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Yes, I'm kind of sleep-obsessed. Like all
humans, especially ET patients, I need a
a good night's sleep, an essential component to health and quality of life. |
Anyhow, I'm kind of nutty about the topic of sleep because, along with the ET, I have a bad back and occasional sciatic pain. This has been greatly relieved by physical therapy. But I took note of recent radio news on the topic of sleep in my quest to feel better rested and improve quality of life
"Eyes Wide Open" is a two-part report on sleep by Shankar Vedantam on his "Hidden Brain" program. (And if you aren't familiar with Vedantam and his fascinating reports on the vectors between hard science and social behavior, you are missing a really interesting show.)
In Part I, Vedantam tells the story of Randy Gardner, who broke the "wake-a-thon" record in the 1960s--11 days without sleep--and paid for it later in life with severe insomnia and some behavioral problems. UCLA neuroscientist Matthew Walker offers some commentary on the effects of sleep deprivation, none of them good, in Part 2.
Of special interest to us ET patients, the program points out that scientists have established a correlation between sleep deprivation and the incidence of some cancers, possibly because chemical changes in the brain-without-sleep cause immunity to drop. The link is so strong that the World Health Organization (WHO) now classifies sleep-disruptive shift work as carcinogenic.
So could lack of sleep cause our ET? Complicated question. But the program made me wonder if it might be one of the environmental triggers that contribute to disease development. And lack of sleep certainly does affect our immune levels. So one way to stay healthier and ward off colds and other infectious diseases that seem to linger in ET patients is to get enough rest.
Also important for us as ET patients, who run higher clot risks, is the link between sleep and cardio-vascular problems. For instance, the rate of heart attacks shoots up by over 20 percent in the spring, when Daylight Saving Time forces us to "spring forward" and lose an hour of sleep. The rate of heart attacks falls by about the same percent in the fall, when we go back to standard time and gain an hour of sleep. Good sleep won't reduce our clot risks, but it will maintain our overall cardio-vascular health, an important factor on the IPSET scale which measures ET risks.
If, like me, you are a fitful sleeper, here are some things that may help:
- Stop using your computer 90 minutes before going to bed, or at least use the blue light filter; blue light from computer screens can interfere with sleep by shutting off chemicals that allow you to fall asleep. Blue light filters do seem to help, according to another NPR report. Reading a paper book or on a device without backlighting before bed seems to accelerate falling asleep.
- Give yourself an eight-hour sleep window.
- Try to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Other interesting highlights from "Eyes Wide Open":
- American culture encourages people to brag about their lack of need for sleep to the point where we view those who get adequate sleep as "lazy." We need to stop it. In fact, I'm looking forward to retirement and being able to take that afternoon nap!
- You can't "bank" sleep, staying up all night and then getting extra sleep the next night. Vedantam explains that it's like breathing: You can't hold your breath one day and say you'll breathe extra the next day to make up for it. Just doesn't work that way.
- A long period of sleep deprivation can cause lifelong behavioral problems.
- Sleep is closely linked to memory, learning, and creativity--from the opening chords to the Rolling Stones "Satisfaction" to the development of the periodic table of the elements.
- During dream states, the brain is able to shut off noradrenaline, which controls fear and anxiety, and helps us wake up feeling less upset about things that happened the previous day. Hence the saying: "Things always look better in the morning." However, scientists theorize that recurring nightmares happen when a trauma prevents the shut-off of noradrenaline, and therapy is needed to stop the nightmares.
- Subjectively, we think we can function fine on five or six hours per night. But objective studies show we're not functioning our best. The human body seems to have evolved to need eight hours of sleep.
- Humans may be programmed so that optimal sleep comes in two "phases" instead of one, a siesta after lunch and a night-time sleep that add up to eight hours.
- Pulling "all nighters" for final exams can be hazardous to student health, and universities should reconsider piling on work at the end of a term. This semester, I'm giving my students two in-class sessions to work on their take-home exam. If they don't get enough sleep next week, it won't be my fault!
Related: The blessing of a good night's sleep
Related: Sleep again
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ET is a serious disease that requires specialist care. Discuss anything you read here with your doctor. No comments promoting "alternative" or "natural" cures (yes, this includes Rick Simpson's Oil) will be published.