Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker convinced me what I believe most of us feel intrinsically, that a solid night’s rest is essential for your overall well-being. The book begins with a fascinating dive into the historical perspective and definitions of this thing called sleep and then maps out what is happening at a cellular level to your body when you sleep – and when you don’t – and why it is so important for your waking hours.
Indeed, the World Health Organization now labels society’s overall lack of sleep as a global health epidemic – consider that one out of every two adults across all developed countries will not get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep they need this coming week. We live in a world today that boasts of productivity and efficiency at the literal cost of our health and sanity.
Take for example - since we are in a global pandemic - the efficacy of a flu vaccine measured in one 2002 study. The researchers divided participants into two groups, restricting the amount of sleep for one group to four hours a night and in the other group allowing for up to eight hours a night. After six nights of monitored sleep all the participants were given a standard flu vaccine. Researchers then took blood samples to measure the participants antibody response, which would determine the successful reception of the vaccine within an individual. The results showed that the group obtaining only four hours of sleep produced less than 50 percent of the immune reaction than their well-slept counterparts were able to produce. In other words, sleep affects your immune system and even how your body reacts to medicine, treatment, and vaccines.
counterparts were able to produce. In other words, sleep affects your immune system and even how your body reacts to medicine, treatment, and vaccines.
Walker wraps up the book offering a broad road map of solutions for how society could and should prioritize sleep, which he deems as one of the greatest health challenges for the developed world in the 21st century. Personally, it’s hard to disagree with him simply from anecdotal evidence – is there anyone who feels better after less sleep? But Why We Sleep takes it far beyond anecdotal feelings. Consider one of many statistics that Walker leaves with his reader from a sort of ‘natural’ global experiment that takes place twice a year during daylight savings. Citing research taken from daily hospital records, the numbers show an abnormally high number of heart attacks on daylight savings in the spring - when we lose an hour of sleep - and a decrease in the number of heart attacks on the day when we gain that extra hour back!
Enough said. As you get set for another holiday season, putting together the usual lists, shopping, and booking your calendar for small gatherings and virtual events, make sure you add in a good night’s rest – you might just find your other goals become a little more achievable.
For sleep tips and more facts on the benefits of a good night of shut-eye, head to the National Institute of Health’s website: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/infographics/getting-good-nights-sleep