Hello!
Alright!
Sleep! Who doesn’t like sleep?
If ever there was a topic I shouldn’t have to talk about, it should be sleep, I mean come on, a person just lays there and well, sleeps!
What could be easier?
And yet….
Many have difficulty sleeping and/or getting the amount of sleep that is necessary for good health, and maintaining synchronization with their circadian rhythm.
I am not an expert on sleep disorders, and if you are having difficulties you might consult with a sleep specialist.
This blog is for those who think that they will sleep when they are dead; and sadly, they soon will be without proper sleep; and for those who with a few lifestyle modifications could be sleeping like Rip Van Winkle!
Why Is Sleep Important?
It is the time that a person’s body repairs itself from the previous day and rejuvenates itself in preparation for the new coming day.
All the cellular wastes are eliminated including those in the cardiovascular system, and those plaques that lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s are cleaned out of the brain.
Lack of proper sleep leads to:
A decline in performance, brain fog, and unclear thinking, and has a negative effect on attention, response time, and decisions.
Studies are showing patients would be wise to postpone any surgical procedure until they know their doctor is getting the appropriate amount of sleep.
No wonder iatrogenesis, where death was caused by doctor error is the number 3 killer of people, third only to heart disease and cancer. (The risks of which can also be greatly reduced by proper sleep!)
As an aside, I get about 8 hours of sleep every night!
Put Those Kids to Bed!
Studies are showing that kids with ADHD show fewer symptoms if they get the correct amount of sleep and natural sunlight during the day.
Again, I would like to invite you to either watch the YouTube videos, or read the books of Matthew Walker, and Satchin Panda.
Alright, so let’s suppose I got your attention, and you understand that sleep is very important.
So, how much sleep does a person need?
Adults need between 7 and 9 hours each and every night, and this really is not negotiable.
Obviously, children and teenagers need more sleep:
Children 5-12 years old should be getting 9-12 hours of sleep each night, while Teens 13-18 years old need 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Interestingly, because of the settings of their circadian clocks, teenagers tend to stay awake longer into the night and wake later in the morning.
This is often considered “laziness” by most adults when a teenager sleeps in until 10 or 11 a.m., but it is how their teenage circadian clocks are set.
With this in mind, one would wonder how well a teenager would do in Middle School and High School being forced to wake a 6 a.m. to catch a silly bus and be at their first classes by 7 or 7:30 a.m.?
They are still asleep! And probably will be until 10 a.m. or so!
This might explain poor grades in the early morning classes…, oh and by the way, the brain organizes those things learned and stores them in memory during sleep, which the teen is being deprived of.
Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep describes many interesting studies that support the above… you should check it out!
In fact, in one town they changed the starting times for high school from 7:20 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. Auto accidents for kids between 16 and 18 dropped 70%!
Alright, that’s enough for now.
Until the next blogs, here’s something to think about…
To get proper, restorative sleep one must understand the importance of three separate, but very interdependent components of circadian rhythms:
- Eating
- Light
- Activity
The plot thickens! Got questions, comment below or send us a message!
Take Care,
Dr. Dave
Please note, Dr. Dave does receive all your comments however he must approve them first.
Please give him at least a day to respond and check back on this blog post to see his response.
Thanks Dr. Dave, That explains the very early hours I had to get up to work with my father in his construction business from about age 10-18 or 20. I disliked it but I learned how to work. Eventually I stopped protesting it and jut learned to work. It made me very industrious but I really hated it at first. ML, Jim
Hi Jim,
I know what you mean- kind of a double edged sword- the young body needs to sleep, but here’s an opportunity to learn how to work.
There are a lot of studies out now, especially with school kids that show they do much better with an 8:30 am or later start time for school. Tests scores improve, learning is much greater, accidents go into decline, etc. They are finding that many of the “signs” or outward displays that are consider ADHD and other drug-able mental health situations are due largely to being sleep deprived and all the crap foods kids eat. So apparently, these behavioral problems are not due to a deficiency of psychiatric drugs! Get kids to sleep, and eat healthier and see how they do. The studies show they do significantly better, AND without the drugs!
Thanks for reading along!
Dr. Dave
Thanks! Love that rejuvination!🤠
Hey Jeff,
This is the part most people leave out. They get the grind, grind, grind, but rarely leave time to enjoy the fruits of their labors, and allow those wins to rejuvenate them for more!
Thanks for reading along!
Dr. Dave
I really like these blogs!
Hi Graham,
Thank you for the kind words, and thank you for reading along! The data is pretty simple… who da thunk just getting sleep and keeping one’s body rudiments in could do anything?!?
Dr. Dave