OCTOBER 2019 GH 67
A third of your life is spent in the snoozing state, or at least in bed
trying to reach it. Understanding how sleep works can help you get
more rest
—
and get all the health benefits that come with it!
by MERYL DAVIDS LANDAUTHE SCIENCE OF
SLEEP
THE BASICS Remember when you used to brag about
working a full day after a night of revelry, because who
needed sleep anyway? Actually, we all do. Shut-eye is as
crucial to our well-being as eating a healthy diet, exercising
and not smoking, says Afifa Shamim-Uzzaman, M.D., a
physician at the University of Michigan’s Sleep Disorders
Center in Ann Arbor. Most adults need at least seven hours
(more than nine if we’re sick or trying to catch up). Yet
39% of Americans ages 39 to 54 are deficient — the highest
percentage of any age group — likely because we’re burningthe midnight oil with kids, work emails, aging parents and
more. Skimping is serious, though, since it boosts our risk of
diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, depression, weight
gain and even death, not to mention that it’s hard to think or
function when you’re exhausted. Quality is also key: Broken
sleep disrupts the regular cycles that heal cells and weed
out nonessential memories throughout the night. “So many
systems in the body are impacted by sleep,” which affects
immunity, metabolism and more, says Dr. Shamim-Uzzaman.
Turn the page for how you can get the most from the time
you spend in bed.Health s ecial re ort
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