Sleep

Sleep (Translated by Alewyn Burger)

D F Malherbe (1881–1969)

How strangely beautiful is sleep!

Slumber alights softly on her blue eyes

like the light of the moon on deep pools

to dream there in silver twilight.

If you are sipping your third espresso for the day, chances are that you are suffering from sleep deprivation. If you can stay awake long enough to comprehend a lecture by an expert, the words “circadian rhythms” and “sleep hygiene” may compete in your head with the latest video or music downloads from iTunes. Circadian rhythms – biological processes that recur daily to organize physiology, metabolism, and behavior in response to the 24-hour light-dark cycle created by the Earth’s rotation [1] – are known to occur in cyanobacteria and mammals. Genetically encoded rhythms in mammals are regulated and synchronized directly and indirectly via a master clock in the brain i.e., the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus [1]. Predictable circadian rhythms enable the body to anticipate and prepare optimally for environmental changes. Changes in sleep quality and circadian control of sleep propensity accompany healthy aging, according to different studies i.e., our lowered sleep is less efficient and some of the downstream consequences include a loss in memory consolidation (requires neural processes that occur during sleep) [2]. Depression, anxiety disorders [2] and a host of ailments, including metabolic syndrome and diabetes [3], are some of the adverse consequences reportedly associated with lowered sleep. Moreover, abnormal sleep-wake patterns in older adults (85+ years of age) have been associated with institutionalization, cognitive impairment, disability, depression, arthritis, and reduced survival [4].

Over-scheduled folks may sigh, “So what,” and prepare for the inevitable noisy commute between work and other responsibilities, while occasionally texting, tweeting, emailing or Pinteresting the latest news tidbits. Pro-active insomniacs who are scared of the reported side-effects associated with a popular sleep medication, may obsessively track their sleeping patterns with an appropriate app or attempt to stick to routines such as going to bed at a regular time, sleeping in a dark room, and avoiding caffeine and exercise before bedtime. However, all is not lost, at least for a small German town. Bad Kissingen, a spa town south of the Rhön Mountains in Germany (population: 20,000) is a site for chronobiology research i.e. the study of peoples’ preferred sleeping patterns or “chronotypes.” Hardly anyone disagrees with the research premise that more alert individuals are usually more productive workers. However, for those unable to escape to a bucolic spa town or other serene environments, falling back on professional advice on how to sleep better (provided by a physician or websites such as WebMD) may be more realistic options.  

References

1.            Summa, K. and F. Turek, Biomedical Effects of Circadian Rhythm Disturbances, in Impact of Sleep and Sleep Disturbances on Obesity and Cancer, S. Redline and N.A. Berger, Editors. 2014, Springer New York. p. 77.

2.            Pace-Schott, E. and R.C. Spencer, Sleep Loss in Older Adults: Effects on Waking Performance and Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation with Healthy Aging and Insomnia, in Sleep Deprivation and Disease, M.T. Bianchi, Editor. 2014, Springer New York. p. 185.

3.            Buxton, O.M., et al., Adverse Metabolic Consequences in Humans of Prolonged Sleep Restriction Combined with Circadian Disruption. Science Translational Medicine, 2012. 4(129): p. 129.

4.            Anderson, K.N., et al., Assessment of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in the very old: the Newcastle 85+ Cohort Study. Age and Ageing, 2014. 43(1): p. 57.