Jump to content

Menu

Effects of insufficient sleep on long-term health


Laura Corin
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'll be dying a very early death.

 

I always say, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

 

I guess I need to read the article.  But I wonder if there is really a benefit to living longer if you spend a good portion of your life unconscious?

 

I say this as a person who comes from a family of non-sleepers that lived into their mid 80s.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please share. I need motivation to get to bed on time.

 

It's still a work in progress, but here's what we're doing.

 

In this post  http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/490246-teens-and-sleep/?hl=%2Bsleep&do=findComment&comment=5237267, Ripley suggested going to bed at 8pm every night because sometimes we miss our sleep window, get our second wind, and then have trouble falling asleep until much later. It felt very silly at first to go to bed that early, but I was determined to try it. Within a few days we were falling sleeping earlier and sleeping better. Then life happened. ;)

 

With evenig activities it's difficult to get to bed at 8 every evening, so we're trying to come up with a reasonable time/plan. My dd's attitude, focus, and effort are so much better when she gets enough sleep that I'm committed to seeing this through, even if it means missing some school or activities until we get this sleep issue under control.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always say, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

 

I guess I need to read the article.  But I wonder if there is really a benefit to living longer if you spend a good portion of your life unconscious?

 

 

 

For me, it's about the here and now. I find my dd is happier and more productive when she gets enough sleep. I am a more effective parent when I get enough sleep. It has been difficult to not view those sleeping hours as wasted, but the alternative is to have more unproductive, less happy waking hours. I know which one I'm choosing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd sleep 12 hours a night easily, but we have a child with sleep disturbances.  Last night, he went to bed at 8:30, woke up at 3:30, and stayed awake until 6:30.  I woke him up at 8:30 instead of letting him sleep longer in the hope that it will break this little cycle.  We just last week eliminated all of his usual nighttime meds and switched to melatonin only.  He had a few nights of sleeping through the night, but started the nighttime wakening again.

 

I don't think I've slept through the night two days in a row in about three years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always say, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

 

I guess I need to read the article.  But I wonder if there is really a benefit to living longer if you spend a good portion of your life unconscious?

 

I say this as a person who comes from a family of non-sleepers that lived into their mid 80s.

 

 

For me it's about quality of life.  If, as the articles suggest, lack of sleep switches on functions that make it more likely that one will develop heart disease, type II diabetes, cancer..... then it's not just a question of how long you live, but how much of that time you can enjoy.

 

L

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still don't know if I believe everyone needs 8 hours. I feel my best when I'm getting 6-7 hours every day. Anything more than that and I feel off all day.

 

I think sleep needs vary; the important part is knowing yours and making sure you are getting the correct amount.

 

ETA: I stil haven't read the article, but I would be surprised if it said everyone needs exactly 8 hours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, it's about the here and now. I find my dd is happier and more productive when she gets enough sleep. I am a more effective parent when I get enough sleep. It has been difficult to not view those sleeping hours as wasted, but the alternative is to have more unproductive, less happy waking hours. I know which one I'm choosing.

 

Yes!  I am so less productive on less sleep!  Plus, the world becomes sort of grey, like I'm entering a zombified reality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think sleep needs vary; the important part is knowing yours and making sure you are getting the correct amount.

 

Yes.  If I need the alarm clock, maybe I'm not getting enough sleep.  If I time my evening to allow for eight hours, then I'm pretty much awake by the time the alarm clock goes off.

 

L

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes!  I am so less productive on less sleep!  Plus, the world becomes sort of grey, like I'm entering a zombified reality.

 

The BBC programme that I linked also talked about the functions of different phases of sleep.  I'd forgotten/never knew that the early sleep (deep) roughly allows you to process memories whilst the later phases (REM) sleep roughly process emotions.  If you get too little sleep, it will be the REM that you are missing at the end of the night, leading to that frazzled feeling that I have when the alarm wakes me too early.

 

Another interesting point was the effect of alcohol: it tends to delay REM sleep, hence the desire to sleep longer in order to complete the cycle if you've had a drink.  The programme didn't suggest never drinking - instead it said that planning on having a drink earlier rather than later in the evening would be better.

 

L

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ETA: I still haven't read the article, but I would be surprised if it said everyone needs exactly 8 hours.

 

As far as I can see, the original study used 5.7 hours vs. 8.5 hours.  The second study for the telly show used 6.5-7 hours vs. 7.5-8 hours.  

 

The study cohort had a wide range of normal sleep patterns, from six hours to nine.

 

L

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be dying a very early death.

Me too. Between pregnancy and cosleeping nursing and toddlers and ...

 

I could count on one hand how often I've gotten an uninterrupted 7 hours of sleep in the last 19 years.

 

I feel okay with an interrupted 5-6. With that, I don't need an alarm to get up before 7. I'm not chipper and god help anyone who speaks to me before I've had my morning coffee, but other than that I get through my day with what everyone else claims is too much energy.

 

8 or more hours makes me decidedly grumpy for most of the day. Probably because it's usually very interrupted. For example, I might go to bed early and get up late bc baby is sick, but it was a very fitful and uncomfortable long night, kwim?

 

It would help if I wasn't a very very light sleeper. I've always been that way, even as a kid.

 

But I will say changing my diet has helped me get more quality sleep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would love to get more sleep, but my hormones are not cooperating. Add to that a kid with high anxiety and sleep issues, and I can get anywhere from 1 to 6 hours, with the occasional 8 hour catch-up sleep. I would be happy with a steady six every night. Last night I had maybe an hour, and I feel like a super b*#@ right now! I can definitely feel the negative effect on my health. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...