1. Sleep and Your Health
I'm Trying to Sleep

2. Sleep Fun Facts This year, Sleep Awareness Week was March 2-8, 2015
Humans spend 1/3 of their life sleeping.
Parents of new babies miss about 6 months worth of sleep in the first 2 years of their child’s life.
Lack of sleep can cause weight gain of 2 pounds (0.9 kg) in under a week.
Most people can survive for up to 2 months without eating, but people can only live up to 11 days without sleeping.
The average person has 4-6 dreams a night,
but most people don’t remember up to 99%
of them.

3. Sleep Fun Facts
Whales and dolphins only fall half asleep. Their brain hemispheres take turns so they can continue surfacing to breathe.
In general, exercising regularly makes it easier to fall asleep and contributes to sounder sleep. However, exercising sporadically or right before going to bed will make falling asleep more difficult.
Newborns sleep a total of 14 to 17 hours a day on an irregular schedule with periods of one to three hours spent awake.
Koalas sleep hours a day!

4. Sleep Role on Your Health and Wellness
You may damage your immune system
You may damage your brain cells for good
You may impair your thinking
You may gain weight
You may have more wrinkles
You are adding to your stress
Damage to Immune System: Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center studied the effects of irregular sleeping patterns and found an over production of T cells caused by irregularities in wake sleep cycles. This causes the immune system to be out of sync and to react with an inflammatory response. This response is a normal, but when it becomes chronic due to continued irregular sleep this can lead to a variety of diseases ranging from diabetes, cancer, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis and many others. So, this means that if we get more sleep, we will have better immunity to avoid viruses such as the common cold and will decrease inflammation reducing your risk factors for disease. Sleep is a modifiable risk factor that is under our control!
Damage to brain cells: On experiments with sleep deprived mice, scientists have found that sleep deprivation can irrevocably damage the parts of the brain involved in staying alert and thinking. Sleeping extra long on weekends to make up for sleep lost during the week is not enough to repair this damage. It has also been discovered that sleeping actually helps to consolidate learning, so if you do not get enough sleep, you are actually reducing your ability to learn. Sleeping 7-8 hours a night can thus improve your memory, better your recall and help you process memories. Thus, if you have a big presentation or test, it is more helpful to get a good night sleep then staying up all night preparing or worrying because then we will not consolidate what we learned and will have greater difficulty recalling what we need to know.
Impaired thinking: Sleep loss affects our thinking by impairing cognition, attention, reaction time and decision-making. This can cause us to make errors that can affects ranging from minor mistakes to dangerous errors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2009 that being tired accounted for the highest number of fatal single-car run-off-the-road crashes due to the driver’s performance—even more than alcohol!
Weight Gain: Most of us have felt (and probably fed) those late night hunger pangs when we stay up late into the night. This is not the only weight gain danger of staying up late. While late night snacking can make it more difficult to fall asleep (depending on the type of food you eat), your metabolism also slows down considerably when you don’t get enough sleep. One survey found that people who get 6 hours of sleep a night were 30% more likely to become overweight than those who were getting a normal 7-8 hours of sleep. Leptin, the hormone that play a key role in making us feel full; will drop when we don’t get enough sleep. This means that people who are tired are hungrier and often crave high-fat and high-calorie foods
Wrinkles: Likely if you are not getting enough sleep it may be a result of stress and/or may cause additional stress. The major stress hormone at play is cortisol which is called the “death hormone” because of its link to the decline of many body cells. Getting more sleep can reduce our stress and increase the body’s production of HGH (human growth hormone) which helps counter the negative effects of cortisol.
Additional stress: Lack of sleep can have major impacts on our ability to react to stress. Reduced sleep may also alter hormone levels which can effect our coping mechanisms in emotionally challenging situations. These increase stress and anxiety. Not getting enough sleep can have vast implications on your quality of life as well. Lack of sleep leaves you feeling tired, grumpy, and unenergetic, which can seep into your relationships. Many things we take for granted are impacted by sleep. Relationships with kids who want to play with mommy and daddy, friends and other people we care about can be impacted.

5. Sleep Role on Your Mental Health
Chronic sleep problems affect 50-80% of psychiatric patients, compared to 10-18% of adults in the general population
Sleep problems are particularly common among people with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Studies in both adults and children suggest sleep problem may raise the risk for and even directly contribute to the development of mental illness
Treating a sleep disorder may also help alleviate symptoms of a co-occurring mental health problem.

6. How much sleep do you really need?
Sleep debt: difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you are actually getting
Americans are averaging 6.9 hours per night (6.8 hours during the week and 7.4 hours on weekends)
Adults should aim to get approximately 8 hours of sleep
Is it possible to make up this sleep debt?
A 2005 survey by the National Sleep Foundation reported that on average Americans sleep 6.9 hours per night (6.8 hours during the week and 7.4 hours on the weekend). It is recommended for most adults to get 8 hours of sleep (this of course depends on the person. Some people may only need 6 to function at their best while others need 10). With the recommendation of 8 hours per night, this means that the average person is loosing at least one hour of sleep per night, which is two full weeks of sleep per year. It is a common misconception that by simply sleeping in late on weekends, they can catch up on the sleep they may have missed during the week. While sleep debt can be repaid, it won’t happen in one marathon snooze!
This sleep debt can cause a whole host of problems. Short term sleep debt leads to waking with a foggy brain, worsened vision, impaired driving and trouble remembering. The longer term effects can be much more devastating with insulin resistance, increased risk for obesity and heart disease.
The best way to repay sleep debt is to add an extra hour or two of sleep each night. This will help you get back into a more regular schedule.
Ideally, each person should train themselves to listen to their body when it comes to sleep. We should go to bed when we feel tired and wake up when our body naturally wakes us up. No alarm allowed! Initially following this schedule, you will likely sleep for as long as 10 hours or more, but with continued practice, it will taper off to the exact amount of sleep that your unique body requires.

7. Sleep needs differ for each person, but here are some guidelines

8. Average Amount 0f Sleep Needed
Age Category
Average Amount 0f Sleep Needed
Newborns (0-3 months)
14-17 hours
Infants (4-11 months)
12-15 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years)
11-14 hours
Preschools (3-5 years)
10-13 hours
School Age Children (6-13 years)
9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17 years)
8-10 hours
Younger Adults (18-25 years)
7-9 hours
Adults (26-64 years)
Older Adults (65 + years)
7-8 hours
Even some of the various guidelines differ, but it’s important to determine the right amount of sleep for yourself!

9. How to sleep better Keep a regular sleep schedule
Dog Barking
Keep a regular sleep schedule
Create a relaxing bedtime routine
Avoid eating big meals at night especially
heavy or fatty foods
Avoid alcohol before bed
Reduce caffeine intake
Regular Sleep Schedule:
set a regular bed time – set it for a time when you usually feel drowsy to reduce tossing and turning
Keep the same bed time on weekends
wake up at the same time everyday including weekends
make up sleep debt with naps instead of sleeping in really late (on weekends it does not help to sleep in really late as this will not make up the sleep you have lost in an effective way and can cause insomnia and throw you off for weeks; for example, if you sleep in really late on Sundays after staying up late Saturday night, you may have difficulty falling sleep Sunday night and then waking up Monday morning will be even worse and can throw off the whole week)
make sure your nap is no more than 30 minutes so you don’t mess up your sleep-wake cycle
Bedtime Routine
keep your room cool (usually people sleep best around 65 F or 18 C)
make sure your bed is comfortable – look into getting a new pillow or mattress if you find you wake up with a sore back or neck
Alcohol: alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but can reduce your sleep quality and can cause you to wake up throughout the night
Caffeine: caffeine can cause sleep problems up to hours after drinking it! So consider eliminating caffeine after lunch or cutting back overall intake

10. How to sleep better Avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening
Quit smoking
Exercise
Practice relaxation techniques if worried, stressed or anxious
Write down your worries
Liquid: especially caffeinated beverage, as this can not only keep you awake and alert from the caffeine, but also act as a diuretic so you may need to make multiple bathroom trips in the night
Smoking: smoking negatively impacts sleep in numerous ways. Nicotine is a stimulant, which disrupts sleep by making you more alert. Smokers can also experience withdrawal symptoms as the night goes on which make it hard to sleep
Exercise: Exercising regularly as little as minutes a day can improve your sleep – exercising before bed stimulates the brain and raises your body temperature making it more difficult to sleep. However, relaxing exercises such as gentle stretching or yoga can help promote sleep
Relaxation: If you find yourself laying awake at night worrying try
deep breathing: close your eyes and take deep, slow breathes
progressive muscle relaxation: start with your toes and tense all muscles as tightly as you can and then relax. Progressively move from your toes to your head
visualize a peaceful and relaxing place: close your eyes and focus on a place or activity that is calming and peaceful for you
Worries: If you wake up in the night worried or can’t sleep because you are worried, try writing down your anxieties or thoughts so that you can revisit them in the morning and sleep easy at night

11. Sleep Cycles
Sleep/Wake Homeostasis: tells us when to sleep and when to wake up based on the body’s needs
Circadian Rhythms: physical, mental and behavioural changes
Following roughly a 24 hour cycle
Regulates timing of sleepiness and wakefulness
Adults: most tired between 2-4 AM and 1-3 PM
Dips in circadian rhythm may be felt more intensely
for those who are sleep deprived
Sleep/Wake Homeostasis: eg. If you have been awake for a long time, sleep/wake homeostasis will alert you to the accumulated need for sleep and tell you it’s time to sleep. Likewise, it works to wake us up after we have been asleep for a long time. If we listen to this cycle, we will get enough sleep through the night to make up for our wakeful hours and will balance our wakefulness and sleeping.
Circadian Rhythm: aka internal biological clock; responds to light and dark in the environment
A change in circadian rhythm occurs during adolescence, where they experience a sleep phase delay, causing them to feel more alert longer into the night.
The circadian biological clock is controlled by a group of cells in the hypothalamus that are triggered by sunlight in the morning to activate the body (cortisol) and by darkness at night to slow down the body processes (melatonin).

13. Pre-Sleep Routines Goodnight Mr. Bean
The key is to experiment until you find the sleep strategy that works best for you
Turn off your TV, computer, smart phones and all backlit technology
this will stimulate the mind, rather than relax it and suppresses melatonin production (naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle)
Change your bright lights for lower watt bulbs

14. Pre-Sleep Routines Relaxing Bedtime Rituals Read by a soft light
Take a warm bath or shower
Listen to soft music
Do some easy stretches
Wind down with a favourite hobby
Listen to a book on tape
If you have been awake for 15 minutes or more, try getting out of your bed and doing a quiet, non-stimulating activity, such as reading a book by soft light. Avoid turning to electronics and backlit technology, which will further stimulate your brain

15. Technology

16. Technology Lark Sleep Band Lark ($99) Jawbone UP
Sleep Genius (Free) – iPhone
and Android
3. Jawbone UP ($99-$150)
4. Sleep Cycle ($1) – iPhone
5. SleepRate ($100) – iPhone and Android
6. SleepShield ($20-$40)
Jawbone UP
Lark: Tracks your micro-movements throughout the night and reports on your night sleep including quality of sleep, how long it took you to fall asleep, how many times you woke up. It also allows you to set sleep goals and will send you reminders. For example, you could set a goal of going to bed at 11 PM, so the app could remind you as it gets closer to 11.
Sleep Genius: Uses pink noise (a softer variant of white noise) and neurosensory algorithms that trigger a motion-induced sensation in your brain, similar to a baby being rocked to sleep.
Jawbone UP: wristband that monitors sleep cycles to tell you how much sleep you’re getting (deep and light). It tracks how many times you woke up in the night and correlates your sleep to what you eat that day or the amount of exercise you got and can also track your caffeine to show the impact of caffeine on sleep. The wristband wakes you up with gentle vibrations.
Sleep Cycle: iPhone app that you place under your pillow. Monitors movements during sleep. Wakes you during a 30 minute window at the point of your lightest sleep so you won’t be as drowsy and groggy when you wake up.
SleepRate: iOS app that monitors your heart rate and a detailed assessment of your night, including time in REM sleep, records sounds in your bedroom so you know if and when a noise disturbed your sleep and can also detect if you have sleep apnea. The app also include a cognitive behaviour therapy program (licensed from Stanford University) to improve the quality of sleep.
SleepShield: stick onto your tablet, laptop and phones to reduce the amount of blue light that you see at night.
SleepShield

17. Technology Philips Wake Up Light Plus ($70)
Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson ($2.99) – iPhone and Android
Sleepmaker Rain (Free) – iPhone and Android
Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep (Free) – Android
SleepBot (Free) – iPhone
7. Philips Wake Up Light Plus: Slowly wakes you up by mimicking the rising of the sun along with gentle sounds or your own music. It works on the principle that our bodies release chemicals and start the waking process when sunlight hits our eyelids. Newer versions also include a dusk setting that gradually lower the light to help you fall asleep naturally.
8. Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson: Andrew is a hypnotherapist who leads a relaxing mediation through this app to calm you and relax your mind so you can drift off to sleep
9. Sleepmaker Rain: Has a 24 hour timer so you can listen for as long as you need to fall asleep. Rain sounds range from gentle raindrops on forest foliage to torrential downpours and thunderstorms.
10. Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep: has multiple nature sounds to relieve tension and promote calmness. Sounds range from crackling campfires, to bird songs to crashing ocean surf.
11. SleepBot: Helps you track you sleep patterns and displays them in a graph so you can identify times of good and bad sleep. The app is also equipped with lots of resources to help you sleep better.
Wake up Light Plus

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