Sleep: “A Non-negotiable Biological Necessity”

The other day, while going through the camera-ready copy of the magazine before releasing it to the press, I noticed an interesting snippet under the head, ‘Features’. It tells us that an Indian corporate, called Wakefit.co engaged in the business of D2C home and sleep solutions has rolled out a unique policy of granting its employees a ‘right to nap’ for half an hour period between 2.00 pm to 2.30 pm at the workplace.

Quoting a study of NASA which states “that a 26-minute catnap can enhance performance by 33%, Ramalingegowda, Director and Co-founder of the company said that his company “has declared 2 pm to 2.30 pm as official nap time”. Hoping that such a rest shall help its employees recharge their bodies and refocus on the task at hand with a renewed vigour, the company is encouraging its employees to avail the well-deserved break.

This initiative that is primarily meant for preventing ‘employee burnout’ is hailed as a step in the right direction, for it can “foster a culture that strongly encourages self-care” among the employees.  

This incidentally reminds me of what Mathew Paul Walker— professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, who studied the impact of sleep on human health— wrote in his bestselling book, Why We Sleep: “Sleep is a non-negotiable biological necessity”.

It is a fact that in today’s life there is no more intractable health problem than sleeplessness. Night shifts in call centers, out-sourcing offices, back offices, software companies, etc have drastically changed our sleeping habits. Commuting for long hours, travel, stress, and excessive caffeine intake have further aggravated sleeplessness. Even old age, by itself, makes one spend the night tossing and turning to leave one tired, cranky, and out of sorts by the next morning. In medical terms, the cumulative effect of them all is called insomnia.

Of course, insomnia won’t kill us. But it mars our normal life. Sleeplessness seeps into every bone and muscle making the body feel as though lifeless. It erodes our very well-being. Feel tired/fatigued during the day. It distorts our attention. Concentration lapses. Coupled with poor memory, work becomes a drag. Output, turned out, will be of poor quality. Irritability overrides pushing us into a depressed mood.

Poor quality sleep indeed affects every organ of the body. It affects our cardiovascular system, metabolism, immune system, nervous system, and brain as well. It increases our vulnerability to disorders such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, depression, and obesity—diseases that are all known to shorten our lives.

Lack of sleep is also known to reduce the antioxidant defense mechanism of the body. It inhibits the ability of the body to annihilate molecules such as free radicles and oxygen-reactive substances that are known to damage cells and cause inflammation. 

However, it is still not very clear how sleeplessness causes these effects. But present knowledge indicates that we need good sleep because:

• It helps our brain to forge new synapses and solidify memories, experiences and emotions
• It facilitates the brain to filter out unimportant synapses and thus reduce its overload.
• It detoxifies the brain by removing unwanted cellular detritus and potentially damaging protein molecules such as beta-amyloid which is associated with dementia through a mechanism recently identified as the “glymphatic system”. This drainage mechanism is supposed to work twice or three times faster during sleep vis-à-vis while we are awake.
• It also helps the brain to repair itself by removing “free radicals” that are known to cause “oxidative stress” in the brain cells.

Now the big question is: How much sleep one should have to realize these benefits and more importantly how to ensure it? Cleveland Clinic suggests that adults need around seven to nine hours of sleep per night, though the quantum of sleep that one needs to function at one’s best varies from individual to individual. They also stress the importance of the quality of sleep. Their doctors say that lifestyle changes, as indicated below, can often help one sleep better:

• Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed
• Be physically active during the day
• Cut back on caffeine, sodas, and chocolate
• Go to bed and get up at the same time each day, including weekends.
• Put away smartphones, TVs, laptops, and such other screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Turn your bedroom into a dark, quiet, cool sanctuary.
• Retire to bed listening to soothing music, reading a good book, or meditation.

Such behavior modifications have proved to be effective in avoiding sleepless nights for many but if it didn’t help, one must obviously seek medical help. For, “sleep is a non-negotiable biological necessity”.