sleep between 10 and 12 hours a day.  School-aged children, including teenagers, need at least 9 hours of sleep each night.  While many believe that adults need less sleep as they get older, studies have not shown this to be true.

Not only does the quantity of sleep matter, but the quality of your sleep is also important.  People who experience interrupted or abbreviated sleep may not have the benefits of all the stages of sleep.  How well rested you are and how well you function the next day depends on your total sleep time and whether you reach each of the stages of sleep that you need.  This can affect your performance, mood and overall health. 

Performance

Without sleep, you are unable to think clearly, react quickly and create memories.  In fact, the pathways in the brain that help us learn and remember are very active when we sleep.  Research suggested that sleep is necessary for creative problem solving, and has demonstrated that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good night’s sleep.  Opting for other activities in the place of sleep can carry a price.  Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.  Reducing your sleep by even one hour can make it difficult to focus the next day and can slow your response time.

Mood

You have likely observed the effects of insufficient sleep – whether for yourself or others around you.  Skimping on sleep can make a person irritable and is also linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens.  Chronic lack of sleep can also make a person susceptible to depression.

Health

Studies have demonstrated that consistently insufficient amounts or quality of sleep increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and other medical conditions.  During sleep, your body produces hormones that are essential for a variety of functions.  Studies are finding that insufficient sleep makes a person more prone to developing diabetes and being overweight, possibly because of a tendency to prefer foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates to aid in staying awake.

Don't let sleep get relegated to the leftover portion of your day.  It's much more important than you may think.