The science behind sleep remains a mystery to most individuals. However, as sleep disorders, stress, sickness, disease, and overall health of the human race declines, the importance of learning about this nightly activity is rising Therefore, today I have decided to discuss the various information that I learned through completing Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Certification course. Throughout the certification, I was taught why it is so important to get adequate amounts of sleep, what a "good nights rest" actually means, and the varying factors that can effect the overall productivity of sleeping as a whole.
What is Your Circadian Rhythm?
We were born synchronized with the rising and setting of the sun, and thus are hardwired to follow its lead when it comes to sleep and wake cycles. This pattern is known as one's circadian rhythm, and is what ultimately directs important hormone secretion, patterns in eating, sleeping, and brain waves, as well as regeneration and repair at a cellular level. The cycle itself is 24 hours, and is severely compromised due to many modern world calamities, such as blue light from electronics, alarm clocks, overall poor diet and high carbohydrate meals in the evening, working night shifts, alcohol, sleep aids, and many other factors. When this happens, thinking, learning, focusing, weight management, and excelling in everyday activities, becomes compromised, even when one does not realize it. Instead of the body being able to handle the inevitable stress of merely surviving in life, the seemingly small, insignificant factors become detrimental, causing accelerated aging and neurological decline. As the sun goes down, melatonin raises in the blood stream, causing one to become sleepy and ready for bed. This process happens through the pineal gland, which begins converting serotonin into melatonin, inducing a good night's rest, and therefore is termed "Dim Light Melatonin Onset" (i.e. DLMO). As this process begins, one's body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing all slow down as well. In the morning, when one awakes and is exposed to sunlight, the pineal gland becomes active once more, working to raise one's serotonin levels, as well as the stress hormone cortisol for the first 30 minutes after rising. Unlike chronically elevated stress hormones, this spike in cortisol is something that the body wants and needs as a means to prepare itself, through genetic mechanisms, for the busy day ahead. However, this process of elevating one's serotonin and cortisol, is at its prime in the beginning hours of the sun's rise, making those who get up early, the most benefited.
Why Sleep is a Big Deal
While the body is asleep, many adaptive and growth hormones (such as testosterone), become active rebuilding the organs, muscles, and overall well being of one's body, causing it to feel rejuvenated in the morning. Not only that, but specific white blood cells begin killing off any unwanted bacteria, while macrophages and leukocytes also kick into high gear, making sure that the "good" flora stay healthy as well. Through the activation of human growth hormone (i.e. HGH), fat is burned, while certain parts of the brain responsible for emotional and social health are also rested. That being said, when the body is in a state of chronic sleep deficit, appetite, metabolism, and storage of carbohydrates, are significantly altered. This causes one's overall mood, ability to focus, be productive, and retention of key information to be compromised, while internal factors, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormone levels, all skyrocket, simultaneously weakening the immune system, and thus leading to heart disease, cancers, sexual dysfunction, premature aging, and weight gain.
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| A rough sketch of a typical sleep cycle |
Your Sleep Cycle
So, what exactly happens when you close your eyes and go to sleep? For starters, the brain is quite active, responding to differing, internal stimuli, simultaneously phasing into the four stages of sleep; N1 (first, five minute transition into sleep), N2 (10-15 minutes), N3 (deepest sleep stage with restorative and adaptive hormones flowing, repairing cells and muscles), and REM (i.e. "dream sleep" - 20% of sleep cycle, paralyzation of legs and arms, improvement of spatial, perceptual, and visual skills). It is in the second stage of sleep (i.e. N2), that one's heart rate and body temperature decreases, while eye movement completely stops. Information is "uploaded" for further storage during later REM sleep, while learning and motor skills are strengthened. This process is known as "long-term potentiation," and becomes critical as one's learning increases with age. Next, one's body phases into the third, deepest stage of sleep, known as N3. This is where blood is directed away from the brain towards the muscles, organs, and bones, where it is able to restore physical energy through restorative, adaptive hormones, and macronutrient synthesis. This can also be called "non-REM" sleep, and usually happens for 70-90 minutes into one's sleep cycle. Last but not least, REM sleep arrives, which is named for the rapid eye movement that occurs. As mentioned previously, one's legs and arms are put into paralyzation mode, while heart and blood pressure raise, and breathing becomes shallow. Emotional experiences from the day prior are sorted out, while perceptual visual, spatial, memory, and cognitive skills are improved, as well as the production of important neurotransmitters; dopamine and serotonin. Overall, the body repeats through these 4, non-REM and REM stages of sleep during night, taking a total of 90 minutes to go through once. This process as a whole is known as "synaptic homeostasis," and is where the body refreshes the spaces between its nerve cells (i.e. synapses). The more stimulation one experiences during the day time, the more the bodies cell communicators grow. Therefore, it is undoubtedly critical to get the uninterrupted sleep that successfully goes throughout non-REM and REM cycles, to ensure that these synapses are restored.
Quality Over Quantity
Ultimately, it is the amount of full sleep cycles that the body goes through that is important to feeling and look good, not the amount or hours. However, outside disturbances in this world's hectic life, can have a big influence on these optimal hormonal processes that occur during these differing stages of sleep, and thus can be a large problem in one's health.
Digital Stimulation
Though most people tend to "wind down" with evening TV shows, this activity is actually quite detrimental to both their sleep, and the important processes that occur while they are asleep. Cortisol, which is a stress hormone that makes us feel alert and awake in the morning, is very sensitive to the blue light emitted from TV, computer, and phone screens. Therefore, when we are exposed to these digital gadgets after the sun goes down, instead of DLMO (i.e. Dim Light Melatonin Onset) happening, cortisol stays elevated, making the body be tricked into thinking it is not the least bit tired. This causes people to stay up late watching their favorite drama series, playing video games, or simply texting in bed. These activities interfere with one's circadian rhythm by raising the bodies natural (and usually unnoticed) stress response, causing little work to be done on hormonal balance, brain function, mood, and metabolism, while one finally does fall asleep. The longer one is exposed to blue light, the worse off their health becomes, and typically becomes quite noticeable once one reaches mid 30-40's, as work stress, and excess digital stimulation, have thrown their circadian rhythm off, and thus the biological rejuvenation that happens at night, suffers immensely. Overall, as one's immune system slowly declines, their mood, energy, fat metabolism, and cognitive function, are also severely compromised. However, this situation is not deemed hopeless, as there are some easy, practical ways we can counteract the culprit (i.e. blue light) that is wrecking our optimum gene expression. When measured on the Kelvin temperature scale, blue light clocks in at 6,500 K, compared to 1,800 K of a candle, incandescent indoor light at 3,000 K, and the sun at its midday, peak light of 5,500 K. Once these numbers are compared, it is quite easy to see why blue light is so detrimental to one's health. Ultimately, it is not natural, and thus the human body was not made to tolerate it, causing increased overall hunger and sugar cravings, sleep deficits, insulin production (and thus fat storage), while also a spike in the risk of degenerative eye disease and certain cancers. Unlike blue light, red-orange-yellow light does not effect melatonin secretion, but rather relaxes the central nervous system, aiding in a good nights rest. To combat the modern day calamity of blue light, wearing orange tinted glasses once the sun sets, or downloading the program F.lux, which changes one's screen temperature closely to that of the hue of the sun, are all great, effective options. Other ways to get the most out of your sleep are to remove all electronics from the bedroom, keep thermostat to 60-68 degrees F, and even purchasing a calming noise machine, can all be extremely helpful, and make your room the way you body prefers to rest in.
Turn the Lights Off
Despite those who are able to fall asleep in any atmosphere, even the smallest amount of light exposure can hinder the beneficial, hormonal effects of sleeping, causing overall restoration to be suppressed. Though wearing sleep masks can be helpful and relaxing for one's eyes, it is actually the entire body that is sensitive to light. Studies have shown that even the smallest amount of exposure when one is supposed to and (or) is fast asleep, disrupts the internal biological, rejuvenating processes. One study, showed that the simple act of flashing a beam of light across the back of one's knee while sleeping, noticeably disrupted their melatonin release. Another study preformed 2-3 hours after one's bedtime, using 2 millisecond of light every 30 minutes, for an hour straight, proved that the light, though inconceivable to the naked eye, did penetrate the eyelids and thus disrupted melatonin secretion. Overall, these studies show why it is incredibly important to sleep in a dark room, as our bodies "night-shift" was made to work best in these conditions
Food Induced Coma
While it is easy, and rather fulfilling to one's "comfort food" preferences, to buy into the statement that eating high carb meals helps one sleep, this saying is actually very misleading. Because of the surge of insulin that carbohydrates naturally produce in the body, having a meal that is high in this component can significantly alter the quality of sleep, regardless of if one takes notice of it or not. Instead of the body focusing on rejuvenating muscles, organs, and tissue, it is busy trying to digest the food and put it to proper use. For this reason, it is good idea to eat heavier meals earlier on in the day, as a light meal at night allows the body to focus on the nightly routine of restoring itself. Drinking alcohol near the hours of bedtime can also significantly reduce the quality of one's sleep, due to interference with hormone flow. Therefore, while certain foods rich in L-Tryptophan (i.e. nuts, eggs, cheese, and meat) may aid in the release of melatonin, intake of these foods around bedtime is rather minuscule compared to the other components that may alter one's sleep quality.
Is Napping Necessary?
As one gets older, the tendency to take afternoon naps tends to arise. However, napping should not be ignored in those of younger ages, as it can be a necessary component of getting the much needed "battery charge" one's body needs. Though having a synched circadian rhythm may take away the need for a nap, they can be incredibly helpful to those with a disrupted sleep cycle. Due to the internal rejuvenation that goes on during sleep not being fulfilled, taking short naps are efficient ways to easily catch up on the much needed non-REM and REM sleep. If one is feeling sleep pressure (i.e. the desire to take a nap), 20-30 minutes is quite enough to restore one's worn out nervous system through balancing the brain's sodium:potassium ratio. In order to catch up on REM sleep, taking earlier hour naps, such as those in the morning, are the most effective to target this specific sleep phase, and help one feel energized for the rest of the day. However, if one naps in the afternoon, the body focuses on the processes that are lacking from overall, deep sleep deficiency, making them feel groggy and seemingly more tired once waking. Yet this will only last for a few minutes, after which brain function and adaptive hormones will begin working at peak levels. Overall, if one feels the urge to nap in order to focus properly, they are most likely right. It is also key to note that there is no need to worry about later, regular sleep times being compromised by taking morning or afternoon naps, as these can actually combat any insomnia, due to one's circadian rhythm being back on track.
Sleep Summary
Despite those who claim that they can run off of less than four hours of sleep, this time of rest is key to longevity, peak performance in athleticism, work, and daily life, as well as weight loss/maintenance, and overall thriving for every human. While clocking in enough hours may be important, the standard 7-8 hours preached to us by conventional wisdom is not necessarily the end-all be-all. Instead, sleep habits should adjust to the season and the sunlight that changes according to the given latitude and time of year. One should aim for 9.5 hours of sleep, of which begins 4-5 hours after sunset, during 7-6 months out of the year when days are shorter. The remaining, longer, summer days, should include 8 hours or less of sleeping, that begins 1-2 after sunset ("Lights out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival" by T.S Wiley and Bent Formby). Sadly, it is said that 40% of people get less than five hours of sleep, while 75% of people suffer from sleep disorders (Harvard School of Public Research) However, it does not have to be this way, as the key to getting restorative sleep is simply to synchronize one's habits with the rising and setting of the sun. Yet the rise of digital stimulation in today's industrialized world puts a serious damper on this task, as blue light and other, bright house lights, stop the process of DLMO (i.e. Dim Light Melatonin Onset), making most individuals stay up much longer than their body prefers. This causes stress hormones to elevate, while other internal processes are simultaneously suppressed, causing a weakened immune system and thus accelerated aging. That being said, hese problems can be easily combated by wearing orange tinted glasses once the sun goes down, and (or) installing the free, F.Lux software on electronic devices. On the flip side, it is also important to try and expose oneself to direct sunlight upon waking, as this will lower melatonin levels, simultaneously flooding the body with serotonin and a spike of cortisol, allowing one to feel happy, refreshed, and ready to tackle the day ahead. From personal experience with disrupted sleep due to the effects of Chronic Lyme, I find wearing orange tinted glasses to significantly help me fall asleep at night. Instead of feeling "wired" after watching a TV show, my body feels much more relaxed and sleepy, allowing me to fall asleep quite effortlessly. For further reading, please visit the links that I have provided below.
Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Low hgh could be a factor as well....
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