Sleep…It does the body good
When I moved to Ireland, I began taking trans-Atlantic flights to the west coast USA more frequently. This meant severe jet lag! I became interested in sleep and the impact this was having on my body. Later, when I went to work in the area of Weight Management, I learned about sleep apnoea and how this affects many people living with and without Obesity. Research is only touching the surface about sleep, but whats been revealed is stunning. How much do you value your sleep and are you aware of how the quantity and the quality are impacting your nutritional life?
Research has showed that sleep deprivation (quality and quantity) affect 2 important appetite hormones, leptin and ghrelin. If you haven’t heard of these hormones, I’ll give a wee breakdown. Ghrelin is sometimes referred as the ‘hunger hormone’, and when we’re sleep deprived we can have higher levels of this hormone. Whereas Leptin is our ‘fullness hormone’, individuals with less sleep had lower levels of this hormone.
Sleep deprivation not only leads to higher appetite, but can increase insulin resistance, raise blood pressure, lower immune system, and affect the food reward portion of our brain. People with less sleep have higher activity in areas of the brain that see food as a reward.
So how does one get a good night’s sleep? Tips include avoiding large meals 3-4 hours before bed, alcohol, and caffeine 6 hours before bed. Caffeine affects the part of the brain that helps us fall asleep, whereas beverages like alcohol can affect the quality of sleep. Keep the bedroom at a cooler temperature, dark, and quiet. Develop a bedtime routine which helps the body wind-down and MOST IMPORTANTLY reduce the amount of light….including blue light from TVs, Tablets, Phones, and Computers at least 1 hour before bed. This is the hardest one because so many of us watch TV, check social media or messages, play games on our phone or computer, or read on tablets before bed. Instead…try an audio book, music, regular ol’ hardback book, or journal.
If you have a hard time staying asleep, try not to lay in bed longer than 20 minutes to fall back asleep. Get up and do a different activity, such as reading in a different room until you feel sleepy again.
Setting an alarm to wake up at the same time everyday and avoiding naps will also help train your body to sleep 7-9 hours in one go. If you’re wondering about sleep apnoea, I’ll list the following characteristics below. Theres a tool called STOP-Bang which physicians can do with patients. Its important to recognise that sleep apnoea is in a variety of body shapes and sizes and can be genetic, so if you have the following symptoms – go get checked.
Snoring: If you snore loudly enough to bother a bed partner.
Tiredness: This symptom involves feeling daytime tiredness, which may include falling asleep during daily tasks.
Observed Apnoea: If a sleep partner has noticed that you stop breathing or gasp for air as you sleep
Pressure: High blood pressure is a symptom!
BMI: Physicians look for a body mass index over 35
Age: Those who are older than 50
Neck Circumference: Physicians measure your neck circumference. A measurement greater than 16 inches is considered a risk factor.
Theres a couple of good books and podcasts out there if you’re looking for more on this. I’d recommend the book Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep and podcast Andrew Huberman of Huberman Lab’s Sleep Toolkit.
