Healthy Mind
Holiday Rush and Not Enough Sleep?
You're Headed for Disaster
December 2018
By Myrna Haskell
So you’re shopping, baking, wrapping, attending concerts, and running from one holiday party to the next. You’re also still putting out fires at work, taking care of your family, slapping dinner together and paying the bills. Sleep? What’s that?
Sound familiar?
Take a breath.
So you’re shopping, baking, wrapping, attending concerts, and running from one holiday party to the next. You’re also still putting out fires at work, taking care of your family, slapping dinner together and paying the bills. Sleep? What’s that?
Sound familiar?
Take a breath.
A harried schedule that’s coupled with poor sleep patterns is a recipe for disaster. You have to remind yourself that without adequate sleep, your body will shut you down, even if you’re determined to forge ahead.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH: News in Health newsletter, April 2013), “When you’re tired, you can’t function at your best. Sleep helps you think more clearly, have quicker reflexes and focus better.”
However, sleep doesn’t just affect the brain. A lack of sleep can have negative effects on organ function, cardiovascular health, hormones, cell function and more. NIH reports, “Research shows that lack of sleep increases the risk for obesity, heart disease and infections. Throughout the night, your heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure rise and fall, a process that may be important for cardiovascular health. Your body releases hormones during sleep that help repair cells and control the body’s use of energy.”
During the holidays, many people have meltdowns due to overtaxing themselves. It’s particularly imperative to practice self-care during stressful times, and your body needs sleep as much as it needs water. Besides, the last thing you need at this time of year is to leave your credit card at the Macy’s checkout counter.
Sleep and its Effects on Memory
Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and is the founder of the Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine Center in Menlo Park, CA, says, “Adequate sleep enables us to concentrate so we can learn efficiently. Sleep is needed to consolidate memories of what has been learned. Neuroscientists are learning how different facets of memory and different stages of sleep work together.”
“At one time,” explains Dimitriu, “it was thought that sleep played a passive role in enhancing memory by protecting it from interference by external stimuli. Now we know that sleep plays a more active role. It was also thought that rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep played the primary role. Now we know that slow-wave sleep (SWS) plays an important role in consolidating memories. Scientists now believe that different kinds of memories are processed during different stages of sleep.”
Dimitriu reports that while the relationship between types of memory and sleep stages is complex, some studies have suggested that declarative memory (which is fact-based) benefits primarily from sleep periods dominated by SWS and procedural memory (remembering how to do something) is related to REM sleep. Therefore, it’s important to get a full night’s sleep.*
Dimitriu says there’s a lot we still don’t know about sleep and memory. “But we know that adequate sleep will improve concentration to help you learn and will help you remember what you've learned,” he adds.
And…That’s Not All
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “A healthy amount of sleep is vital for ‘brain plasticity,’ or the brain’s ability to adapt to input. If we sleep too little, we become unable to process what we’ve learned during the day and we have more trouble remembering it in the future. Researchers also believe that sleep may promote the removal of waste products from brain cells - something that seems to occur less efficiently when the brain is awake.”
Sleep.org (an online publication of the National Sleep Foundation) states, “Getting enough shuteye helps with mood and emotion regulation, so you might feel cranky, irritable, or emotionally out of sorts if you don’t snooze enough.” The foundation also lists the following problems that are associated with lack of sleep: becoming more reactive to stress, compromised accuracy on tests, compromised motor reaction time which can increase your risk of having a car accident, and reduced coordination.
Catch Better Zzzzzz:
Dimitriu offers the following suggestions for improving the quantity and quality of sleep:
*The NIH reports: Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, but after age 60, nighttime sleep tends to be shorter, lighter, and interrupted by multiple awakenings. Elderly people are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH: News in Health newsletter, April 2013), “When you’re tired, you can’t function at your best. Sleep helps you think more clearly, have quicker reflexes and focus better.”
However, sleep doesn’t just affect the brain. A lack of sleep can have negative effects on organ function, cardiovascular health, hormones, cell function and more. NIH reports, “Research shows that lack of sleep increases the risk for obesity, heart disease and infections. Throughout the night, your heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure rise and fall, a process that may be important for cardiovascular health. Your body releases hormones during sleep that help repair cells and control the body’s use of energy.”
During the holidays, many people have meltdowns due to overtaxing themselves. It’s particularly imperative to practice self-care during stressful times, and your body needs sleep as much as it needs water. Besides, the last thing you need at this time of year is to leave your credit card at the Macy’s checkout counter.
Sleep and its Effects on Memory
Alex Dimitriu, M.D., who is double board-certified in psychiatry and sleep medicine and is the founder of the Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine Center in Menlo Park, CA, says, “Adequate sleep enables us to concentrate so we can learn efficiently. Sleep is needed to consolidate memories of what has been learned. Neuroscientists are learning how different facets of memory and different stages of sleep work together.”
“At one time,” explains Dimitriu, “it was thought that sleep played a passive role in enhancing memory by protecting it from interference by external stimuli. Now we know that sleep plays a more active role. It was also thought that rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep played the primary role. Now we know that slow-wave sleep (SWS) plays an important role in consolidating memories. Scientists now believe that different kinds of memories are processed during different stages of sleep.”
Dimitriu reports that while the relationship between types of memory and sleep stages is complex, some studies have suggested that declarative memory (which is fact-based) benefits primarily from sleep periods dominated by SWS and procedural memory (remembering how to do something) is related to REM sleep. Therefore, it’s important to get a full night’s sleep.*
Dimitriu says there’s a lot we still don’t know about sleep and memory. “But we know that adequate sleep will improve concentration to help you learn and will help you remember what you've learned,” he adds.
And…That’s Not All
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “A healthy amount of sleep is vital for ‘brain plasticity,’ or the brain’s ability to adapt to input. If we sleep too little, we become unable to process what we’ve learned during the day and we have more trouble remembering it in the future. Researchers also believe that sleep may promote the removal of waste products from brain cells - something that seems to occur less efficiently when the brain is awake.”
Sleep.org (an online publication of the National Sleep Foundation) states, “Getting enough shuteye helps with mood and emotion regulation, so you might feel cranky, irritable, or emotionally out of sorts if you don’t snooze enough.” The foundation also lists the following problems that are associated with lack of sleep: becoming more reactive to stress, compromised accuracy on tests, compromised motor reaction time which can increase your risk of having a car accident, and reduced coordination.
Catch Better Zzzzzz:
Dimitriu offers the following suggestions for improving the quantity and quality of sleep:
- Exercise early in the day, not within several hours of bedtime.
- Reduce or eliminate stimulants, such as caffeine and nicotine during the day and alcohol in the evening.
- Avoid naps or limit to 30 minutes; don't nap after 3:00pm.
- Stick to a sleep schedule, going to bed and waking at the same time each day (including weekends).
- Relax and clear your mind before bedtime: read a book, listen to quiet music, take a hot bath.
- Keep your room cooler than during the day.
- Use blackout shades if morning light is waking you too early.
- Don't eat a heavy meal or drink a lot of liquid close to bedtime.
- Increasing exposure to sunlight or bright light during the day can improve sleep at night.
- Don't use a computer, tablet or smart phone right before going to bed! The light from the screen stimulates the brain and makes it hard to fall asleep.
*The NIH reports: Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, but after age 60, nighttime sleep tends to be shorter, lighter, and interrupted by multiple awakenings. Elderly people are also more likely to take medications that interfere with sleep.
Additional Resources:
Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:
“Sleep and Your Health”
Harvard Medical School:
“Sleep and Health”
National Institutes of Health:
“Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency”
Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:
“Sleep and Your Health”
Harvard Medical School:
“Sleep and Health”
National Institutes of Health:
“Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency”
