The UK government is launching a campaign to warn about the effects of sleep deprivation on people between 40–60 years-of-age.
All of us will know that short-term lack of sleep can affect our mood and may provoke inappropriate stress responses, such as bad temper. However, chronic lack of sleep may be something that we are unaware of, but it can have serious effects on our mental and physical health.
Recent studies have shown that chronic lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of developing of anxiety/depression, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, ischaemic heart disease, accelerated ageing and reduced life expectancy(1,2,3,4).
In the US and Europe, sleep duration has been steadily decreasing since the 1970’s from an average of 8 hours to 6.5 hours per day; this has resulted in chronic sleep deprivation (4,5). Not only does the reduced length of sleep have a health impact, but so does the irregular sleep patterns caused by shift work and traveling across time zones (1).
In the UK, the health problems associated with chronic lack of sleep have been addressed by NHS England and the British Sleep Council; the media have also been quick to show interest recently, particularly in the effects of sleep deprivation in the over 50’s (6,7,8).
There are three main causes of lack of sleep:
There are three approaches to improving sleep:
These approaches are self-driven and impose no cost to the NHS (9).
The main recommendations of sleep hygiene behaviours include:
The main recommendations of stimulus control include:
Mindfulness meditation uses focused, self-regulated meditation to promote calmness and relaxation (9). This technique has recently been shown to benefit patients with anxiety, depression and chronic sleep disorders (9).
Recent cost-saving recommendations by NHS England include the improvement of community health with the use of 'social prescribing (10). The use of some rather old-fashioned but sensible behavioural approaches to improving sleep would seem to be ready for an ‘awakening.’
References
1) Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health 1. 2015; 40–43. Available at: http://www.sleephealthjournal.org/article/S2352-7218(15)00015-7/pdf Accessed 17 August 2015
2) Cappuccio FP, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep 2010, 33:585-92. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2864873/
3) Cappuccio FP, Cooper D, D’Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. European Heart Journal 2011; doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehr007. Available at: http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/ehj/early/2011/02/03/eurheartj.ehr007.full.pdf
4) Briançon-Marjollet A, Weiszenstein M, Henri M, Thomas A, Godin-Ribuot D, Polak J. The impact of sleep disorders on glucose metabolism: endocrine and molecular mechanisms. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome. 2015;7:25. Available at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4381534/
5) Krueger PM, Friedman EM. Sleep duration in the United States: a cross-sectional population-based study. Am J Epidemiol 2009, 169:1052-63. Available at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2727237/
6) NHS England. Does a lack of sleep lead to a lack of self-control? July 6 2015. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/07July/Pages/Does-a-lack-of-sleep-lead-to-a-lack-of-self-control.aspx
7) British Sleep Council. Sleep Tips for the Over 50’s. Available at: http://www.sleepcouncil.org.uk/how-to-sleep/sleep-tips-for-the-over-50s/
8) Getting less than six hours sleep a night increases risk of early death. Not sleeping releases hormones that increase stress levels, speed up the heart rate and raise blood pressure. Aug 10 2015. Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/getting-less-than-six-hours-sleep-a-night-increases-risk-of-early-death-10448173.html
9) Ong JC, Manber R, Segal Z, Xia Y, Shapiro S, Wyatt JK. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia. Sleep. 2014;37(9):1553. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4153063/
10) Parums D. Social Prescribing. See your GP and leave with a prescription for a pet or a new hobby? Healthcare-Arena. 27 July 2015. Available at: https://healthcare-arena.co.uk/social-prescribing/
All of us will know that short-term lack of sleep can affect our mood and may provoke inappropriate stress responses, such as bad temper. However, chronic lack of sleep may be something that we are unaware of, but it can have serious effects on our mental and physical health.
Recent studies have shown that chronic lack of sleep is associated with an increased risk of developing of anxiety/depression, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, ischaemic heart disease, accelerated ageing and reduced life expectancy(1,2,3,4).
In the US and Europe, sleep duration has been steadily decreasing since the 1970’s from an average of 8 hours to 6.5 hours per day; this has resulted in chronic sleep deprivation (4,5). Not only does the reduced length of sleep have a health impact, but so does the irregular sleep patterns caused by shift work and traveling across time zones (1).
In the UK, the health problems associated with chronic lack of sleep have been addressed by NHS England and the British Sleep Council; the media have also been quick to show interest recently, particularly in the effects of sleep deprivation in the over 50’s (6,7,8).
There are three main causes of lack of sleep:
- short sleep duration (too few hours),
- disruption of the normal circadian rhythm or ‘biological clock’ (shift work and international travel) and
- disorders of breathing during sleep, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); this affects between 4% and 15% of the population (1).
There are three approaches to improving sleep:
- 'sleep hygiene,’
- 'stimulus control' and
- ‘mindfulness meditation.’
These approaches are self-driven and impose no cost to the NHS (9).
The main recommendations of sleep hygiene behaviours include:
- Avoid caffeine and nicotine (both stimulants) in the 6 hours before bed.
- Avoid alcohol around bedtime (alcohol may facilitate sleep onset, but it tends to cause fragmentation of sleep and nightmares).
- Avoid eating a heavy meal before sleep (although a light meal may be helpful).
- Avoid exercise close to bedtime (even though in general exercise is helpful for sleep).
- Reduce noise, light (including from computers), and excessive heat during the sleep period.
The main recommendations of stimulus control include:
- Go to bed only when you are sleepy.
- Use the bed only for sleep and sex.
- Leave the bed if you have not gone to sleep within 15–20 minutes and then go back only when feeling sleepy again.
- Get up at the same time each morning, regardless of the amount of sleep you may have had.
- Do not sleep during the day.
Mindfulness meditation uses focused, self-regulated meditation to promote calmness and relaxation (9). This technique has recently been shown to benefit patients with anxiety, depression and chronic sleep disorders (9).
Recent cost-saving recommendations by NHS England include the improvement of community health with the use of 'social prescribing (10). The use of some rather old-fashioned but sensible behavioural approaches to improving sleep would seem to be ready for an ‘awakening.’
References
1) Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health 1. 2015; 40–43. Available at: http://www.sleephealthjournal.org/article/S2352-7218(15)00015-7/pdf Accessed 17 August 2015
2) Cappuccio FP, D'Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep 2010, 33:585-92. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2864873/
3) Cappuccio FP, Cooper D, D’Elia L, Strazzullo P, Miller MA. Sleep duration predicts cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. European Heart Journal 2011; doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehr007. Available at: http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/ehj/early/2011/02/03/eurheartj.ehr007.full.pdf
4) Briançon-Marjollet A, Weiszenstein M, Henri M, Thomas A, Godin-Ribuot D, Polak J. The impact of sleep disorders on glucose metabolism: endocrine and molecular mechanisms. Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome. 2015;7:25. Available at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4381534/
5) Krueger PM, Friedman EM. Sleep duration in the United States: a cross-sectional population-based study. Am J Epidemiol 2009, 169:1052-63. Available at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2727237/
6) NHS England. Does a lack of sleep lead to a lack of self-control? July 6 2015. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/07July/Pages/Does-a-lack-of-sleep-lead-to-a-lack-of-self-control.aspx
7) British Sleep Council. Sleep Tips for the Over 50’s. Available at: http://www.sleepcouncil.org.uk/how-to-sleep/sleep-tips-for-the-over-50s/
8) Getting less than six hours sleep a night increases risk of early death. Not sleeping releases hormones that increase stress levels, speed up the heart rate and raise blood pressure. Aug 10 2015. Available at:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/getting-less-than-six-hours-sleep-a-night-increases-risk-of-early-death-10448173.html
9) Ong JC, Manber R, Segal Z, Xia Y, Shapiro S, Wyatt JK. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia. Sleep. 2014;37(9):1553. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4153063/
10) Parums D. Social Prescribing. See your GP and leave with a prescription for a pet or a new hobby? Healthcare-Arena. 27 July 2015. Available at: https://healthcare-arena.co.uk/social-prescribing/
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