#240: Better Health By Prioritizing Sleep.
There is big business tagged as RECOVERY in sport performance, including youth, but simple old sleep is still the key to good health.
Welcome to edition #240. Our kids don’t sleep as well.
We need to re-look at our prioritization of sleep in teaching the lifestyle habits that will keep them healthy. As adults, we can probably refresh the facts and brush up ourselves.
This week examine the impact lack of sleep on our health and performance.
In the world of sports, ATHLETIC RECOVERY is a thing and falls under sports medicine and rehabilitation field. Areas like Cryotherapy, Percussion Therapy (those drill like vibration devices), red light therapy and massage are becoming more and more popular
Of course many will try these tools to help restore the body.
But SLEEP may be the fundamental principle that is overlooked.
Who would have thought that the instinct for extra sleep we had as teenagers was far ahead of its time.
In 2024, the topic of RECOVERY is starting to prioritize REST in a different way than has been portrayed over the last many years. For the longest time the mantra of the working person, was go, go, go and grind it out. The more hours you put in the more you would get ahead. This also applied to youth sport. The early morning practices and the 2 a days are still prevalent right through college in many cases. The impact to health of this high workload, low rest prioritization is significant.
Unfortunately, lack of sleep has become a badge of honor to many. In the modern age, the increasing demands of day to day life have left sleep out in the cold.
As adults, if we don’t respect sleep, how then can we teach our kids?
While later in life lack of sleep has been associated with Alzeimer’s disease, the repercussions earlier in life are just as significant.
Over time, insufficient sleep impacts how a child feels, behaves and interacts.
Canadian based research has found:
17.2% of children that get insufficient sleep report hyperactivity compared to 11.9% of children who get adequate sleep.
21.5% of children that get insufficient sleep report stress compared to 10.3% of children who get adequate sleep.
11.2% of children that get insufficient sleep report poor mental health compared to 4.5% of children who get adequate sleep.
What does “poor mental health” mean?
The following have associated with sleep deprivation:
Mood swings
Weight gain
Memory issues
Trouble thinking and concentrating
Accidents
Weakened immunity
High blood pressure
Poor balance.
To be as healthy as possible, children need adequate night time sleep. Current guidelines
9–11 hours of sleep/night for children ages 5–13 years old, and
8–10 hours of sleep/night for children 14–17 years old.
But... 1 in 4 children are NOT getting enough sleep.
Let's talk about sleep quality, shall we?
1 in 3 children have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep.
1 in 5 children have difficulty staying awake during waking hours.
1 in 10 children do not find their sleep refreshing.
The best things we can do to help treat and prevent sleep deprivation include:
Have a routine. Being consistent with sleep habits can make a big difference in how much and how well you sleep.
Make the time for sleep. Set a bedtime that allows you to get the recommended amount of sleep for your age.
Limit the time you spend around bright lights or using electronics. Light from these too close to bedtime can disrupt your body’s natural sleep-wake functions.
Avoid eating a meal too close to bedtime. A light snack is the best option if you feel hungry before bedtime.
Physical activity can help. Staying active during the day, even just going for a walk, can help with the quality of your sleep.
Don’t rely on sleeping medications. Long-term use of sleeping pills and other medications — even ones that are available over-the-counter — can negatively affect your sleep. The only sleep-related medications you should use regularly are ones your healthcare provider prescribes, and you should only take them as instructed.
Additional facts of interest that apply to us all:
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies shift work as a carcinogenic. (Definition: carcinogenic is any substance that promotes the formation of cancer).
Rotating night shift work can be hazardous to your health
Night shift work has been consistently associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. In 2007…www.sciencedaily.com
Night Shift Work Classified as Probably Carcinogenic to Humans
IARC update evaluation of carcinogenicity of night shift work In June 2019, a Working Group of 27 scientists from 16…www.esmo.org
• These findings are consistent with what other countries and standards when it comes to sleep.
Research by the Royal Society for Public Health in the UK, in 2016 found that they typically sleep for 6.8 hours a night. But a five-country study in 2013 by the National Sleep Foundation in America found that 16% of adults in the UK sleep for fewer than six hours a night while another 19% sleep for between six and seven hours.
In some countries, it is worse. Half of Japanese in the prime of their life are getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night.
Shut-Eye Deficit: OECD Survey Reveals Japan Most Lacking in Sleep
A case of working too hard or that commute times are too long? Half of Japanese in the prime of life are getting less…www.nippon.com
What seems most important in fixing the issue of lack of sleep is increasing an awareness of its impact.
In “The Business of Sleep” Professor Vicki Culpin, a clinical psychologist and expert in sleep and memory, warns: “Never before have significant percentages of working adults been so sleep deprived.”
Her book takes aim at “an age of foolishness” in which large numbers of people seem unaware of what Culpin describes as the “serious cognitive and health consequences of insufficient or poor quality sleep… despite the addition of sleep hygiene courses in corporate wellbeing and occupational health packages”.
Britons told to get a good night's sleep
Britain is suffering an epidemic of sleeplessness, according to a book that takes a forensic look at the physical and…www.theguardian.com
Take 13 minutes to check this out as Professor Culpin covers topics like less than 7–9 hours of sleep reduces alertness by 32%!
Personally, I need to get some rest!!