Want Less Pain & Greater Well-Being? Sleep!
May sleep envelop you as a bed sheet floating gently down, tickling your skin and removing every worry.
—J.D.
What if there was one single thing you can do that will help you:
Reduce Pain
Boost concentration and memory
Lift your moods and mental health
Get over infections more quickly
Make you less accident-prone
Would you prioritize it?
What is this one single thing that profoundly impacts your brain and body, both in the short- and long-term?
It's simple: sleep.
Would you be shocked to know some researchers say that "good sleep guarantees well-being and mental health"?(1)
Why is sleep so crucial? What is sleep, and how do we do it? How much is "enough quality sleep"? How does it do these incredible things for health and wellness? And, most importantly, how can you get better sleep?
For answers to all these questions and how it can help reduce pain, read on.
Why is sleep important?
The quality of your sleep is inseparable from the quality of your health and wellness. Getting enough quality sleep boosts your health in so many ways, as you'll soon see. But it's a two-way street. The quality and amount of sleep you get is affected by your health, as you might have noticed how hard it can be to get a good night's rest when you're in pain or struggling with a cold.
DID YOU KNOW?
The brain, which is only about 2% of the body's total mass, uses about 20-25% of the total calories we burn every day.
Not getting enough quality sleep (more on this below) can be a huge factor when it comes to deteriorating physical and mental health, economic issues, and even early death. (1) It increases your risk of developing and worsening several serious conditions, including:
Heart disease
Metabolic issues like diabetes
Autoimmune conditions
Neurodegenerative diseases
Moods and mental health issues
Low back pain
Yes, sleep genuinely is a panacea for everything.
In fact, sleep researchers encourage clinicians to educate patients about sleep hygiene and good sleep habits because of its proven benefits for diseases. (2)
Let's talk about some of these health effects.
But first…
What is sleep, and how do we do it?
From the outside, sleep looks like a pretty passive activity. But, even though you're not conscious and are not fully aware of many things going on around you (e.g., noises), both your brain and body are active while you sleep.(2)
2 Sleep Processes:
There are two processes that regulate your sleep and create your unique biorhythm.
Your sleep-wake process—regulates how you sleep
Your circadian process (or rhythm)—regulates when you sleep.
4 Stages Of Sleep:
Stage 1: The stage between wakefulness and sleep
Stage 2: Light sleep before you enter deep sleep. This phase makes up about 50% of the total sleep time.
Stage 3: Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep (SWS). It helps you feel refreshed in the morning and makes up about 20% of total sleep time.
Stage 4: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is when your brain activity is almost as high as when you're awake—most dreams occur here. REM sleep makes up about 20% of total sleep time. (2,3)
Each cycle through these four stages takes about 90 minutes. That means, during an average night of eight hours of sleep, you would go through this cycle about five times. As the night goes on, the SWS stage shortens while the REM stage lengthens. (2) This means that the longer you're asleep, the more your sleep is in the REM stage — and REM sleep is excellent for your body and brain. Studies show that when learning a new physical task, people's performance can improve overnight as long as they get enough REM sleep.(4)
DID YOU KNOW?
Sleep debt is a real thing. The longer you go without sleep, the more your body tries to get you to sleep longer (and sleep more deeply). (2,3)
When was the last time you pulled an ‘all-nighter’? I haven’t done it since my early days of college. I was working two jobs and taking an average of 18 credit hours a semester. I had a lot on my plate and my sleep suffered because of it. I can remember feeling good about the work I accomplished and then crashing hard later in the day. I’d start bumping into things, my mind was dull, and I’d feel pretty crappy — achy, dry eyes, weird taste in my mouth. That dulled-brain feeling stayed with me for a few days. I didn’t like it.
What is "enough quality sleep"?
So far, we've seen some of the benefits of getting enough quality sleep. But how much sleep is "enough"?
The official recommendations for adults are to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. (5) And younger people need even more. Here's what everyone should aim for every 24 hours:
Newborns (0-3 months) need 14-17 hours
Infants (4-12 months) need 12-16 hours, including naps
Toddlers (1-2 years old) need 11-14 hours, including naps
Preschoolers (3-5 years old) need 10-13 hours, including naps
School-aged children (6-12 years old) need 9-12 hours
Teens (13-18 years old) need 8-10 hours
Adults (18+) need 7-9 hours
It's important to note that too much sleep is linked to other health problems, too! Believe it or not, it can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and even death. (1,6) It can also worsen mental health issues, including mood disorders. (7)
What exactly is quality sleep? It's when you:
Fall asleep fairly quickly
Sleep for a long enough duration
Don't wake up during sleep
If you wake up, then you fall back asleep fast (less than 5 minutes)
Sleep disorders affect your quality of life and well-being.
Well-being is when you feel happy, healthy, and productive. When you enjoy a high quality of life, feel optimistic, and are emotionally stable, you're "well." It may not surprise you that sleep disturbances may affect and be affected by your level of well-being. (1)
DID YOU KNOW?
During sleep, the brain cells (neurons) shrink to increase the space between them so the toxins that build up during the day can be flushed away more effectively.
We all have trouble sleeping sometimes. For many, the pain and discomfort of staying in one position can wake them up. For others, it’s the act of switching positions that seems to require a wakeful effort. It's even possible to have a sleep disorder and not even know it! The three most common sleep disorders are obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome. Experiencing these disorders can have a significant effect on your quality of life such as your: (1)
Vitality, energy, and motivation
Ability to think clearly, learn, remember things, and make decisions (cognitive functioning)
Emotional regulation and relationships
Physical functioning (from the quality of your movement to increased pain)
There are effective treatments for sleep disorders that can lead to significant improvements. (1) See your healthcare professional if you have any health concerns, including sleep disorders.
Sleep, Pain & Mental Health
When you feel stressed and irritable, do you ever relate that back to not getting enough quality sleep the previous night (or nights)? There's a relationship between lack of sleep and feeling more sensitive to everyday stressors. Plus, lack of sleep increases inflammation and sensitivity to certain types of physical pain. It also decreases how you feel about the quality of your life. These can all lead to emotional distress, mood disorders, memory deficits, and the ability to think clearly, learn, and make decisions (cognitive function). (1)
DID YOU KNOW?
According to one study, sleep problems, along with stress and life dissatisfaction, can predict back pain in 40-year-olds.(1)
Even if you don't have physical pain, sleep impacts your moods. Studies show that there are more mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression) in people who don't get enough quality sleep (remember, adults need 7-9 hours per night). As a lack of sleep worsens, so do mental health symptoms. (7) Increased feelings of worry and anxiety are some of the biggest consequences of sleep deprivation. (8) If you live with persistent pain, then you know how easy it is to get stuck on the worry wheel — will this cause pain, how long will it last, I won't be able to xyz.
Sleep disorders like sleep apnea are linked to mood disorders, lower levels of well-being, and lower concentration and memory. (1)
On the other hand, sleeping excessively long (hypersomnolence) is common in people with mental health issues, particularly mood disorders. (1,7)
So needless to say, it's important to get enough quality sleep is such an essential factor for mental health.
Sleep & Brain Function (cognitive)
Want to think clearly, concentrate, learn, make decisions, and remember things? (1,3) Sleep affects these brain functions, no matter how old you are. (3) Recent research shows that sleep helps to flush out compounds in your brain that build up while you're awake. (3,9) You can thank your brain's "glymphatic" system (a.k.a. your daily detox system) for cleaning up all the muckety-muck. This system drains waste products from the brain (including the beta-amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's disease) and is more active during sleep.(9)
Sleep also plays a crucial role in brain aging. Many neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's have sleep symptoms in common. Struggling with an irregular sleep cycle (circadian rhythm) may be an early symptom of these diseases and may be a critical factor in making them worse. And vice versa: Cognitive impairment may be a sign of an undiagnosed sleep disorder. (1)
It's essential to your well-being to get enough sleep, no matter your age. While it may be harder to get enough sleep as you get older, all adults—even older adults—need 7-9 hours each night. According to Harvard Health, "We don't outgrow our need for sleep; it's just harder to come by." (4)
Sleep issues are more common in older adults for many reasons. These include having other health conditions, taking several medications, and even social factors like family, housing, and finances. (1) Having an inconsistent daily schedule can also factor in. (10) All of this can negatively impact your sleep.
Sleep, Immunity & Inflammation
Sleep helps you stave off infection and too much inflammation. And, if you're well-rested and get an infection, your immune system can fight it better.
Sleep, immunity, and inflammation are delicately intertwined. Getting enough quality sleep promotes a healthy immune system and a balanced level of inflammation. It can help you overcome infections when you get them. (2)
Lack of quality sleep can trigger long-term, low-grade inflammation—the same kind of inflammation linked with diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegeneration. (2,6)
Sleep & Chronic Health Conditions
Not getting enough quality sleep increases your risk for(6):
High blood sugar
Impaired glucose tolerance
Type II diabetes
Weight gain, excess weight, and obesity
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Stroke
Layer stress on top of this, and it makes things worse. Stress can lead to serious sleep disorders like insomnia. Insomnia can then make you even more sensitive to stress. (1)
Also, there is a link between lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of physical exercise, and alcohol use, and people who sleep less. (6)
FUN FACT: Sleep and stress are very intertwined. How much cortisol (a stress hormone) you release is related to the quality of your sleep. Better sleep equals a healthier response to stress. (1)
Interrupted sleep affects your blood sugar by reducing insulin sensitivity and impairing glucose tolerance. People who sleep just 4 hours per night tend to crave sweet and/or salty foods more than those who sleep 7-9 hours per night.
Inadequate sleep is linked with increased caloric intake and weight gain. Not getting enough sleep also reduces the amount and intensity of people's physical activity. (6)
Getting adequate sleep has the opposite effect. It improves insulin sensitivity, reduces appetite, food cravings, and the amount of sugar consumed. (6) These all help to reduce your risks for heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain.
Sleeping Patterns: hypnotype & chronotype
Your sleeping pattern consists of your hypnotype and chronotype. Hypnotype describes whether you are a "long-sleeper" or "short-sleeper." As we've seen, too little (short sleeping hypnotype) or too much sleep (long sleeping hypnotype) can have negative health impacts. (1)
Chronotype is whether you're a "morning person" or an "evening person." When you go against your chronotype, you get worse sleep. It's not too surprising that, when "early birds" take on night shifts or when "night owls" get early shifts, they get worse sleep.(1)
Here's where things get interesting.
Even if you get the recommended amount of sleep (7-9 hours for adults), if your job makes you go against your morning/evening preference, that can have adverse health effects. (1) About one in five people in industrialized countries work shifts. It's not surprising that there is a link between shift work, insufficient sleep, chronic disease, and accidents.
A recent study of over 270,000 workers found that shift work (day and/or night) is associated with sleep disorders, reduced well-being, obesity, and depression. "Shift work disorder" is when you have excessive sleepiness, insomnia, or both as a result of shift work. (1)
Working shifts impacts the quality of your sleep, too. And the effect can continue long after you no longer work shifts. This is especially true if you previously worked shifts for many years. (1)
That's right—going against your chronotype can give you both worse sleep and worse health! We're talking about health effects like increased risk for tobacco use, sedentary behavior, inappropriate diets, and even musculoskeletal disorders. (1)
Conclusion
Now you know why getting enough sleep can help improve your well-being and many health conditions. The health benefits are enormous. Sleep can lower your risks for heart disease, stroke, weight gain, diabetes, and persistent low back pain. Plus, your mind benefits from lower risks for mood disorders and dementia.
Remember, if you have a sleep disorder or any health conditions, speak with your healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment strategy.
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+ REFERENCES
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