Charlotte Willis shares some advice on
the importance of getting good sleep
I
lose count of the people I speak to on a
daily basis who tell me they are tired,
exhausted or on the verge of nodding off
during their next meeting. We are a nation of
workaholics, do-aholics and always-on-the-go-
aholics. Work emails ping to your phone, which
never leaves your side even when relaxing.
We never stop! But what about our body’s
restorative mechanism? What impact does all
this action and activity have upon our much
lusted after 7-8 hours of sleep? Are we truly
getting enough rest, and if so, is it the highest
quality or the correct sort?
The science of circadian rhythms
For something so intrinsic and valuable in
our lives, sleep is a phenomenon only recently
beginning to be understood. Discoveries into
how we fall asleep, what happens when we’re
unconscious, and our body’s reaction to a
reduction in sleep are questions we fi nally have
the research capabilities to answer.
For example, it has recently been discovered
that there is a dedicated sleep centre in the
brain (the suprachiasmatic nucleus). This area
of the brain contains 10,000 cells, each with
an infl uence on our biological body clock using
light sensation. It turns out that this bundle of
brain cells helps to control almost every single
other cell in the body, by providing them with
their own 24 hour clock rhythm. Put simply,
almost every single one of your body’s cells
has its own bedtime (during which the cell
is relatively inactive) and wake time (after
which the cell is at its most active) based upon
the time of day, aff ecting the diff erent rates
in metabolism and bodily functions over 24
hours. Pretty amazing stuff!
These internal body clocks are also known
as circadian rhythms, and are directly aff ected
by the amount of daylight and artifi cial light
the body is exposed to. It’s like an internal self-
timer or dimmer switch, telling us to feel sleepy
in the evening and fuelling our cells when we
require the most energy during the day.The cycle of sleep
There’s a reason why we can’t function without
sleep. This necessity is critical to our existence.
Sleep allows our bodies to undergo important
repair and restorative functions including
muscle and bone repair, tissue growth,
hormonal regulation and healing mechanisms.
This cyclic rhythm of unconscious rest also
helps to increase memory, aiding mental
performance and reducing anxiety and stress.
During sleep, we travel through a series of
cycles involving diff erent levels (phases) ofunconsciousness, with each complete cycle
occurring 5-6 times per night. We begin with
the transitional phase (phase 1), which is when
we fl oat in and out of nodding off. Here, we are
likely to experience auditory hallucinations and
jerky muscular movements.
You eventually slip into phase 2, which is the
most frequently experienced phase of sleep.
Here, body temperature and heart rate are low,
eye movement is still, with the odd burst of
movement known as sleep spindles.
Phases 3 and 4 are the deepest periods of
sleep, in which you require a loud or sudden
noise to be woken! During these phases
brain waves are at their slowest, resulting in
rhythmic, deep breathing. These phases are
the most restorative as growth hormones are
produced to help aid our recovery internally.
Phase 5, also known as REM sleep (rapid eye
movement), is characterised by vivid dreams.
In this phase, the body enters a state of muscle
paralysis to prevent us acting out our dreams!Too little? Too much?
I’m sure you’re aware of the dangers of getting
too little sleep. Not only does it make you feel
zombifi ed, leaving you bleary eyed and lusting
after a siesta, but a lack of sleep can have
serious eff ects on your cardiovascular and
immune health, while decreasing fertility and
increasing the risk of diabetes and depression.
However, too much sleep can be just as bad for
us! Oversleeping for months on end, night afterIs Your
How Deep
Sleep?