Snooze Your Way to Better Health: Why Quality Sleep Matters

Many people keep asking me this question often, "Doc, how much sleep is enough?" It is a great question because, while sleep needs vary from individual to individual, generally, an adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep each night for optimal health and well-being. However, factors like age, lifestyle, stress levels, and overall health can influence these needs. In this era, we have so many demands between work and family, so much so that it is difficult to find time to relax let alone sleep. To fit everything in, we often sacrifice sleep.

What most might not know is the cost of poor-quality sleep. Unfortunately, poor sleep hygiene is an under-recognized public health challenge, which is strongly associated with cardiovascular diseases, mental health issues, metabolic abnormalities, and neurodegenerative diseases. Current study findings per the CDC reveal that 34.1% of children, 74.6% of high school students, and 32.5%of adults do not get adequate sleep regularly.

Causes of Poor Sleep Quality

There are so many factors that are behind poor sleep quality that you could watch out for:

1.     Social isolation- this ranges from a lack of social and romantic relationships to detachment from family and poor workplace interactions.

2.     Long screen time- smartphone and laptop use is usually unavoidable given the rise of remote working and addictive social media activity. Nevertheless, we should know that these screens emit blue light, which only takes 1 hour to modify the sleep hormone’s (melatonin) secretion by as much as 25%. This has an adverse effect on your ability to garner sleep.

3.     Poor sleep hygiene- sometimes our routines fail us to ensure we get adequate sleep. A tendency to go to bed late, irregular sleeping times combined with a nocturnal social life and increased consumption of alcohol and stimulants like coffee affect one’s ability to achieve quality sleep.

4.     Poor nutritional habits- foods rich in saturated fat and low in fiber have been shown to affect the quality of sleep.

5.     Depression

6.     Fatigue

Effects of Poor Sleep Quality

While the role sleep plays in our lives is constantly downplayed, I can’t emphasize enough why it is important. We have been led to believe that we need to sleep less and “chase the bag” more often but we forget that our bodies are fragile. You need some rest through sleep and this can translate into productivity. Sleep deprivation reduces our ability to concentrate and make decisions while calm. This is reflected in deteriorating academic performance among students, questionable decision-making in the workplace strained social relationships, and increased forgetfulness.

Besides, poor sleep quality has been linked with cardiovascular and metabolic disturbances. If there is a reason to be worried about your sleeping habits, this should be it! Sleep deprivation has been associated with high risks of hypertension and myocardial infarction. Poor sleep quality has also been shown to induce impairment in insulin sensitivity. Insulin is responsible for enabling the body to use the glucose that is in the blood. Impaired insulin sensitivity means the body, although producing insulin, cannot have an effect on the cells and this results in high blood glucose levels, leading to risks of diabetes mellitus, increased weight gain, and a constant feeling of hunger and increased appetite.   

In addition, with adequate sleep, the body’s immune system produces protective, infection-fighting substances, like antibodies and cytokines. Besides, certain substances called cytokines produced by the immune system’s mechanisms help enhance sleep. Inadequate sleep disrupts all these activities, impairing body immunity and further worsening sleep quality.

Remember also, that you need sleep to produce important hormones in the body, such as growth hormone and testosterone. Growth hormone enhances the development of the body's muscles and bones and is especially important for people in the growth phases, such as children, teenagers and young adults. Testosterone is important for healthy sexuality in males. Poor sleep means poor growth, poor sexuality, and more stress for you as an individual.

Image courtesy of Healthline: By Stephanie Watson and Kristeen Cherney (2024).

Benefits of Good Sleep Quality

1.     Better heart health

2.     Improved concentration, memory, and reasoning.

3.     Lower risk of having diabetes mellitus

4.     Lower risk of excessive weight gain

5.     Lower risk of stress

6.     Improved immunity

Adopting Healthy Sleeping Habits

Do’s

a.     Adequate sleep duration- aim for 7-9 hours of sleep as an adult

b.     Having a consistent sleeping schedule- to bed at the same time daily

c.     Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise during the day

d.     Get at least 30 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning

e.     Limit naps to 10-20 minutes in the early afternoon (don’t exceed 30 mins)

f.      Engage in a nightly bedtime routine with relaxing activities, such a reading.

g.     Ensure that your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet

h.     Adopt a fiber-rich diet consisting of grains, nuts, vegetables, and fruits.

Don’ts:

a)     Avoid screen time as you are winding down for the night

b)    Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine in the hours before bedtime