The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults age 18 to 60 years get at least seven hours of sleep per night for optimal health and well-being.
But we’re a sleep-deprived nation; according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study published in 2016, more than a third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis.
While sleep deprivation isn’t a specific disease and is usually caused by another illness or life circumstances, it’s a serious issue that can lead to a range of poor health outcomes. “Sleep deprivation is getting fewer hours of sleep than is generally needed for your health and well-being,” says Beth A. Malow, MD, a professor in the department of neurology and pediatrics and director of the sleep disorders division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Sleep deprivation may be due to your lifestyle, such as staying up too late or waking up too early, due to job or family demands, or a sleep disorder like insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or restless legs syndrome. Sleep deprivation is also common with depression, schizophrenia, chronic pain syndrome, cancer, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
What are the signs of sleep deprivation? Someone who is sleep deprived has sleep that is inadequate in quantity or quality. “The person may seem inattentive or moody, or be prone to fall asleep in sedentary situations,” Brandon Peters-Mathews, MD, a sleep medicine doctor at Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, and author of Sleep Through Insomnia, tells Health. Other minor signs of sleep deprivation include drowsiness, inability to concentrate, impaired memory, reduced physical strength, and diminished ability to fight off infections.
If sleep deprivation isn’t addressed, symptoms can become more serious, and include increased risk for depression and mental illness, increased risk for stroke, hallucinations, and severe mood swings.
How does sleep deprivation impact overall health?
Ongoing sleep deprivation can have serious, long-term health consequences. “A lack of sleep affects the normal function of the brain and contributes to both cognitive and mood disturbances,” Dr. Peters-Mathews says. “It affects short-term memory, concentration, problem solving, and reaction times. It exacerbates anxiety, depression, and irritability." He adds that it may also lead to hormonal changes, like insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar levels, or even weight regulation. Not getting enough sleep may also eventually worsen pain and, "if severe enough, it may cause visual hallucinations or paranoia," Dr. Peters-Mathews says.
Sleep deprivation may also lead to hormonal changes, like insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar levels, or even weight regulation, Dr. Peters-Mathews says. Many studies have also identified a link between sleep deprivation and abnormal metabolic function. Ongoing sleep loss results in less insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar) being released in the body after you eat. Instead, the body discharges more cortisol and other stress hormones to help you stay awake. However, these hormones make it harder for insulin to do the job it was designed for, which means too much glucose stays in the bloodstream.
A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in 2016 found that teenagers who were sleep deprived could display different and risky behavior, such as drinking, texting while driving, and not following common safety protocols, like wearing a bicycle helmet or a seat belt. Sleep-deprived teens were also more likely to struggle with obesity, migraines, depression, and substance abuse.
How can you avoid sleep deprivation? The best way to avoid sleep deprivation is to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night. “It’s important to recognize the importance of sufficient sleep,” Dr. Malow says
The key is to protect your time in bed. Don’t allow work or hobbies to reduce time available for sleep. Put aside work and spend the last one to two hours before your anticipated bedtime engaged in relaxing activities—read a book, watch a movie or a favorite TV show, listen to relaxing music, or take a bath.
Other simple strategies to tackle mild sleep deprivation include exercising for at least 20 to 30 minutes each day and at least five to six hours before going to bed, avoiding substances that contain caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol, all of which can disrupt your regular sleep patterns, and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, meaning you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Keep your bedroom at a reasonable temperature
The National Sleep Foundation recommends somewhere around 65 degrees Fahrenheit because a bedroom that is too hot or too cold can disrupt sleep. In some cases, a short daytime nap may help to recover from recently lost sleep.
Can Drinking Coffee Lower Your Dementia Risk? Here's What New Research Says About the Association.
The study which looked at the relationship of coffee and tea with the risk of dementia and stroke, found that there is a certain number of cups per day that has the biggest association with decreased risk.
Researchers compared people who didn't drink coffee or tea with those who drank the beverages regularly and found that those who like their coffee/tea had a lowered risk of stroke and dementia than abstainers. Specifically, those who had either two to three cups of coffee a day or three to five cups of tea a day had a lower risk of dementia and stroke. Those who drank a combination of coffee and tea, two to three cups of coffee a day and two to three cups of tea a day had the best results, with a 32% lower risk of stroke and 28% lower risk of dementia.
It's important to point out that the study found only an association, not causation. Meaning, the researchers didn't find that regularly drinking coffee or tea actually lowers a person's risk of dementia and stroke—just that people who tend to drink coffee and tea often have a lower risk of those serious health issues. Scott Kaiser, MD, a geriatrician and director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, says that the correlation vs. causation factor is key. He notes that the study, "does not prove that drinking coffee or tea actually caused this reduction in risk."
Still, doctors are intrigued. "I am excited that my personal risk of dementia might go down with coffee use," says Amit Sachdev, MD, medical director in the Department of Neurology at Michigan State University.
And this isn't the first study to find a positive link between coffee, in particular, and health. One study of more than 468,000 people presented at the European Society of Cardiology in August found that having up to three cups of coffee a day is linked to a lower risk of stroke and heart disease. A meta-analysis of data from 34,282 people published in the journal Clinical Nutrition in 2016 also found that having one or two cups of coffee a day is linked with a lowered dementia risk.
Of course, you can have too much of a good thing. A study published earlier this year in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience found that drinking more than six cups of coffee a day actually raises your dementia risk.
It's not entirely clear why there might be a link between your coffee and tea intake and your dementia and stroke risk—and this latest study didn't explore this. "While caffeine is certainly a key common denominator, coffee and tea are both derived from plants with many, many potentially beneficial chemical compounds, including powerful antioxidants," Dr. Kaiser says. Any of those so-called phytonutrients—ie, chemicals that plants produce to keep themselves healthy—"can actually reduce inflammation in our brains, protect brain cells from injury, support learning and memory, and deliver other obvious benefits for brain health," he explains.
There is "considerable controversy" that exists around the association of coffee and tea consumption with stroke and dementia and more research is needed to resolve this issue.
Until Next Time: Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and be careful out there
James A Vito, D.M.D