Lifestyle has such a huge impact on our health and risk of disease. That includes eating healthy, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight. But did you know getting enough sleep (seven to eight hours per night for adults) is just as important to your health?
It makes sense if you think about it, as we spend one-quarter to one-third of our life sleeping. Lack of sleep has been linked to many chronic health problems.
SO HOW DOES SLEEP AFFECT OUR HEALTH?
DECREASED SLEEP IS LINKED TO WEIGHT GAIN
Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain. One way that sleep affects weight is by controlling your hunger hormones. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces a hormone, ghrelin, that boosts appetite while decreasing the production of another hormone, leptin, that tells you you’re full. Lack of sleep will lead you to eat more than you should and gain weight.
POOR SLEEPERS HAVE A GREATER RISK OF HEART ATTACK AND STROKE
Blood pressure and heart rate drop during much of sleep, giving your heart and blood vessels a chance to recover. A review of 15 studies found that sleeping less than seven to eight hours per night increased risk of both cardiovascular disease and stroke.
SLEEP AFFECTS DIABETES RISK
Sleep also can affect glucose metabolism and type 2 diabetes risk. One study of healthy young men found that restricting sleep to four hours for six nights in a row caused findings consistent with pre-diabetes. Those repeatedly sleeping less than six hours a night have been found to have increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes increases your risk of many ailments like heart disease, kidney disease and cancer.
SLEEP IMPROVES IMMUNE FUNCTION
When you sleep, your body makes cytokines — proteins that fight infection and inflammation. It also produces certain antibodies and immune cells. Together, these help to prevent illness. Just small losses in sleep, seven versus eight hours, have been shown to impair immune function. One large study gave patients nasal drops that contained the cold virus. Those getting seven hours of sleep a night were three times more likely to develop a cold than those sleeping eight or more!
SLEEP IS LINKED TO INFLAMMATION
Studies have linked poor sleep to increased inflammation. Increased inflammation is linked to many chronic medical conditions like heart disease, autoimmune disease and cancer.
Chances are that eating a healthier diet, losing weight and exercising more are among your New Year’s resolutions. If so, good for you!
If you are not getting adequate sleep, maybe you should consider making that a resolution as well. It probably will be the easiest and most enjoyable of resolutions to keep while helping you achieve your other goals and improve your long-term health.
Dr. Pamela Tuli is a hematologist-oncologist practicing with The Medical Oncology Group – Memorial Physician Clinics. She can be contacted at (228)-575-1234.
