By Brent Hauver

You heard it as a child and chaffed at it as a teenager – “If you don’t go to bed on time, you will be miserable tomorrow!” “If you keep staying up so late, your health/studies/performance will be affected!”, but mom was right . . . again. She just seems to know what research is only beginning to unravel. A good night’s rest does help you live longer and better. Among humans, death from all causes is lowest among adults who get seven to eight hours of sleep nightly and significantly higher among those who sleep less than seven or more than nine hours. Sleep is essential to normal biological function. Researchers may not yet be able to say for certain why we need so much sleep, but they can tell us the result of too little sleep.

It seems obvious, but the immune system performs better when the body is properly rested. Sleep researchers at the University of Chicago exposed sleep deprived students (allowed only 4-6 hours of sleep per night for 6 nights) to the flu vaccine; their immune systems produced only half the normal number of antibodies in response to the viral challenge. Research recently published in Cellular Physiology demonstrated that sleep deprivation can aggravate chronic inflammation by altering the production of the bone marrow. Tired bodies simply do not produce enough white blood cells to properly fight infection.

Levels of cortisol (a hormone associated with stress) rose, and the sympathetic nervous system became active, raising heart rates and blood pressure. Subjects also showed insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition that affects glucose tolerance and produces weight gain. When restricted to only 4 hours of sleep a night, an 18 year old will function like a 60 year old in terms of their ability to metabolize glucose. Sleep deprivation will increase carbohydrate and junk food cravings. Those subjects deprived of sleep had reduced levels of leptin, a molecule secreted by fat cells that acts in the brain to inhibit appetite. Researchers believe that sleep deficit may be responsible in part for the obesity epidemic in the United States.

Sleep deficit is not only a personal problem, sleep deprivation can be dangerous. Even small losses in sleep can cause cognitive deficiency. A study done at the University of Utah showed in driving simulations, that incidence of accident increase progressively as total sleep decreased. In fact, drowsy driving was equally dangerous to drunk driving. In high-order cognitive tasks, sleep deprived people performed as poorly or worse than intoxicated people.

Children are especially affected by sleep deprivation. Contrary to what one might expect, the results of sleep deficit in children are irritability and hyperactivity. With all the school and athletic activities starting earlier and ending later, children are becoming sleep deprived. Many children are on drugs that promote wakefulness, like Ritalin, for hyperactivity when all they may need is proper sleep.

If you are have trouble sleeping, try some of these quick tips:

• Set a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night.

• Wake up at the same time every day. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm.

• Nap to make up for lost sleep. If you need to make up for a lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping late.

• Fight after–dinner drowsiness. If you find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep.

• Take high-protein drink a couple of hours before you go to sleep. Sunwarrior’sWarrior Blend can provide the L-tryptophan needed for your melatonin and serotonin production.

• Create as much darkness as possible in your bedroom.

• Sleep in a cool room- research shows that sleeping in a room that is between 60 to 68 degrees will give you the highest quality sleep. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep

• Before bed, do not watch over stimulating movies like horror flicks or high suspense or action. Watch or read material that is calming and will help you to relax.

• Avoid caffeine and stimulants like drugs and alcohol- they will keep you from reaching the REM healing sleep that your body needs to clean and rejuvenate.

Lack of sleep has become the Hallmark of modern society. Life is no longer a rhythm but a schedule. Sunrise and sunset are incidental rather than essential to the day. That is not how we were meant to live. It’s time to take back our bedtimes. I know it’s a big decision, so my advice is – Sleep on it. Things will look better in the morning.

Brent Hauver is a Holistic Health Researcher who owns and operates Sage Health and Empowerment Center in Overton, NV.