Research on sleep and why it matters – Deseret News

Every person is born instinctively knowing how to sleep. Yet scientists have only recently begun to understand our universal need for nighttime rest.

We now know that sleep habits affect our judgment, perception, long-term memory, metabolism and quality of life. No wonder we try all kinds of remedies to sleep better.

Healthy sleep patterns can improve our mood, support our minds and even extend our lives – but not always in the ways we assume. And sleep loss can have serious consequences. What do we actually know about our need to nap?

11:59 PM

Resting before midnight can protect our ‘circadian rhythm’, or biological sleep cycle. Harvard researchers concluded that falling asleep between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. can reduce our risk of heart disease, even as others found that “night owls” have better cognitive functioning. According to a 2023 study, men can add five years to their lives if they get consistent quality sleep; women can add 2.5 years. Better sleep is linked to heart health, immunity, muscle resilience and memory.

1 in 3 adults

That’s how many Americans suffer from short-term insomnia. In the long term, some 70 million people suffer from these and other conditions such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea, which are linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Snoring at any volume is a greater risk factor for heart attack and stroke than smoking or high cholesterol, but a recent article found that some people snore louder than others for unknown reasons.

2 pounds in a week

A recent study found that sleep-deprived people gained weight much faster; another linked poor sleep habits to obesity. One study found that participants with irregular sleep patterns were 34 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Another study published by University College London found that subjects in their 50s and 60s who got six hours or less of sleep each night were 30 percent more likely to develop dementia later in life than those who got seven or more hours of sleep. got some sleep.

67 degrees

The National Sleep Foundation recommends a sleep temperature of 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit, although we can still use blankets. There is also such a thing as an ideal sleeping surface, according to a 2021 study from Italy: a medium-firm mattress, which promotes ‘comfort, sleep quality’ and positioning better than the alternatives.

$80 billion

Americans spend so much on sleep aids every year, from antihistamines to Ambien and melatonin gummies. This number is expected to almost double by 2032, although sleeping pills do not always lead to a good night’s sleep and can shorten our lives by about five years. They’re also spending about $23 billion on sleep technology, from FitBit tracking devices to “smart beds” and improved blindfolds — a number expected to increase fivefold by 2033. But if you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes in bed, the Mayo Clinic suggests getting up and doing something relaxing before trying again.

0.10 BAC

Not sleeping for 24 hours impairs driving as a blood alcohol level of 0.10 – twice the legal limit in Utah. ‘Drowsy driving’ causes 8,000 deaths in the US every year. Harvard researchers note that sleeping six hours a night for nine days, instead of seven to nine, can lead to a similar level of impairment by day ten.

“Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health. When there is a lack of sleep, there is sickness and disease. And when there is enough sleep, there is vitality and health.” —Matthew Walker, sleep researcher at UC-Berkeley

94 percent caffeine

Nearly all American adults consume caffeine daily through coffee, energy drinks and soda. They experience insomnia, snoring and fatigue more often than those who avoid drinking caffeine. Alcohol is known to impair the quality of rest. Early findings also suggest that marijuana use may negatively impact sleep over time.

6 percent more suicides

A 2019 article found that this annual spike is associated with daylight saving time, when the clocks jump forward from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. There is a growing body of literature linking sleep disorders and suicide, with a recent paper from researchers at the University of Arizona claiming that better sleep can be an effective strategy for suicide prevention.

400 hours

Parents lose so much sleep the year after having a baby. Meanwhile, jet lag takes about a day of recovery for each time zone crossed. And screen time has an inverse relationship with sleep duration. When our life choices make us tired enough, our bodies force us to rest through “microsleep,” when we lose conscious control of ourselves for 30 seconds or less, even if our eyes remain open.

19 days

That’s the most anyone has ever gone without sleeping. Guinness World Records stopped keeping records in 1996, citing the harmful effects of sleep deprivation. One early study suggests the impact may have its origins in our guts. Fruit flies deprived of sleep began producing cell-destroying molecules in their digestive tract; when they were given antioxidants to neutralize these molecules, the flies never had to sleep again.

This story will appear in the October 2024 issue Desert Magazine. Learn more about how to subscribe.