Not only new parents can sing a song about sleep deprivation: According to a survey by the health insurance company DAK, about one in ten Germans suffers from severe sleep disorders. Almost 80 percent of all employees in this country complain about a little restful sleep from time to time. This includes problems falling asleep and staying asleep as well as an overall too short night’s sleep.
If you haven’t gotten enough sleep, you’ll be – logically – tired the next day. This is often accompanied by accompanying symptoms such as reduced concentration, headaches and listlessness. It just lacks the energy. But what exactly does the lack of sleep do to the body and what are the consequences of long-term sleep deprivation?
Two experts in this field explain this to us: Birgit Högl is Professor of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck and current President of the World Sleep Society. Alfred Wiater is also a sleep doctor and is currently a board member of the German Society for Sleep Research and Sleep Medicine (DGSM). He is currently researching, among other things, the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic on people with sleep disorders.
Even if it is generally considered desirable to sleep as little as possible and to start the day early in order to be more productive: this calculation will not work out. We use the time we sleep to recharge our batteries – the brain as well as the rest of the body. That’s why there is a very simple rule of thumb, explains Birgit Högl:
However, that is easier said than done. We speak of a lack of sleep when a person permanently sleeps less than they need – and, according to the Austrian sleep doctor, most people need a lot more than they probably think. Seven to nine hours of sleep is ideal for most people. Chronic sleep deprivation occurs when you consistently sleep less than seven hours.
Alfred Wiater, on the other hand, has a more concrete definition of chronic insomnia, i.e. a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep with a restriction on daytime well-being:
“There are many different sleep disorders,” states Högl. The consequences are drastic, as Wiater explains: lack of sleep is considered a risk factor for heart attacks, heart failure and high blood pressure. In addition, lack of sleep is associated with a tendency to be overweight and metabolic disorders and increases the risk of diabetes.
For example, a new study led by sleep researcher Per Kristian Eide has shown for the first time in humans that sleep is necessary to cleanse the brain of toxic metabolic waste products. During sleep, the spaces between the cells in the brain cells expand, and in this way the substances that are sometimes harmful to the brain, such as proteins that very likely play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s, can be flushed out again.
Finally, lack of sleep leads to concentration and endurance disorders as well as performance limitations and learning disorders. Daytime sleepiness as a result of lack of sleep promotes microsleep with a significantly increased risk of accidents, adds sleep researcher Wiater.
About ten to 15 percent of the population could compensate for their performance deficits despite lack of sleep. But studies have also shown that these people have to use more brain power than usual to be able to solve the same tasks, such as a simple arithmetic task – and that is also more strenuous in the long run.
A vicious circle, as Wiater explains further: “Insomnia is mainly initiated by professional and private stress factors.” Before going to bed, the problems burden those affected, they hardly get any rest.
Other people, on the other hand, are very vulnerable and react quickly to insufficient sleep. “It also has something to do with genetics,” explains Högl. Children and adolescents, on the other hand, are often more hyperactive if they suffer from a lack of sleep. The consequences of acute and chronic lack of sleep manifest themselves differently:
In addition, the individual mood, i.e. how well you can control your emotions, and general alertness can be influenced by the lack of bedtime, explains the sleep doctor further.
According to the President of the World Sleep Society, anyone who thinks that they can simply catch up on the lack of sleep during the week with an extra long nap at the weekend has to be disappointed. That only works to a certain extent. You just feel a little more rested afterwards. External factors that influence our sleep hygiene are much more important. It also plays a role whether you are more of a morning person, i.e. a so-called lark, or more of a night person, i.e. an owl.
Many would compensate for this with their career choice, giving them a later start to work. Wiater has an apt term for it: “social jetlag”. Overall, evening people are often more flexible and can, for example, adapt better to shift work than the so-called larks, says Högl. However, the sleeping conditions must also be right.
If this does not apply to the personal sleeping place, externally caused sleep disorders are possible. This also explains why sleep disorders are often linked to socioeconomic status: those who can afford to live in a quiet forest villa have better sleeping conditions than someone who lives on a busy and noisy main road. In addition:
That sounds paradoxical, but it’s relatively easy to explain: There are bad sleepers who lie awake part of the night and feel so drained the next day as if they hadn’t gotten enough sleep. However, personal feelings about the amount of sleep often do not correspond to reality. For example, someone who fears lying awake all night may actually only have been awake for a shorter episode, and the total sleep time is reduced at most slightly. This is called sleep misperception and is a frequent, subjectively very distressing symptom of insomnia.
Our inner clock and when we get tired is mainly controlled by the experience of daylight. Therefore, everyone should be exposed to light of at least 1000 lux for an hour or more every day. For comparison: A bright sunny day can reach up to 100,000 lux, a dark winter day still between 3000 and 5000 lux. Most interior lights achieve an illuminance of 200 to 500 lux.
The fact that the influence of daylight is so important has something to do with the hormone serotonin, Wiater explains: “Early sunlight promotes our ‘happiness hormone’ serotonin, which helps us to be fit and alert during the day.”
If you stay outside during the day and make your way to the bakery or to the subway, you should be able to do this without any problems, at least in winter, according to the expert from the Medical University of Innsbruck.
When it gets twilight, the body begins to release the hormone melatonin and starts all the processes that prepare for sleep. Of course, this does not work if, for example, bright lighting is still on in the living room. The same applies to the smartphone screen, because these devices often have a very high proportion of blue light. This is where a blue light filter can help. However, melatonin sprays from the pharmacy are of little use for insomnia, reports Högl:
If you want to get your sleep under control, you have to worry about relearning how to sleep in the truest sense of the word. According to the researcher, there are qualified programs that you can find out about.
People who have trouble falling asleep often have cold hands or feet. A warm footbath before going to bed can help. The feet are well supplied with blood, which creates favorable conditions for undisturbed sleep, advises the somnologist. Her colleague Wiater also recommends doing a physical workout in the afternoon a few hours after bedtime. An evening “time-out” ritual can also help to relax and calm down.
Incidentally, insomnia has no different effects on new parents than on everyone else:
The only thing that often helps in this situation is the incredible motivation from your own offspring. We know that this condition is only temporary, and that’s why many people can deal with the situation better, the Innsbruck university professor sums up. Well then good night!
Do you have any other tips for dealing with sleep problems? Then share it with us in the comments!
This article was first published in June 2021.
