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April 2021

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GOOD SLEEP FOR GOOD HEALTH

Get the Rest You Need

En españolSend us your comments


Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It
can make getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream.

But sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep
improves your brain performance, mood, and health.

Not getting enough quality sleep regularly raises the risk of many diseases and
disorders. These range from heart disease and stroke to obesity and dementia.

There’s more to good sleep than just the hours spent in bed, says Dr. Marishka
Brown, a sleep expert at NIH. “Healthy sleep encompasses three major things,”
she explains. “One is how much sleep you get. Another is sleep quality—that you
get uninterrupted and refreshing sleep. The last is a consistent sleep
schedule.”

People who work the night shift or irregular schedules may find getting quality
sleep extra challenging. And times of great stress—like the current pandemic—can
disrupt our normal sleep routines. But there are many things you can do to
improve your sleep.


SLEEP FOR REPAIR

Why do we need to sleep? People often think that sleep is just “down time,” when
a tired brain gets to rest, says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, who studies sleep at the
University of Rochester.

“But that’s wrong,” she says. While you sleep, your brain is working. For
example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create.

Nedergaard and her colleagues discovered that the brain has a drainage system
that removes toxins during sleep.

“When we sleep, the brain totally changes function,” she explains. “It becomes
almost like a kidney, removing waste from the system.”

Her team found in mice that the drainage system removes some of the proteins
linked with Alzheimer’s disease. These toxins were removed twice as fast from
the brain during sleep.

Everything from blood vessels to the immune systemThe system that protects your
body from invading viruses, bacteria, and other microscopic threats. uses sleep
as a time for repair, says Dr. Kenneth Wright, Jr., a sleep researcher at the
University of Colorado.

“There are certain repair processes that occur in the body mostly, or most
effectively, during sleep,” he explains. “If you don’t get enough sleep, those
processes are going to be disturbed.”


SLEEP MYTHS AND TRUTHS

How much sleep you need changes with age. Experts recommend school-age children
get at least nine hours a night and teens get between eight and 10. Most adults
need at least seven hours or more of sleep each night.

There are many misunderstandings about sleep. One is that adults need less sleep
as they get older. This isn’t true. Older adults still need the same amount. But
sleep quality can get worse as you age. Older adults are also more likely to
take medications that interfere with sleep.

Another sleep myth is that you can “catch up” on your days off. Researchers are
finding that this largely isn’t the case.

“If you have one bad night’s sleep and take a nap, or sleep longer the next
night, that can benefit you,” says Wright. “But if you have a week’s worth of
getting too little sleep, the weekend isn’t sufficient for you to catch up.
That’s not a healthy behavior.”

In a recent study, Wright and his team looked at people with consistently
deficient sleep. They compared them to sleep-deprived people who got to sleep in
on the weekend.

Both groups of people gained weight with lack of sleep. Their bodies’ ability to
control blood sugar levels also got worse. The weekend catch-up sleep didn’t
help.

On the flip side, more sleep isn’t always better, says Brown. For adults, “if
you’re sleeping more than nine hours a night and you still don’t feel refreshed,
there may be some underlying medical issue,” she explains.


SLEEP DISORDERS

Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough quality sleep,
no matter how hard they try. These problems are called sleep disorders.

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia. “Insomnia is when you have repeated
difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep,” says Brown. This happens
despite having the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment. It can make you
feel tired or unrested during the day.

Insomnia can be short-term, where people struggle to sleep for a few weeks or
months. “Quite a few more people have been experiencing this during the
pandemic,” Brown says. Long-term insomnia lasts for three months or longer.

Sleep apnea is another common sleep disorder. In sleep apnea, the upper airway
becomes blocked during sleep. This reduces or stops airflow, which wakes people
up during the night. The condition can be dangerous. If untreated, it may lead
to other health problems.

If you regularly have problems sleeping, talk with your health care provider.
They may have you keep a sleep diary to track your sleep for several weeks. They
can also run tests, including sleep studies. These look for sleep disorders.


GETTING BETTER SLEEP

If you’re having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be
frustrating. But simple things can improve your odds of a good night’s sleep.
See the Wise Choices box for tips to sleep better every day.

Treatments are available for many common sleep disorders. Cognitive behavioral
therapy can help many people with insomnia get better sleep. Medications can
also help some people.

Many people with sleep apnea benefit from using a device called a CPAP machine.
These machines keep the airway open so that you can breathe. Other treatments
can include special mouthguards and lifestyle changes.

For everyone, “as best you can, try to make sleep a priority,” Brown says.
“Sleep is not a throwaway thing—it’s a biological necessity.”


RELATED STORIES

Addressing Childhood Bullying

What Are Frontotemporal Disorders?

When Sadness Lingers

Feeling Fatigued?


WISE CHOICES

GETTING A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP

 * Stick to a sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day,
   even on the weekends.
 * Get some exercise every day. But not close to bedtime.
 * Go outside. Try to get natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes every day.
 * Avoid nicotine and caffeine. Both are stimulants that keep you awake.
   Caffeine can take 6–8 hours to wear off completely.
 * Don’t take naps after mid-afternoon. And keep them short.
 * Avoid alcohol and large meals before bedtime. Both can prevent deep,
   restorative sleep.
 * Limit electronics before bed. Try reading a book, listening to soothing
   music, or another relaxing activity instead.
 * Create a good sleeping environment. Keep the temperature cool if possible.
   Get rid of sound and light distractions. Make it dark. Silence your cell
   phone.
 * Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and
   do a relaxing activity until you feel sleepy again.
 * See your health care provider if nothing you try helps. They can determine if
   you need further testing. They can also help you learn new ways to manage
   stress.


LINKS

 * Q&A: Dr. Chandra Jackson on COVID-19 and Sleep
 * Q&A: Dr. Kenneth Wright on Shift Work and Sleep
 * Struggling to Sleep? Don’t Let Apnea Steal Your Sweet Dreams
 * Can’t Curb the Urge to Move? Living With Restless Legs Syndrome
 * Feeling Stressed? Ways to Improve Your Well-Being
 * Tick Tock, Your Body Clocks: Understanding Your Daily Rhythms
 * Tired or Wired? Caffeine and Your Brain
 * Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep
 * How Sleep Works
 * Your Guide to Healthy Sleep
 * Insomnia
 * A Good Night's Sleep (Sleep and Aging)


REFERENCES

Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Xie L, Kang H, Xu Q,
Chen MJ, Liao Y, Thiyagarajan M, O'Donnell J, Christensen DJ, Nicholson C, Iliff
JJ, Takano T, Deane R, Nedergaard M. Science. 2013 Oct 18; 342(6156):373-7. doi:
10.1126/science.1241224. PMID:24136970.

Ad libitum weekend recovery sleep fails to prevent metabolic dysregulation
during a repeating pattern of insufficient sleep and weekend recovery sleep.
Depner CM, Melanson EL, Eckel RH, Snell-Bergeon JK, Perreault L, Bergman BC,
Higgins JA, Guerin MK, Stothard ER, Morton SJ, Wright KP Jr.Curr Biol. 2019 Feb
11. pii: S0960-9822(19)30098-3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.069. PMID:30827911.

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Editor: Harrison Wein, Ph.D.
Managing Editor: Tianna Hicklin, Ph.D.
Illustrator: Alan Defibaugh

Attention Editors: Reprint our articles and illustrations in your own
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Health as the source and send us a copy.

For more consumer health news and information, visit health.nih.gov.

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