Updated 1627 GMT (0027 HKT) July 9, 2021
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Adults
should get at least seven hours of sleep per night, but 1 in 3 of them
don't, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CNN)One night of sleep loss is enough to disrupt your day-to-day mental and physical well-being, according to a new study, and consecutive days of sleep loss can increase these negative impacts.
"Consecutive
sleep loss was associated with decreases in positive emotions,
increases in negative emotions, and greater frequency of severity of
physical symptoms," said Soomi Lee, lead author of the study, which
published Monday in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Lee,
an assistant professor at the University of South Florida's School of
Aging Studies and director of the Sleep, Stress and Health (STEALTH)
Lab, studies sleep and the diverse factors that influence it across
populations.
Adults should get at least seven hours of sleep per night, but 1 in 3 of them don't, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The negative effects of poor sleep have been well documented, with its
occurrence linked to higher risk of a variety of conditions such as
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and, in another recent study, dementia.
Daily
effects of consecutive sleep loss, however, have not been as widely
researched. The new study focused specifically on day-to-day adverse
effects of sleep loss, which was defined as getting fewer than six hours
of sleep nightly, and whether there are cumulative effects of repeated
sleep loss on daily well-being.
"Sleep
has been one of the under-recognized health outcomes despite that sleep
is very closely related to so many different health outcomes," Lee
said.
The study
The
study examined daily diary data for eight consecutive days from 1,958
adults who took the Midlife in the United States Survey (MIDUS)
conducted between 2004 and 2006.
The
analysis found that sleep loss for even one night resulted in increased
negative well-being and decreased positive well-being, both physically
and mentally. Additionally, with multiple consecutive nights of sleep
loss, especially after three nights, these effects were amplified.
"When
sleep loss occurs almost every day, which means (it's) chronic, that's
when our body and mind cannot tolerate anymore," Lee said. "The research
shows that consecutive sleep loss results in incomplete recovery and
stress pile-up and so degrade our daily well-being."
As
the number of consecutive days of sleep loss increased, the severity of
adverse physical impacts -- including body aches, gastrointestinal
issues and respiratory symptoms, such as a sore throat and runny nose --
also increased, according to the study.
Lee said participants felt the worst physical effects after six consecutive days of sleep loss.
Dr.
Bhanu Kolla, associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at the
Mayo Clinic with a special interest in sleep, said the findings deepen
our understanding of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation. He was
not involved in the study.
This
study adds to what we already know, "which is (that) sleep is one of
the pillars of good health, and paying attention to one's sleep, giving
ourselves enough opportunity to sleep, being aware that if you are
sleep-deprived, you are going to feel poorly," Kolla said. "This is
likely going to get worse the more sleep-deprived you are, therefore
making sleep a priority."
Kolla said he would like to see how soon the adverse impacts on well-being "settle down" once you go back to sleeping normally.
The
study differs from most previous research since it uses real-world data
instead of studying sleep in a laboratory setting, providing additional
insight with a larger sample size, he said. The reliance on
self-reported data rather than objective measures, however, is not
ideal, Kolla added.
Looking forward
People
don't understand how important sleep is for both daily and long-term
well-being, Lee said. She added that adult sleep routines affect those
of their children and families, so optimal adult sleep is important for
the general population's health.
"We
have to prioritize our sleep in daily life," Lee said. "Because we are
all busy, sleep is often compromised because of other responsibilities."
Kolla
said the study warrants further research into whether we can help
people sleep longer and see if that helps them feel better. It's Lee's
long-term goal to research and develop a sleep promotion and
intervention program that is easy for participants and can be
implemented in their daily lives.
Her
recommendation for individuals to improve their sleep now is to
recognize that sleep is one of three pillars of health along with diet
and physical exercise. If you keep a regular routine that includes good
diet and physical exercise, she said, there would likely be a synergetic
effect on daily sleep as well. Lee also recommends sticking to a
consistent bedtime and wake time as much as possible.
