How much sleep do you really need to be healthy?

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How Much Sleep Do You Really Need To Be Healthy?

http://drbenkim.com/node/571/print

 

By Dr. Ben Kim on April 15, 2007 General Health Information

Few facets of your life have greater impact on your health status

than the amount of quality rest that you get each night.

 

Why is your sleeping routine so important to your ability to prevent

disease and be at your best?

 

Because it is during restful sleep that your body releases large

amounts of three hormones that are essential to your ability to heal

and rejuvenate your cells. These three hormones, the real fountains

of youth for your body, are as follows:

 

Erythropoietin

 

Erythropoietin is a hormone that is produced by your kidneys. It

stimulates the production of red blood cells by your bone marrow. Red

blood cells deliver oxygen to every cell in your body. Red blood

cells also carry carbon dioxide (waste) away from every cell in your

body.

 

How big a difference can the amount of erythropoietin in your

circulation mean to your overall sense of vitality? The fact that

erythropoietin is a common blood doping agent in sports such as

marathon running and long-distance cycling speaks volumes about its

ability to improve your stamina.

 

If you get enough sleep each day, there is no need to inject

erythropoietin into your system - your body will produce all the

erythropoietin that you need.

 

Growth Hormone

Growth hormone is released by your pituitary gland in episodic waves,

about once every ninety minutes, with the strongest wave coming

approximately one hour after you fall asleep at night.

 

Growth hormone stimulates growth and reproduction of your cells. When

released by your pituitary gland in amounts that are in line with

your physiological needs, growth hormone can help keep your muscles

and bones strong. Growth hormone can also decrease the amount of

adipose (fat) tissue that you carry.

 

A lack of adequate growth hormone production is one of the chief

reasons why people who do not get enough sleep tend to be overweight

for their height and/or have weak muscles and bones.

 

Testosterone

Testosterone is a steroid hormone that is secreted by the testicles

of males and the ovaries of females. Small amounts of testosterone

are produced and secreted by the outer section of your adrenal glands

and by the placenta in pregnant women.

 

Adequate testosterone secretion is essential to experiencing:

 

A strong immune system

High energy

Strong bones and reduced risk of developing osteoporosis

A healthy sex drive

If you do not get enough sleep on a daily basis, your body will still

produce erythropoietin, growth hormone, and testosterone - it just

won't produce amounts that will allow you to experience your best

health.

 

The amount of sleep you need each day to be at your best fluctuates

in response to several factors, the two most important ones being:

 

Your Physical and Emotional Activity Levels

 

The more energy you expend physically and/or emotionally, the more

sleep you need.

 

You might think that people who spend 8 hours a day doing heavy

manual labor would need more sleep than folks who engage in very

little physical activity. In actuality, if physically inactive people

spend most of their waking hours expending emotional energy

associated with states like depression, anxiety, and anger, then they

may need just as many hours of quality sleep as those who do heavy

physical labor each day.

 

The primary purpose of sleep is to allow your body to produce large

quantities of the hormones mentioned above, and devote the bulk of

your resources to healing and rejuvenating your cells for another

day. The more energy you spend physically and/or emotionally, the

more time you need in slumber for adequate rejuvenation.

 

Your Diet

Whenever you overeat or eat large amounts of processed foods, your

digestive organs stand a good chance of working overtime while you

sleep in order to fully deal with extra digestive burden.

 

This expenditure of digestive energy while you sleep cuts into the

resources that are available for the healing and rejuvenation that

sleep is intended for, which can increase the number of hours of

sleep that you need to feel well rested.

 

Whenever you eat fresh, uncooked vegetables and fruits, your body

receives enzymes that naturally occur in raw vegetables and fruits.

These enzymes can actually improve the efficiency of your digestive

system. For this reason, people who eat lots of fresh, uncooked

produce typically find that they need less sleep than people who eat

mainly cooked and heavily processed foods.

 

Ultimately, the amount of sleep you need to be optimally well is best

determined by allowing your body to sleep until you naturally wake up

feeling well rested.

 

Whenever you wake up feeling well rested, you can be relatively

certain that you have given your body a chance to produce adequate

quantities of erythropoietin, growth hormone, and testosterone, and

that your body has had ample time to rejuvenate your cells.

 

Ideally, you want to establish a pattern of going to sleep at an hour

that will lead to you waking up naturally around the time that you

have to begin your day. For example, if over time, you discover that

your body tends to need approximately 9 hours of sleep per night for

you to feel well rested, and you need to begin your day at 6 am, then

you should do your best to get to sleep at around 9 pm each evening.

 

Keep in mind that if your body has been deprived of adequate sleep

for more than a few days, you may have significant sleep debt. In

this case, you will need to pay off your sleep debt by giving your

body as much rest as your life circumstances will allow before you

can use your feelings of restfulness or fatigue in the mornings as

accurate barometers of adequate sleep time.

 

Remember: the number of hours that you need to experience your best

health is unique, and may fluctuate slightly from week to week in

accordance with how much physical and emotional energy you put out,

and also in accordance with the quality of your food choices.

 

What follows are some important tips on how to ensure that your

sleeping hours translate to acquiring high quality rest:

 

In the spring, summer, and fall months, use window coverings that

prevent the early morning sunlight from waking you up before your

body is fully rested. Alternatively, use an eye mask to block out

light while you are sleeping.

If you share your bed with other living creatures like your partner,

your children, and/or pets, be sure that you communicate what you

need in order to sleep peacefully. Some people sleep better when they

cuddle (my wife), while others can't sleep a wink if so much as

another person's fingernail is touching their shoulder (me). Know

your optimal sleeping conditions and let them be known to relevant

crew members.

Try not to drink fluids or eat water-rich foods within an hour or two

of going to bed. The less you have to get up during the night to go

to the bathroom, the higher quality rest you will enjoy.

Strive to avoid powerful stimulants like sugar and caffeine,

especially in the late afternoon and evening. When you make it a

habit to get adequate sleep each night, you will have less of a need

for such stimulants to keep you going throughout the day.

Strive to do something that relaxes your body and mind an hour or two

before sleep time, such as listening to soothing music, watching the

sunset, or counting stars.

During colder months, wear socks to bed. Having cold feet is a common

cause of waking up at night.

Strive to be physically active for at least a part of your day. A

regular exercise routine can help to promote restful sleep.