In the busy city like Lucknow, when life moves at a relentless pace then an essential pillar of health, which is sleep, often falls or is ignored knowing or unknowingly. At CritiCare Hospital, we study how sleep deprivation contributes to chronic illness, mental health and lower quality of life.
Knowing the science behind sleep isn’t just about updating your knowledge, but is also about understanding the things in detail and a vital step towards reclaiming your health. This blog will explore the biological mechanism of rest and provides actionable strategies to help an individual wake up feeling rejuvenated.
Understanding the Architecture of Sleep:
Sleep is not a state where the body shuts-off, instead sleep is an active and highly regulated neurological process. Our sleep is divided into several cycles of duration of 90 minutes.The two main types of the sleep cycles are as follows:
Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM-Sleep):
Step1- This stage involves light transition between wakefulness and sleep.
Step2- This stage refers to a deeper state where body temperature drops and heart rate slows.
Step3- At this stage the body is in a restorative stage. This includes strengthening of the immune system, body tissues repair etc.
Rapid Eye Movement (REM-Sleep):
This phase usually occurs in the second half of the night. It is for cognitive functions like creativity, emotional regulation, memory consolidation etc.
The Circadian Rhythm and Adenosine:
We feel sleepy at night and alert during the day, this is driven by the following two primary drivers:
The Circadian Rhythm:
This is often called our internal-clock, as the 24-hour cycle is heavily influenced by the light. AS the sun sets in the evening, our brain’s pineal gland produces melatonin. This hormone is responsible for signalling our body that it’s time to sleep.
Sleep Pressure(Adenosine):
Right from the moment we wake up, a chemical called adenosine builds up in our brains. The higher the level of adenosine, the sleepier one feels. Sleep clears this chemical while preparing the body for the next day.
Why Quality Sleep Matters for Lucknowites?
Living and surviving in a second-tier city like Lucknow is itself a challenging task. Life in such a vibrant and busy city comes up with challenges like pollution, traffic, late-night social gatherings as well as high social-mental and physical stress. In such situations, neglecting sleep can lead to following consequences-
Sleep deficiency leads to hypertension and heart diseases.
Lack of rest usually affects the insulin sensitivity while increasing the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Mood is always connected to sleep, so if one lacks proper sleep then it may lead to depression or anxiety.
Lack of sleep often reduces the body’s ability to fight off the local seasonal infections.
Strategies for a Better Night’s Sleep:
At CritiCare Hospital, we recommend a holistic approach to sleep, so let’s talk about some strategies to improve your rest:
1- Optimizing the sleep environment: The room temperature, around 18-22 degrees along with blackout curtains helps in having a good sleep. Usage of earplugs and white noise machines is also helpful in this.
2- Mastering the Light Exposure: In order to anchor the circadian rhythm, having at least 15 minutes of natural sunlight as soon as you wake up is good. Switching off the screens of mobile phones and tablets at least 60 minutes before sleep is also good as they emit blue light which inhibits melatonin production.
3- Diet also plays a significant role in ensuring a good sleep. For this purpose one should avoid high caffeine foods like coffee after 2 in the afternoon and avoid heavy dinners that trigger the stomach and cause gastric issues, and one should always try to have dinner at least 3 hours before sleep.
4- Maintain a sort of balance between the mind and body in order to have a healthy life. For this purpose one can go for reading, warm bathing or just have a brain chatter conversation with the ones you are comfortable with.
When to seek for professional help:
It is sometimes common that one does not have a proper sleep schedule, despite efforts but if the problem persists for a long period of time then it is the time to seek professional help. The other things like staying asleep for more than three nights a week, loud snoring followed by gasping for breath, excessive daytime sleep, or an uncontrollable urge to move your legs while restings are other crucial symptoms that require immediate and professional medical help.
Conclusion:
A better night’s sleep is in one’s hands. Aligning your day to day habits with the body’s science is helpful in transforming your life and making it healthy. The quality of sleep usually determines your next day’s efficiency so we can say that a good sleep is a key to overall well being and having a fruitful life in all three aspects, that is, social-mental-physical.
