The Importance of Sleep

 

So, we've all heard that adults need on average around 8 hours of sleep per night.  But, how many of us actually accomplish that on a regular basis?  It's way too easy to get distracted with social media, hanging out with friends, and enjoying life.  That's not even including the time we spend taking care of ourselves, our living space, and our families each night.  In fact a study by the National Sleep Foundation (2011) reported that only about 63% of Americans say they're getting enough sleep during the week, and 15% of adults aged 19-64 reported getting less than six hours of sleep each night.  So, we're not great at getting enough sleep on a regular basis.  What impact does this actually have?  

Sleep plays a major function in memory by allowing the brain to convert short-term memory into long-term memory.  That's like clearing the cache on a computer.  Mass and Robbins (2011) point out that the final two hours of sleep (hours 5.5 to 7 or hours 7-9) are crucial for this conversion of memories into long-term storage. Getting enough sleep opens up more space for processing, gathering new information, and for learning new things. It also makes thinking more efficient and aids in recalling already processed information.  Someone who is sleep deprived will be actually be 19% less efficient at memory recall (Maas & Robbins, 2011).  

So, that's how sleep impacts our memory and learning.  But, the impacts don't stop there.  Sleep deprivation can impair driving and vision.  It can also contribute towards obesity, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of heart disease (Doyle & Zakrajsek, 2013). One study even showed that participants who had 6 hours or less of sleep each night over a period of two weeks were so cognitively impaired that they performed at the same level as subjects who had been continuously awake for 48 straight hours (Van Dongen, Maislin, Mullington, & Dinges, 2003)!

Getting enough sleep can be tricky.  But, we all know what we need to do.  There are plenty of suggestions out there like:

• Avoid caffeine in the afternoons and evenings
• Avoid alcohol
• Don't eat big meals within 2-4 hours of bedtime
• Get some exercise
• Have a bedtime ritual and set schedule 
• Limit screen time an hour or two before bed

Think about what changes you could make this week to improve your sleep and the amount of sleep that you get each night.  Find something simple, a small change, and start there.  Every little bit helps!

References:

Doyle, T. & Zakrajsek, T.. (2013). The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain.  Stylus Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

Maas, J., & Robbins, R. (2011). Sleep for success. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse.

National Sleep Foundation (NSF). (2011, March 7). Annual sleep in America poll exploring connections with communications technology use and sleep. Retrieved from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/press-release/annual-sleep-america-poll-exploring-connections-communications-technology-use-

Van Dongen, H., Maislin, G., Mullington, J., & Dinges, D. (2003). The cumulative cost of additional wakefulness: Dose-response effects on neurobehavioral functions and sleep physiology from chronic sleep restriction and total sleep deprivation. Sleep, 26 (2), 117–126.