Did you know 2/3 of adults in developed countries don’t get the recommended eight hours of sleep? Most people know that sleep is for rest and repair, but not many realise just how many areas of health are affected when sleep is consistently cut short. Given that we spend 25–30 years of our life asleep, it’s worth understanding what sleep actually does for us.
In a nutshell: the shorter your sleep, the shorter your lifespan.
Research shows that the countries with the biggest decline in sleep are the same ones with the sharpest rise in health challenges.
Sleep is a strange thing, every species does it, and yet when we’re asleep, we’re vulnerable. We are unable to hunt, protect, connect, or reproduce. So there must be a good reason why we sleep.
And, there is.
When we sleep less than eight hours, multiple systems become compromised. Our immune response drops, risk of cancer and memory problems increases, blood sugar balance shifts toward pre-diabetic levels, and arteries become brittle, contributing to cardiovascular disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure. Mental health is impacted too, there’s more depression, anxiety, and even suicidal tendencies. And…a fact…we eat more when tired, which drives weight gain.
Just like your body works hard during the day, it works just as hard at night. Sleep is not passive.
What’s Happening While You Sleep?
- Recalibrating emotional circuitry
- Dreaming (linked to creativity)
- Supporting immune function
- Rebalancing metabolic states and homeostasis
- Balancing insulin and glucose
- Regulating appetite
- Maintaining and nourishing the microbiome
- Lowering blood pressure
Two Key Sleep Regulators
According to sleep researcher Matthew Walker, two main systems drive sleep:
- SCN, Hypothalamus, and Pineal Gland – These control circadian rhythm, your 24-hour sleep/wake cycle.
- Adenosine – A neuromodulator involved in energy production that also builds sleep pressure throughout the day.
The SCN (suprachiasmatic nuclei) are in the hypothalamus and are about the size of a grain of rice. They contain 20,000 neurons (your brain has about 100 billion). As morning light hits your eyes, even with your lids closed, it travels through the retinohypothalamic tract to the SCN. This triggers a message to wind down melatonin, ramp up serotonin, raise body temperature, and wake up.
As your day unfolds, you use energy from ATP (adenosine triphosphate). As energy is spent, phosphate molecules are released, leaving free-floating adenosine. The more adenosine builds up, the more “sleep pressure” you notice.
Then as darkness sets in, the SCN sends a different message: “It’s dark.” The pineal gland releases melatonin, the hormone of darkness, signaling all cells and systems to start winding down.
Sleep is the result of this natural rhythm: rising adenosine and fading light triggering melatonin, your town crier. You truely are solar powered. Light, and its absence, regulates these chemical processes.
Walker explains that melatonin starts the sleep process but doesn’t do the sleeping. He compares it to a 100m race: melatonin calls the sprinters to the line and fires the starting gun. Everything else in the brain and body does the rest.
Also worth noting: melatonin supplements are unregulated in many countries. Some have been shown to contain up to 83% less or 478% more than stated on the label. So rather than taking something for something it’s always best to look at the cause of lack of sleep.
Hijackers of Sleep: Caffeine and Others
Caffeine is one of the biggest disrupters. It’s the second most traded commodity in the world (after oil) and the most widely used psychoactive stimulant. It’s in coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks, some foods, and medications like Panadol Extra and Excedrin Migraine (each with 65mg caffeine per tablet).
Even pro athletes like the All Blacks are given HealthSpan chewing gum with 100mg caffeine per piece, 85% of which kicks in within 15 minutes. These players stay wired after the game affecting quality sleep and recovery.
Caffeine works by attaching to adenosine receptors and blocking them. So even though adenosine is building, you’re unable to sense it, your artificially awake.
It takes 5–7 hours to remove just 50% of the caffeine from your body. That coffee at 7:30 PM? Half of it is still in your system at 1:30 AM. When you stop caffeine, all that adenosine suddenly becomes noticeable again, you become sleepy and in most cases crash out.
Other hijackers include:
- LED lighting and blue light
- Heated bedrooms
- Alcohol (disrupts REM sleep)
- Irregular routines and shift work
10 Simple Ways to Improve Sleep
- Get adjusted – by a qualified chiropractor. Rhythm-based adjustments have a strong impact.
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule – same wake and sleep times daily.
- Move your body – supports your circadian rhythms.
- No alcohol before bed – it blocks deep REM sleep.
- Avoid large meals before sleeping – finish eating 2–3 hours prior.
- No naps after 3 PM – and keep naps to 20 minutes max.
- Magnesium foot bath before bed – helps you relax.
- Dark, cool room – helps your core temperature to remain cool.
- No devices in your room – switch off Wi-Fi and use Faraday pouches.
- Get sunlight exposure early in the day – ideally the morning light/sun until 10 AM.
We all have habits we rely on, some helpful, others not. Our theme this year at Vital Wellbeing has been about doing something new. So perhaps ditch the caffeine and the endless scrolling before bed, change a light globe and or cool your room. Create a routine that supports your sleep that will in turn, support your health.
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GOOD TO SHARE? You’re welcome to reprint/post this article when it is properly attributed to Drs Randall & Sarah Farrant with a link to www.vital-wellbeing.com
Resources:
- Interview. Watch Drs Sarah & Randall: The Science of Sleep: Why Rest Matters More Than You Think
- Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
