Many have told me that they simply don't need very many hours of sleep a night and downplay the studies that contradict that belief. Now, a small study published in the journal, Hypertension, and conducted at the University of Chicago sleep lab, indicates serious problems for shift workers and those who get no more than 5 hours of sleep a night.
Twenty-six healthy young adults (definitely not representative of the majority of this country) were assigned one week of shortened sleep. Half slept during normal nighttime hours and half slept during the day, representing shift workers routine. The following were measured: blood pressure, norepinephrine levels (stress hormone), heart rate during the day and heart rate variability (the variability of beat-to-beat intervals which is an indicator for cardiovascular disease).
The result? Everyone showed an increased heart rate during the day, increased amounts of norepinephrine and less heart rate variability at night. The most significant concern was changes seen in slow-wave sleep, normally the most restorative phase of sleep...both groups heart rate and blood pressure didn't decrease. And, this was after only one week!
Think about both teenagers and young adults who typically get very little sleep. These types of physiological changes can very well lead to depression, anxiety, obesity, heart disease and cognitive problems.
There are many things that can be done to improve sleep:
changing of the sleep environment, better time management, an understanding of the consequences of sleep deprivation and very safe and effective sleep formulations.
I can help with whole food, organic sleep formulations...they really do work!
Dr. Esther
fixdhealthcare.com
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