what's your slumber number?

Sleepiness

Sleepiness is the first sign of insufficient sleep.  If we have to force ourselves to stay awake, it is a downward spiral leading, inevitably, to ‘nodding off’. These are known as ‘Microsleeps’, when a person may appear awake, but has actually fallen asleep for a few seconds.  These ‘Microsleeps’ are potentially dangerous.  Needing a nap during meetings or around the table at social events is one thing, but falling asleep, for example, at the wheel of your car is potentially fatal, not just for the driver, but for passengers or others on the road.

Finally, if we have insufficient sleep but remain awake there will be a deterioration in our performance.  This can impact our job and even our day to day ability to carry out simple tasks safely.  Forgetting a hob is turned on or losing concentration crossing a road are not situations any of us would like to find ourselves in.

Whilst sleep can often be a contributory factor in several medical conditions, it’s important that you consult a medical professional if you have any concerns about your health. Only a medical professional can identify the cause of your health concerns.

Depression

The RSPH cites the fact that, “Almost four in five long term poor sleepers suffer from low mood and are seven times more likely to feel helpless. This can be a vicious cycle with stress, anxiety, depression and poor mental health contributing to difficulties sleeping.”  We all know how feeling tired can put us on a ’shorter fuse’. Everyone has faced situations where tiredness has pre-empted being snappy and argumentative. Longer-term sleep deprivation can lead to a tense home life, to arguments and, ultimately, damaged relationships. Conflict with loved ones can lead into a downward spiral of anxiety: increasing the risk of desperation and even suicidal feelings.

Various medical experts now point to the fact that lack of sleep is not just a symptom, but the likely cause of depression for many people.  According to the RSPH, sleeplessness and nightmares are associated with an almost threefold increase in accomplished suicides.  The problem is recognising these issues because, once people are on a downward spiral, having the clarity of thought to recognise that something as seemingly simple as sleep deprivation may be at the heart of problems is not always possible.

Angst & Frustration

An inability to concentrate caused by sleep loss means we will battle to stay attentive.  Losing the thread of a situation and not wanting to apply the thinking necessary to resolve even minor issues will lead to problems being blown out of all proportion.  Whoever said, “Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill” most likely understood the incursion of tiredness into a situation.  Being unable to think clearly to something people generally know should not be a problem, so is extremely frustrating.  The more people feel the anxiety of losing control of a state of affairs, the bigger that problem becomes.  Such irritation can lead some people down the path of hostile behaviour, as they ‘lose their cool’ quickly, leading to arguments or even violence.  

Feeling fresh and in control mentally and physically definitely helps us deal with issues more rationally and prevents conflicts.  In laymen’s terms, if our body is tired it can increase our heart rate and blood pressure.  The inability to ‘stay cool under pressure’ does not just apply to sports, it affects our everyday relations.  So, staying calm not only helps us avoid conflict, it improves mental functioning and gives us an advantage.  The secret of success at work and in relationships really can be sound sleep.

Obesity

It may come as a surprise to many, but people who don’t sleep well are more likely to be obese.  Studies also suggest that young children not getting enough sleep have a greater risk of becoming obese as older children and adults.  Here’s the science bit. Experts believe that poor sleep alters appetite regulating hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which impacts the food choices people make.  Getting a good night’s sleep is a little-known medicine for healthiness – including an acceptable body weight.

The RSPH state, “Poor sleep has also been linked to negative eating attitudes and binge eating behaviours.”  If we are honest with ourselves, when we feel tired and our energy levels dip, we are more likely to avoid exercise.  This is a slippery slope towards weight gain.  Worse still, one study reveals that a lack of energy leads people to evade seeking healthy foods, to duck out of cooking, and to choose more processed and sugary foods and snacks.  Most people will admit to making snap decisions not to cook something healthy but rather buy in a takeaway, due to tiredness.  

A combination of poor diet and lack of exercise are contributing to an obesity epidemic. Experts are now saying that sleep has a fundamental role in these factors.

Cancer

Assigning a link between long-term sleep deprivation and cancer is potentially controversial but, according to the RSPH, “There is considerable evidence that both regular travel across time zones and rotating pattern shift work are risk factors for cancer. Night-shift and rotating shift patterns induce circadian misalignment and sleep disturbance. For example, flight attendants, flying for five or more years have about double the risk of breast cancer compared to those flying for shorter periods.”  Similarly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer believes that, “…shift work involving circadian disruption is probably carcinogenic in humans.”  The RSPH goes onto say, “The relative risk associated with such occupational factors may lead to this vulnerability being seen as the equivalent to having a first degree relative with cancer.  For women between the age of 34 and 50, breast cancer is the biggest killer, which has been linked to disruption of circadian rhythm.  There is an emerging literature that suggests there may be similar links for prostate cancer in men.”

Full List Of Problems

We have expanded upon some of the list below, which you can access by clicking on the associated buttons but, the following (whilst not exhaustive) represents a short-list of the range of issues that many medical experts are now recognising as being associated with insomnia.

• Poor diets, leading to obesity
• Inactive lifestyles
• Smoking – as a means to counteract drowsiness
• Accidents – did you know that 20% of RTAs are associated with tiredness
• Disease:
  1. Cancer
  2. Cardiovascular disease
  3. Raised blood pressure
  4. Adverse lipid profiles
  5. Metabolic syndrome
  6. Body Mass Index (Increases in BMI)
  7. Hypertension
  8. Type 2 Diabetes
• Mental Health:
  1. Angst & Frustration
  2. Mood swings
  3. Depression
  4. Suicide
• Cognitive Ability
  1. Reduced performance
  2. Decision Making
  3. Memory

If you are worried about any of the above issues then it is important that you consult with your GP.  This site outlines health issues many experts are now associating with sleep deprivation, but is in no way meant to act as a self-diagnostic tool.

Health issues are multi-casual and, whilst sleep can often be a major factor, only a trained medical expert can rule other causes in or out of the equation.