34 MH.CO.ZA/ August 2019IMAGES SUPPLIEDMelatonin – does it work?
Studies have shown that melatonin
can reduce the time it takes to fall
asleep in healthy sleepers (people
who don’t need it!) and those with
disruption of the 24-hour body
clock (circadian rhythm disorders).
But it seems to have no effect on
those who have insufficient sleep
or insomnia. Unlike true hypnotics
such as Zolpidem, melatonin
doesn’t act on the parts of your
brain that induce sleep directly.
Rather, melatonin resets your
24-hour body clock. This is why
it can be helpful for people with
circadian rhythm disorders, but not
for those who don’t sleep enough
for other reasons. If you buy
melatonin to help you fall asleep
faster or stay asleep longer, you’re
probably better off spending your
money on a few sessions with a
sleep specialist, to get to the root
of your sleep issues.How do I discover my
natural circadian rhythm?
If you want to discover your
natural circadian rhythm, the one
not affected by work or family
obligations, go camping. When
you take away commitments,
screens and artificial light, your
body clock resets itself to the dark-
light cycle created by the earth’s
rotation around the sun. After
about two weeks of camping,and as long as you aren’t short on
sleep, you’ll notice that you get to
sleep approximately three hours
after sunset and wake up just
before sunrise. This is the effect of
your true, natural circadian rhythm.I spend an hour on my
phone before bed. Does that
eat into my quality sleep time?
If you’ve lowered the brightness
of your screen, any text is white-
on-black, and you’ve activated
the blue-light filter or Night Shift
mode, probably not. The amount
of blue light emitted when all these
features are in place is minimal. But
working or watching entertainment
that’s too exciting or emotional
may delay sleep, and therefore
could decrease your sleep time.I feel fine after just a few
hours of sleep, but my mates
tell me it’s a health hazard. Is it?
There’s good scientific evidence to
support that statement. Guys who
sleep much less/more than 7 to
8 hours have the highest chance
of dying early. Also, we know that
people are pretty bad at rating
how tired they are (especially
when they’re sleep deprived). We
can get used to feeling tired, and
learn to cope with that feeling
pretty quickly. But just because
you feel fine, it doesn’t mean you
couldn’t be feeling much betterBEDTIME
“Use it to monitor how
regular your bedtimes
and get-up times are,
and whether your
sleep opportunity is
long enough.” (iOS)TAKE AN APP
Turn your
smartphone into a
sleep solution with
Rob’s favourite apps.GUY WISDOMAsk the Sleep Scientist
STRAIGHT-UP ADVICE FROM A STAND-UP GUY, EVERY MONTH. / BY KIERAN LEGGif you got sufficient sleep. Also,
work or family stress can mask the
effects of insufficient sleep. Saying
“I feel fine” when you’re extremely
busy simply doesn’t count. Same
for when you’re high on caffeine,
nicotine or other stimulants.I’m shopping for a new
mattress. Worth shelling out
extra for a high-quality option?
In his book The Promise of Sleep,
William Dement says his research
group compared aspects of sleep
quality in university students
sleeping on (a) a well-known luxury
mattress, (b) a normal (much
cheaper) mattress, and (c) on the
floor with no mattress. To their
surprise, they found no difference
in sleep quality between the
three. Dement later realised that
at the time the students were
participating in the study, they
had just finished exams, and were
probably sleep deprived from
all the studying. Under those
circumstances, any surface is
good enough to sleep on! But as
long as you choose a mattress
you can lie on comfortably, and it
doesn’t leave your back or neck
sore the following morning, it’s
a good mattress as far as sleep
goes. A more expensive mattress
is not likely to result in better sleep.I’ve been working late nights
at the office; now I’m gaining
weight. Are the extra kilos
because of my lack of sleep?
Possibly. Sleep plays a major
role in appetite regulation and
metabolism. First, sleep-restricted
individuals have lower levels of
leptin (satiety hormone), and
higher levels of ghrelin (hunger
hormone); with impaired decision-
making, that may result in an
increase in high-kJ food intake.
Second, not enough sleep may
also result in increased cortisol
(stress hormone), increasing
blood sugar. This may cause
insulin resistance, and type 2
diabetes in the long run. Third,
insufficient/irregular sleep may
disrupt gut flora, causing changes
in metabolism. Finally, feeling less
energetic due to insufficient sleep
makes guys sedentary, which
decreases energy expenditure- which can lead to weight gain,
which again may affect your sleep.
Insufficient sleep can make it that
much harder to lose weight, and to
maintain a healthy weight.
A sleep scientist, and co-founder of Sleep
Science at the Sports Science Institute of
South Africa, Rob is a PhD candidate,
outdoorsman, and your travel guide to a
better night’s rest.
SLEEP CYCLE
“With ‘Sleep Notes’
and ‘Wake Up Mood’
you can keep track
of factors that may
influence your sleep.
However, use the
microphone sleep
monitoring with
caution; rather use
the ‘Wake Up Mood’
feature to record how
well you slept.” (iOS &
Android)SNORELAB
“This lets you record
and play back sounds
you make at night, such
as breathing, snoring
and coughing. It also
helps you keep track
of factors that make
your snoring worse. If
you hear yourself stop
breathing or gasping
for air during the night,
you may want to see
your GP, as these are
signs of sleep apnoea.”
(iOS & Android)MEET ROB HENST