Sleep Cure: More Important Than Diet and Exercise
Did you know that 70-85% of teens DON’T GET the recommended 8 ½ hours sleep per night? And 30% of adults don’t get their 7 hours of sleep per night. According to Dr. Matthew Walker, professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UC Berkeley, he used to suggest that sleep was the 3rd pillar of good health, along with diet and exercise, but now he says that SLEEP IS THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU CAN DO TO RESET YOUR BRAIN AND BODY FOR HEALTH.”
Poor sleep is now linked to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. It can also increase the risk of dementia and depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. Poor sleep is linked to overall risk of premature death, just as smoking, bad nutrition, and lethargy. In a recent study on mice, sleep deprivation caused death faster than starvation can. Yikes!
Sleep’s primary evolutionary function is to clean out the brain, quite literally, of accumulating debris, according to Dr. Maiken Nedergaard. “It’s like a dishwasher that keeps flushing through to wash the dirt away.” Our bodies need to get rid of these toxins that can damage healthy cells.
We all know that chronic inflammation is a leading driver in some cancers, mental decline, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and pain. But did you know that one of the causes of inflammation is sleep deprivation?
So the take-away message here is GET YOUR SLEEP EVERY NIGHT! That means that kids need 8.5 hours and adults need 7. Left to their devices, kids will stay up til midnight and get just 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Do the math and set your bedtime. Be the adult in your family and force your teens and children to get enough sleep every night. They’ll be healthier and happier for it!
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