Menifee Mom: There's Nothing Like a Good Night's Sleep

By Karen Thomas

Last week, I was hurrying into the house to put some groceries in the fridge before heading out on a lunch date with my husband. I quickly rearranged items to squeeze everything in and promptly grabbed the keys from my pocket, pointed the key fob at the refrigerator, and pushed the lock button. Nothing happened.

For just a second, I wondered what was wrong. I actually pushed the button a few times, waiting for it to beep before I realized what I was doing!

I got into the car with my husband, turned to him and said, "You know you're tired when ..." He laughed and said, "I think you just figured out your next column!"

We've all experienced the effects of sleep deprivation. Whether it is the never-ending nights of tending to a crying baby, staying up all night to finish a paper for a class, or just putting in too many hours at the office, not getting enough sleep can have a serious effect on not only your brain, but also your health.

Having a busy high school student in the house, I've witnessed the effect sleep deprivation has on our kids as well. I think sometimes we notice it more in them than we do in ourselves. Maybe they just aren't as good at hiding it. Anyway, I decided to do a little research on the subject so I could enlighten my daughter and myself on why we need to catch a few more hours of shut-eye.

There are many resources on the Internet citing the problems of not getting enough sleep. I chose to focus on Web MD. The other sites I checked out all pretty much said the same thing. I've narrowed it down to 7:

1) SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS: Chronic sleep loss has been shown to correlate with high rates of heart disease, heart attacks, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, strokes, and diabetes.

2) DUMBS YOU DOWN: Lack of sleep impairs your attention, alertness, concentration, reasoning, and problem solving. It has been shown that drowsiness can slow reaction time almost as much as driving drunk. Many accidents on the road, at home, and in the workplace can be traced to tiredness.

3) WEIGHT GAIN: Studies show that people who regularly get less than six hrs of sleep are 30 percent more likely to become obese. One reason may be that sleep loss can increase your appetite and cravings for high fat foods.

4) FORGETFULNESS: I think we've all experienced this one. Hence, the increasing amount of notes around the house and alarms on our phone calendars to remind us where to be and when! Apparently, brain events during the deepest levels of sleep help consolidate memories and keep our brain functioning efficiently.

5) INCREASED RISK OF DEATH: Studies show that those who regularly get five hours or less of sleep compared to those who get seven hours of sleep have a doubled risk of death from all causes.

6) DEPRESSION: People who suffer from insomnia are five times as likely to have depression.

7) WRINKLES! Sleeping helps lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies. Cortisol breaks down the collagen in our skin. So, less sleep=more cortisol=less elasticity and more wrinkles. Also, those who suffer from sleep loss produce lower levels of growth hormone, which our body uses to repair the wear and tear from the day.

(Source: "10 Things to Hate About Sleep Loss," Web MD, Feb. 13, 2014)

I understand that the science behind all this is not perfectly understood and research teaches us more and more all the time. But if we look around at our world, we can see that the tendency to overfill our schedules is growing. It seems most people struggle to get a full night's rest and we all complain about the effect it has on us.

While many people make up for a lack of sleep with energy drinks in some form, those only serve to keep you going. They don't do much for all the other side effects your body experiences.

So the next time you find yourself putting a box of cereal in the fridge or walking into a room and forgetting why you are there, perhaps you should evaluate your sleep habits!

Karen Thomas is a stay at home mom of four daughters, has been on the PTA board at her kids' school for four years, and is a volunteer at her church, in addition to her activities as a volunteer soccer referee, a piano teacher, and a runner. Her column will appear here every other week. Comments are welcome.