In Ayurveda, sleep is revered as one of the
three fundamental pillars of life, holding equal importance to diet in
maintaining human health. Before the advent of electric lighting, human life
was closely aligned with the natural rhythms of sunrise and sunset, and the
idea of staying awake for extended hours—and the associated health
consequences—was virtually non-existent.
Sleep, like the human eye, is a rare
biological function that has evolved independently across species multiple
times, highlighting its essential role in survival. Consistently getting less
than six hours of sleep per night can severely weaken the immune system, more
than double the risk of cancer, and significantly increase the likelihood of
developing Alzheimer’s disease. Even a single week of reduced sleep can disrupt
blood sugar regulation to levels resembling pre-diabetes.
Lack of sufficient sleep is strongly
associated with a range of cardiovascular problems, including heart disease,
stroke, and congestive heart failure. It is also a contributing factor to
numerous psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviour.
Sleep deprivation increases appetite and can promote weight gain.
Astonishingly, the cognitive and physical deficits resulting from just one
night of inadequate sleep can be more pronounced than those caused by missing
meals or skipping physical activity.
Myths about sleep
Night owls are just lazy—they can wake up
early if they want to
Not everyone shares the same circadian
rhythm—some are natural early birds, while others are biologically inclined to
be night owls. This variation is deeply rooted in evolution; in hunter-gatherer
societies, staggered sleep patterns likely evolved to ensure that someone was
always awake to guard the group from dangers. Forcing a night owl to rise early
or expecting an early bird to work late can impair cognitive performance
because their internal clocks simply don’t align with those schedules. These patterns
are largely genetic, yet society often unfairly criticizes night owls based on
the mistaken belief that their sleep preferences are merely a matter of choice.
As long as you get 8 hours of sleep, the
timing doesn’t matter
While getting 8 hours of sleep is
important, when you sleep matters just as much. Sleep cycles alternate between
NREM (non-rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye
movement) stages roughly every 90 minutes, but their proportions shift
throughout the night. The first half of the night is dominated by deep NREM
sleep, essential for physical repair and immune support, while the latter half
contains more REM sleep, crucial for emotional balance, memory, and brain
function. Sleeping at odd hours or outside your natural circadian rhythm can
disrupt this delicate balance, leading to incomplete restoration of both body
and mind.
Teenagers are just lazy sleepers
Our circadian rhythm naturally shifts with
age. During adolescence, this internal clock moves later, meaning teenagers
often don’t feel sleepy until much later in the evening compared to younger
children or adults. It takes additional hours before their brain begins to wind
down and allow for deep, restful sleep. In contrast, as people age, their
circadian rhythm tends to shift earlier, leading to earlier bedtimes and
wake-up times—and more fragmented sleep overall. So, when an older adult
criticizes a teenager for sleeping in, it’s often a misunderstanding of these
biological differences, not a reflection of laziness.
You can catch up on sleep over the weekend
Many people try to make up for lost sleep
during the week by sleeping in on weekends. However, sleep doesn’t work like a
credit card—you can’t rack up a debt and expect to pay it off later without
consequences. While extra weekend sleep may offer temporary relief, the brain
cannot fully recover the sleep it has been deprived of. Chronic sleep loss
leaves lasting effects on your health, mood, and cognitive function, even if
you try to “catch up” later.
Alcohol helps you sleep better
While alcohol may make you feel drowsy, the
sleep it induces is far from natural. Instead of promoting restorative rest, it
leads to fragmented sleep and suppresses REM sleep, which is vital for
emotional and cognitive health. These frequent awakenings often go unnoticed
but reduce sleep quality significantly. Even moderate alcohol intake can
disrupt sleep architecture, making that evening drink more harmful than helpful
when it comes to getting truly restful sleep.
Just set an alarm and power through
Waking up abruptly to a blaring alarm jolts
the body into action by triggering the fight-or-flight response, causing a
sudden spike in blood pressure and heart rate. This is in stark contrast to the
calm physiological state of naturally waking. Using the snooze button only
repeats this shock multiple times, putting repeated stress on the
cardiovascular and nervous systems. Doing this daily, especially on weekdays,
can amount to a chronic assault on your heart and overall health.
