Why sleep is so important

Sleep is essential because it helps maintain physical, emotional, and mental health and regulates every body system.

When you sleep, your brain consolidates memories and processes and organizes information you’ve received during the day. This is crucial for cognitive functions such as decision-making, attention, focus, and problem-solving.

During sleep, your brain undergoes detoxification, which is linked to increased long-term brain health and decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sleep allows your body to undergo physical repair and replenish energy stores, which helps your body prepare for the next day’s activities. It also aids in hormone regulation, which helps support healthy metabolism, weight, and blood sugar regulation.

During sleep, your body produces immune cells, which help fight infection and inflammation. Adequate sleep promotes cardiovascular health and decreases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure.

Sleep is also essential for emotional regulation. When your brain is well-rested, it can process emotions more efficiently. Being sleep-deprived increases the likelihood of irritability, anxiety, and depression.

What defines a good night’s sleep?

A good night’s sleep is defined by how well and how long you sleep. A good night of sleep is between 7 and 9 hours.

In general, four key qualities are involved with a good night’s sleep.

1. You can fall asleep within 30 minutes or less.
2. You wake for longer than five minutes no more than once a night, and if you do,
3. You can fall back asleep within 20 minutes or less.
4. 85% or more of your time in bed is spent sleeping.

Effects of Poor Sleep

When you don’t get enough sleep, it can:

• affect your mood
• cause fatigue
• affect your memory
• make it more difficult to concentrate
• lead to poor decision-making
• cause depression and anxiety
• increase hypertension
• cause weight gain
• increase your chances of heart attack, stroke, cancer
• cause your immune system to be weakened
• put you at greater risk of injury

Tips to get a good night’s sleep

You can do a few things to help yourself get a good night’s sleep.

1. Establish a pre-sleep routine. Things like taking a shower or a bath, listening to calming music, and reading can help your mind start to relax and make it easier for you (or your kids) to fall asleep. Creating a routine is especially helpful for children and can help them establish a lifelong sleep routine.
2. Make sure your room is conducive to sleep. This is especially helpful for children.
   1. Try to keep your room at a comfortable temperature.
   2. Make sure it is dark and quiet. Blackout curtains can help block outside light that may be affecting your sleep.
   3. Use a white noise machine or earplugs to help with noise disturbing you.
   4. Having a comfortable bed can also help.
3. Regular exercise will also help ensure a full night’s sleep. However, try to avoid exercising within two hours of bedtime, as it can stimulate your body and brain and make it more difficult to sleep.
4. Make sure to get enough sunlight during the day. Sunlight is a key element in regulating your circadian rhythm, and getting enough can help your body know when it’s time to wind down and go to sleep.
5. Some people find keeping a sleep diary is helpful. Writing down and keeping track of your pre-sleep routine and the conditions when you go to sleep can help you determine what has and has not been beneficial for you while trying to sleep.

Things that prevent a good night’s sleep

Things that can prevent a good night’s sleep and should be avoided are:

• Stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. Caffeine and nicotine increase your heart rate, stimulate your brain, and can take several hours to wear off.
• Alcohol may help you go to sleep, but it can disrupt your sleep cycles, so it is best to avoid using this as a sleep aid.
• Electronics or TV may also make it more difficult to sleep. These things stimulate your brain and make it harder for your brain to “shut off.” It’s best to avoid looking at any screens for an hour or two before bedtime.
• Eating before bedtime can also make it more difficult to sleep. Eating a large meal or foods high in fat or sugar can cause blood sugar spikes and drops, disrupting sleep.

When you should see a doctor

If you rarely wake up feeling rested, are excessively tired throughout the day, or fall asleep in inappropriate places or situations, you might have a sleeping problem. Some other things that might point to a problem are waking yourself up snoring or snorting, your bed partner saying you snore, or waking up gasping for air. These are all signs that you should talk to your healthcare provider.

Signs you might need a sleep study

• Feeling excessively tired throughout the day
• Loud snoring
• Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• Difficulty concentrating
• Wake up gasping for air or regularly wake up with a headache

Someone with these symptoms should look into getting a sleep study.

What happens during a sleep study?

You will spend the night at a sleep lab during a sleep study. When you arrive, your sleep technologist will bring you to your room, where you will get ready for bed. Once you’re ready for bed, the tech will place several patches on your body and multiple wires/on your head and face. In addition to the wires, there will be two belts – one around your waist and one around your chest that detect your chest and abdomen movement while you breathe. Lastly, the tech will place a cannula in your nose that detects airflow from your nose and mouth. That’s how they can tell if you stop breathing while asleep.

The patches on the body detect body movement and heart rate, while the wires on your head and face monitor your brain waves. Monitoring the brain waves allows the tech to see if you’re asleep and what stage of sleep you are in.

If you test positive for sleep apnea after a few hours of testing, the tech may bring in a CPAP for you to try, depending on how severe your apnea is. At that time, the tech will discuss what type of mask may work best for you – a nasal mask vs. a full-face mask. After they get a mask that fits you, they will start you under low pressure through the CPAP. Once you fall back asleep, they will begin adjusting the pressure to eliminate the pauses in your breathing.

How to request a sleep study

You need a referral to get a sleep study. Make an appointment with your primary provider to discuss your sleep issues, symptoms, and concerns. Your provider can make a referral for a sleep study.

Learn more about sleep studies at Perham Health.