Without enough sleep, the central nervous system becomes more
active, inhibiting the pancreas from producing adequate
insulin, the hormone the body needs to digest glucose.
A groundbreaking study in 1999, led by Eve Van Cauter a
professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, showed
that just six days of sleep restricted to four hours pushed
41 healthy young male volunteers into a pre-diabetic state.
Those jaw-dropping results expanded the field of sleep
research, and convinced scientists that chronic, partial
sleep deprivation damaged the body, not just the mind.
The young men in the same study also had reduced levels of
the stress hormone cortisol, which normally surges just
before waking from a good night's sleep, energizing
people.
No one says it's easy to get enough sleep, what with demands
of job, learning Torah and family. Let us offer you some
tips!
* Take a nap to help catch up on missed sleep. There's a
reason that 3 p.m. is international siesta time: People need
the rest. But be mindful of the time you snooze. A short nap
should be no longer than 45 minutes; any longer and you'll be
in deep sleep, waking up groggy and feeling even worse than
before you napped. A nap of around 90 minutes could put you
in REM, and waking could be a startling, heart-pounding
experience. If you nap longer than 45 minutes, go for two
hours to get past the REM cycle.
* If you have a long commute, spring for a hotel room near
the workplace one or two nights a week and go to bed early,
advises Ralph Downey III, director of the Loma Linda
University Medical Center's Sleep Disorders Center.
* Sleep extra on the weekend, both days where they are
available. Research indicates that after a week of 4 hours of
sleep a night, you need nine to 10 hours on the weekend to
have any hope of recovery. And one night alone doesn't fully
recover you.
* Prepare for bed by spending 15 minutes or so in dim light,
in a quiet room. You have to slow down before you stop.
* Remember that milk can help you sleep, caffeine interferes
with sleep, and alcohol, while it might help you fall asleep,
can interfere with your ability to stay asleep.
* If you're not getting enough sleep because of an inability
to fall asleep, talk to your doctor about a sleep study and
treatments.
* Bite the bullet. Go to bed 45 minutes or an hour
earlier.
(C) 2006 Dr. Reuven Bruner. All Rights Reserved.
Contact him at: POB 1903, Jerusalem, 91314, Israel; Tel: (02)
652-7684; Mobile: 052 2865-821; Fax: (02) 652-7227; Email:
FitnessDoctor@Bezeqint.net
