When we are ready to prepare for summer time, many people will fear that the sleep time will be reduced because of the advance of the body's biological clock. For millions of people, the decrease of sleep time may not be a good thing for their health. Children. Survey data show that 40% of American adults sleep less than 7 hours a day recommended by the American Sleep Medicine Association and the National Sleep Foundation.
The National Institutes of Health speculates that between 50 million and 70 million people don’t get enough sleep, and these suggestions for people’s minimum sleep time are based on many scientific studies. These studies have evaluated the role of sleep in body health. Key roles, and the impact of lack of sleep on physical performance and performance.
The author is a neurobiologist from the University of Florida, Michael S. Jaffee. He mainly studied the effects of traumatic brain injury and sleep disorders on the brain. Their results also show that sleep disorders do have a significant impact on the brain. According to the National Sleep Foundation, compared with the 1940s, American adults today only have 6.9 hours of sleep per day, and most American adults sleep an average of 7.9 hours per night. Or sleep for an hour or more each night; in fact, in 1942, 84% of Americans were able to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep, and in 2013, that percentage fell to 59%.
In the same Gallup poll, the participants stated that they had an average of 7.3 hours of sleep per day, but this time did not allow them enough sleep/rest, so that they would have an average of 24 minutes of sleep debt each day, 2018 In January, Fitbit announced their latest research results. They conducted a sleep test of 6 billion nights of customers and found that compared to women, men actually had a shorter sleep time of only 6.5 hours per day.
Why is sleep important?
The problem caused by lack of sleep is not just fatigue. The results of several studies conducted by scientists in recent years have found that those who have insufficient sleep are more likely than those who get enough sleep every day (at least 7 hours of sleep in a 24-hour cycle). Adults or adults who cannot sleep for 7 hours in 24 hours are more likely to suffer from 10 different diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma and depression.
However, children may face more challenges because they tend to get more sleep than adults. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children aged 6-12 should sleep 9-12 hours a day, and 13-18 years old. Adolescents need 8-10 hours of sleep each day to help maintain the health of children and adolescents. A survey conducted by the Sleep Foundation on parents shows that American children receive an hour or more each night The sleep time, however, is far less than the time needed by the child's body and brain.
The researchers found that even a one-hour lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on the child's developing brain, and lack of sleep often affects the coding of brain synapses' plasticity and memory, as well as children's unresponsiveness. A biological system is affected by sleep. When we can't get enough sleep or experience poor sleep, it can cause serious adverse health effects to the body.
When we do not have enough sleep, the body will make us more excited by enhancing the function of the sympathetic nervous system, which will allow the body to enter the 'Fight or Flight' mode, which will often lead to high blood pressure in the body and The risk of coronary heart disease; and the body's endocrine system will release more stress hormone - cortisol, while the body's glucose tolerance will be reduced, insulin resistance will increase, and in the long run will increase the individual suffering from type 2 diabetes The risk, in addition, lack of sleep can also lead to lower levels of body growth hormone and muscle maintenance.
Our body often depends on sleep to maintain body metabolism, and lack of sleep will lead to decreased levels of leptin release, and also increase the level of hormones, which are often directly related to appetite and weight gain. The human body will also rely on Sleep helps maintain the health of the immune system. Insufficient sleep often increases body inflammation, reduces the body’s resistance to influenza virus antibodies, and resists infection. At the same time, lack of sleep is also associated with negative emotions and reduced attention, as well as increased attention. Memory difficulties, in addition, individuals who lack of sleep will also reduce the body's tolerance to pain and reaction time. Some occupational studies link sleep deficits with decreased performance, and lack of sleep will increase the probability of traffic accidents, and will Significantly reduce individual work efficiency.
The role of the brain
Now researchers know that brain health is an important aspect of sleep. It is worth noting that sleep is an important aspect of memory consolidation and learning ability. The latest findings also found another important role sleep plays in brain health. There is a system that can effectively eliminate harmful proteins, such as abnormal variants of amyloid, and the process of waste removal usually uses a special system called the glymphatic system, which also depends on sleep ability. Effective elimination of toxic proteins in the brain, researchers also found the same toxic proteins in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. The researchers found that the accumulation of these proteins in the brains of under-aged sleepers is often too high.
The wake-up cycle of the body is regulated by the biological clock, which can release signals to the brain by releasing the natural hormone melatonin to promote sleep, and the body's system for regulating melatonin and our sleep cycle are significantly affected by light. There is a special type of cell in the retina of the body's eye that interacts directly with the regulator of the brain's circadian clock in the hypothalamus. This pathway is significantly affected by the light. Some researchers have discovered through research that it comes from the blue spectrum or blue light. Light waves can significantly affect the activity of neurons in the brain, which are most prominent among the electronic light emitted by computers and smartphones. Now, these light have had a significant negative impact on people's natural sleep cycle. .
Of course, there are other factors that can hinder the body's sleep, including pain conditions, other drugs and the growing needs of modern society and social contact. When we are ready for summer time, we can notice that many athletes have already planned Sleep time is extended, which is enough to enhance their performance in the game; at the same time many professional sports teams also hired sleep consultants to help ensure that athletes have enough sleep, perhaps as the spring blossoms, we also need to adjust their sleep Time to ensure a strong experience to meet every day new life.
