Health

A Wake up call to the importance of sleep

Jo LunnE returns with the third part of her bowen technique focusing on the cycle of adenosine

Are you feeling a bit sleepy? A busy week at work and lots done at the weekend and some late nights have left you feeling tired? Looking forward to your holiday where you can rest up and catch up on sleep? If that’s the case I hope your holiday’s not too far away.

WHAT IS SLEEP?
Sleep is a much underestimated pastime – despite the fact on average we spend one third of our life doing it. The question of why we need to sleep has defeated scientists and researchers for decades.

It does seem that sleep plays a significant role in brain development. Our sleep is regulated by our circadian clock also known as our biological clock. It works alongside the sleep regulating hormone melatonin and a neurotransmitter called adenosine. The levels of adenosine rise during the day and high levels lead to sleepiness. The reason we feel sleepy in the middle of the afternoon is because our body temperature naturally drops and with the raising levels of adenosine, we feel sleepy.

Each cycle lasts about 90-110 mins and is divided into non-REM and REM.
Non-REM
Stage 1: Light sleep – we’re– half awake and half asleep and it’s easy to be woken at this stage.
Stage 2: True sleep – This starts about 10 mins after stage one and lasts about 20 mins. This accounts for about 45-55% of our sleep
Stage 3: Deep sleep – Breathing and heart rate are at their lowest.
Stage 4: Deep sleep – our breathing is rhythmic and we hardly move. If woken during this stage we can feel groggy and disoriented. It is also during this stage that people can experience bed wetting, sleep walking, sleep talking and night terrors.

REM
REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement and this is when we dream – on average 3 times a night. Our brain is at its most active and our breathing and blood pressure rise although our bodies seem to be paralysed. It’s thought that this is so we don’t act out our dreams. We spend 20-25% of our sleep in this state.

The health risks of lack of sleep
Nearly 10% of the population in the UK suffer from a sleep disorder. A lack of sleep has an effect on our emotional well-being, our physical health, our memory and problem solving ability, the health and safety of those around us, the health of our heart and nervous system and even has an effect on mortality rates.

Cancer and Heart Disease
In 2006 The Independent reported research carried out by the National Cancer Institute and National institute of Environmental Health Sciences in the United States, showed that staying up late or even just sleeping with the light on can increase the risk of breast cancer. This has also been found in research carried out by the UCLA research team. They say sleep deprivation - even just for one night - may cause cellular abnormalities which can cause an inflammatory response in tissue and strengthen the risk of cancer as well as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes and obesity. Dr John K Krystal says, “The closer that we look at sleep, the more that we learn about the benefits of sleeping.”

According to the UCLA research team there is also a 45% increased risk of heart disease in women who sleep less than 5hrs. Those who sleep 6hrs have an 18% increased chance and those that have 7hrs sleep a 9% increased risk. Women who slept 9hrs have a 38% increase compared to those that slept for 8hrs.

Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Men don’t get off lightly either as they are more likely to be affected by snoring or the more serious condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. 73% of male stroke victims have been found to also be suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

Snoring occurs when breathing causes vibration of the soft palate and the uvula (the dangly thing that hangs down at the back of the mouth). Snoring can be more of a hindrance to the partner than the snorer - here sleep deprivation can have a fundamental impact on a relationship.
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea is far more dangerous than snoring. This is when the walls of the throat close inhibiting breathing and depriving the body and brain of oxygen. When this occurs the brain is triggered awake to create movement to enable the throat to open up. This also triggers a fight and flight response which decreases blood flow to the heart. The sleeper may not be aware this is happening but it greatly disturbs the sleep pattern through the night. This waking up can occur hundreds of times a night.

With Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, the blood pressure is often reduced making the heart pump harder to help the blood pressure to rise. Over a period of time this can lead to raised blood pressure and enlargement of the heart increasing the risk of heart attack and strokes.

Dave was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and in total was having 1-2hrs of sleep a night (literally being awoken 100 times every hour). He was prescribed a CPAP mask which delivers compressed air through the nasal passages thus preventing the airway from closing. He also had some Bowen Technique treatment, which by releasing tension in the soft tissues around the jaw enabled the jaw to have correct alignment thus decreasing its ability to drop back and cause airway obstruction. With the CPAP mask enabling his body to have more oxygen, the Bowen Technique treatments also stimulated his parasympathetic nervous system enabling him to be more relaxed and ensuring a better quality of sleep.

According to a study from Darlington Pain Clinic of the 26 respondents who identified that they had problems sleeping, 16 stated that they are sleeping better after receiving Bowen treatment. “The Bowen treatment, coupled with the CPAP has literally given me my life, my family and my business back for which I will always be grateful.”

Insomnia
Insomnia is a recognised disorder in which trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early or not feeling refreshed after a night’s sleep is experienced.

Studies estimate that 25 – 33% of adults experience insomnia every year, and despite suffering from such symptoms as fatigue, lack of clear judgment, decision making, inability to focus, slowed response, mood swings, irritability, depression, reduced energy levels, reduced libido and lack of sex drive very few insomniacs seek help.

Shift Workers
Shift workers can suffer greatly from lack of sleep especially those on night and rotating shift patterns. It is estimated that it can take between four to seven days for the body to adjust to a new sleep pattern and so shift workers never get the chance to recover and vital stages of sleep in which the body restores and repairs itself are lost or reduced causing sleep deprivation. This can give a feeling of perpetual jet lag. Typically a shift worker has 1.5 to 2hrs of sleep less a day. Jobs affected by shift work include factory work, medical personnel, law and order and the military. They are also at higher risk than other workers for car accidents due to their drowsiness.

Sleepiness is the cause of an estimated 20% of all accidents on the motorway and statisically driving whilst sleepy has been proven to be as dangerous as drunk driving.

In this age of believing we have to be seen putting in the hours at work other areas of life are sacrificed to enable this to occur and the first thing that tends to go is the hours we spend asleep. But is this a false economy as a tired employee is not going to be as productive or alert as one that is refreshed from a good night’s sleep.

Jo LunnE’s tips to a heavenly night’s sleep

Exercise
Using up physical energy during the day helps our body and mind to be more rested at night. Instead of thinking that you have to ‘do’ some exercise, just make you day more active – take the stairs, walk more briskly, go by bike instead of car.
As little as just 20-30 mins of activity a day can help you feel more rested at night.

If you are going to exercise, avoid 3hrs before bedtime - this stimulates the body and increases the body temperature.

Eat for sleep
“We know that certain foods that we consume can interfere with sleep,” says Carl E. Hunt, MD, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

A heavy meal late at night can cause indigestion acid reflux or heart burn. Going to bed hungry can also cause a disruptive night’s sleep. Foods containing Tryptophan can help us feel sleepy. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that increases levels of serotonin – a natural sedative – in the brain. Carbohydrates help tryptophan enter the brain and Vitamin B6 helps it increase the levels of serotonin.

Some tryptophan foods
Turkey, flax seeds, almonds, peanuts, milk, eggs. Some carbohydrate foods. Bread, rice, pasta, honey, potato
Some vitamin B6 foods. Seeds, nuts, banana, poultry and fish

A quick 40 winks....
If you have trouble sleeping, try not to nap in the day so that you feel more tired at night. If you feel you must have a nap, the best time is early afternoon.

A quick nightcap
Alcohol is dehydrating so although it can enable us to get to sleep quicker the quality of sleep is much poorer and you’re very likely to wake up during the night. It also impairs REM sleep. The best nightcap is a glass of milk with honey – see above.

Cup of coffee
Caffeine suppresses melatonin for up to 10 hours after taking it. Coffee’s great to wake us up in the morning, but if you’re suffering from lack of sleep you don’t want to drink it after mid morning.

Smoking
Recent research has shown that smokers sleep is affected due to nicotine withdrawal during the night. Also, although smokers and non-smokers spent on average the same amount of time asleep, smokers spent more time in Stage 1 – light sleep rather that in Stage 2 – true sleep.

Are you sleeping comfortably
If you’re suffering from lack of sleep, is your bed comfortable: think of the pillows, mattress and bedding. Do you have enough room? If you share a bed can you turn and move about without worrying that you’ll be disturbing your partner – or maybe the tossing and turning of your partner is disturbing you.

Ssssshhhh you’re asleep
Get rid of unwanted sound. Noises from outside, next-door, televisions etc can make it difficult to sleep. These noises can be masked by either earplugs, playing a CD of sounds of nature, a fan or by using a white noise machine.

Stay cool
A bath before bedtime is a wonderful way to relax but take full advantage and have it about 2hrs before you go to bed. Then your body core temperature that has risen due to the bath has time to drop down again creating the perfect internal environment for the body to feel sleepy.

Also ensure the bedroom is not to warm and have a window slightly open to ensure fresh air throughout the night.

It’s dark – I can’t see
The hormone Melatonin seems to help our bodies know when it’s time to go to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. It is only produced in darkness. Even just a dim light in a room prevents melatonin from being produced. Professor George Brainard of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia says; “Humans evolved on a planet without electric light over thousands of thousands of generations. The body is designed to be alert and awake during daytime hours and to sleep at night. Now we have a 24-7 society that isn’t in harmony with our biological design.”

A bedroom is for sleeping...
A bedroom is for sleeping (and sex), not for watching TV, heated discussions, sorting out paperwork etc. By keeping your bedroom separate from all other activities your body recognises it as place to go for rest.

Relax, it’s bedtime
Worry and anxiety will greatly affect your sleep as it triggers the fight and flight syndrome. If you’ve got things on your mind try writing them down before you got to bed. Writing down your worries can make them feel more manageable.

Get rid of that TV
Television stimulates the brain – it may seem to be relaxing but it isn’t helping you sleep.

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