By Grace Romund (Contributor) – Email
Date Posted: October 5, 2011
Print Edition: September 28, 2011
It always seems that by the end of the semester your ability to stay organized and motivated can be measured by the number of all-nighters you’ve had to pull to keep up with writing papers and studying for exams. We’ve all had to stay up to the wee hours of the morning to finish assignments. It’s obvious that if you don’t sleep the next day you feel fatigued and incapable of functioning at maximum capacity, but what are the medical ramifications of never getting a good night’s rest?
In a conversation with Dr. Jacques West, MD of Medimax Abbotsford I had the opportunity discuss the importance of sleep and why students should attempt, as best as possible, to maintain a decent sleep pattern: “It’s important to get a great night’s sleep,” said Dr. West, primarily because “it’s restorative.” Evidently, one of the primary reasons to get decent sleep is to have enough energy to get through the next day. The doctor’s orders are that the average person should be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep every night.
And it’s not just a matter of getting sleep, but when you get that sleep: “It’s important not to go to sleep too late because you want to have your base hours before 12 p.m.,” Dr. West explained, “because of circadian rhythms, basically the day and night cycles…in the brain.”
The idea is that if you have eight hours of sleep from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. they will be more restful and restorative because it will be more in tune with your innate sleep cycle, whereas if you sleep 1 a.m. to 9 a.m., although it may be eight hours, you will not have as good a sleep because it does not adhere to your natural circadian rhythm. Dr. West continued, “We have an epidemic of sleep deprivation caused by artificial lights which keep us awake.” Modern man has made it possible to throw circadian rhythms the way of the dinosaurs because of the invention of electricity. Therefore, if another good show comes on TV just as you’re about go to sleep you can defy nature to sit up and watch it.
There are, however, consequences to being a perpetual night owl. Dr. West cautioned that since we have a society which is consistently sleep deprived there is greater risk of car accidents resulting from falling asleep at the wheel, as well as many medical repercussions ranging from depression and increased anxiety to a poor immune system. Dr. West went on to say that a lack of sleep causes “accelerated degeneration” of the body. “People who don’t get proper sleep will age more quickly. You’ll look younger and you’ll feel younger if you get sleep.”
If you aren’t trying to keep yourself awake with coffee and energy drinks to finish writing a paper or to cram for an exam, and you’re still not getting any rest then Dr. West proposed several possibilities. “The cause of going to bed easily because you’re tired, but then waking up really early and can’t get back to sleep is most likely depression. Sleep apnea is when you sleep for eight hours, but you don’t have a restorative sleep because you’re not breathing properly…anybody that snores should get assessed because that could indicate sleep apnea.”
The doctor’s final words of advice were that afternoon naps are also extremely good for you, and that if you feel without energy in the afternoon the best cure is a short nap that will leave you refreshed and ready for the rest of the day. Something we can all agree on.
