OPINION: Lifestyle Medicine – Sleep medicine

Oh, the delight, after a long and tiring day, and a cleansing shower, to climb into freshly laundered sheets – to close our eyes and drift off into slumberland. But for many the thought of going to bed brings anxiety – the hours of lying awake, tossing, and turning, mind spinning on any number of topics, yet sleep remaining elusive. Eventually when daylight arrives, that feeling of refreshment and energy for the day ahead is still absent.

Why do some people struggle to sleep, and others waft off to sleep so effortlessly? Is sleep all that important anyway?

Babies spend an inordinate amount of time sleeping – except when their parents are needing to sleep! It is normal for newborn babies to spend up to 17 hours sleeping in 24. As they grow, that figure drops. But obviously it is essential for their development, despite all they need to learn about life and their environment as they develop.

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Kids often rebel against going to bed because there is so much to do with their friends. But research shows that children ages 6-12 years should regularly sleep 9-12 hours, and teens between 13-18 years should sleep 8-10 hours per 24. Even some adults have a hard time going to bed, choosing instead to stay up watching the late-night movie, or playing computer games until the wee hours of the morning.

Why is sleep important for health? The brain is the most metabolically active organ in the body, utilising up to 20% of the body’s energy, even though it only accounts for 2% of the body mass. All this chemical activity produces waste products, which build up and need elimination, otherwise they can do damage to the delicate nerve connections required for efficient brain function. One method of ‘detoxifying’ the brain is through an efficient blood supply.

Again 15-20% of all heart output is directed to the brain. This ensures ample nutrients to feed the brain, but also that waste products are removed. However, while we sleep special cells called microglia are activated to perform an efficient job as janitors, cleaning up all the nooks and crannies of the brain. Insufficient sleep allows a buildup of toxins resulting in brain fog, moodiness, and irritability.

Another important function of sleep is the processing of information received during hours of wakefulness. It is a bit like heaping a pile of documents onto your desk, day after day. If you want to be able to access the information later, you need an efficient filing system. Effective sleep provides that opportunity, boosting memory and executive functions in the future.

In subsequent articles we will further explore the benefits of sleep on general health, and how to improve our sleep.

Dr Dave Glass
MBChB, FCOG(SA), DipIBLM

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