How much pain are we in?

Pain-related sleep loss is a real thorn in the side of most adults in America. The 2015 Sleep in AmericaTM Poll found that 21% of Americans experience chronic pain. It also found that 36% of people have experienced acute pain in the last week.

The bottom line? It indicates that more people were in pain than weren’t in pain within the last week. If you are reading this, you are likely in the majority (pain) category.

The question is why we are in so much pain. Some common factors crop up:

• Desk jobs (sitting all day) is not good for our health
• We are spending record amounts of time sitting in front of screens rather than being active
• We have an epidemic of obesity, and weight is a strong contributing factor to chronic pain
• Stress is a considerable factor in people’s lives and also is a strong contributor to pain
• Sports and high activity leads to injuries
• Finally, some of us are unlucky with genetics and inherit weak backs, necks, knees, etc.

The question is, beyond being a nuisance in your life, what else is wrong with pain?

The relationship between your immune system and sleep

Your immune system and sleep are intimately connected. Sleep loss impacts your immune response and, in turn, your immune system alters your sleep. If you are trying to avoid getting sick, consistent long and quality sleep will be one of your primary methods of preventing illness and ensuring optimal recovery.

Molecules called cytokines are signaling molecules in the immune system and the brain. Sleep deprivation decreases your body’s production of cytokines and inhibit your immune response to illness. Such as:

• Flu
• Colds
• Chronic illness

Specifically, lack of sleep prevents your immune system from building up its forces, meaning that your immune system will be overloaded by illness and will likely take longer to recover.

During illness, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines correspond with increased fatigue, which is why you feel tired when you are sick. It’s your body’s way of telling you to sleep more and recover quicker from your illness.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition and sleeping disorder where you repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night, anywhere from 5 times per hour up to 30+ times per hour. Each time you stop breathing you wake up to begin breathing again, though in the morning you will not remember this.

Your throat becomes blocked because your breathing muscles in the back of your throat relax, causing the back of your throat to collapse fully or partially, blocking your airways. Each blockage/arousal cycle is called an apnea or apnea event.

How sleep deprivation affects sex

Sleep deprivation can greatly affect a male’s sexual drive. Specifically, it can quickly result in Erectile Dysfunction (ED). The fact that sleep deprivation can cause ED is usually quite shocking, and may be good news for men who are suffering with ED but don’t know why.

Sleep deprivation is caused when you get less than your optimal sleep period, which for adults is 7-9 hours per day. A couple nights of sleep deprivation is not likely to cause ED, though you may feel a decrease in libido during that time period.

However, chronic sleep deprivation, such as sleep deprivation caused by sleep disorders, can cause ED in men.

What are the changes to sleep as we age?

As an adult, you should be averaging between 7-9 hours of sleep every day. These figures are extensively researched and you should be dubious when someone says that they can do fine with 5 hours of sleep.

The keyword here is 7-9 hours every day, not necessarily at night. People who sleep 4-5 hours at night will need to supplement their sleep with naps in order to get the necessary sleep. When you are younger, you likely had little trouble getting at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. But your sleep pattern changes as you age, and after 65 years of age, the idea of getting 7 straight hours of sleep may sound impossible.

Generally speaking, as you get older, your sleep pattern changes in the following ways:

• You will likely sleep less than 7 hours at night
• Your sleep may feel less restful during the night
• You may be more inclined to nap
• The times that you go to bed and wake up will also likely change

While your pattern might change, your need for getting a certain amount of sleep won’t change. These changes happen for life reasons (stress, children, jobs), hormonal changes, and natural physiological changes that make you more susceptible to certain sleep disorders.

Depression and sleep deprivation symptom similarity

It may seem like identifying sleep deprivation would be obvious, or that the only symptom of lack of sleep is being tired. This list is intended to help you take measured stock of some of the most common symptoms of sleep deprivation, to help you identify whether or not you may be operating at a suboptimal level due to chronic sleep deprivation, depression, or both.

Life is busy and can cause different stressors to compile and add up. When stress compounds, it can cause disruptions in many areas of life, especially sleep. Managing sleep patterns well can relieve some of the burden of stress and help keep you going during questionable times.

Stay safe on the road

Many people have felt that scary feeling of drifting slightly to sleep while driving, only to perk up with a start. Or that scary feeling of hearing though warning on the side rumbling your tires. Especially for shift workers, sleeping at the wheel is one of the main causes of death.

If you drive often, work as a commercial truck driver, or have a longer commute, these tips and tricks could be highly useful for you

Sleep and energy management

Have you ever found yourself 25 minutes into lecture, with your eyelids steadily getting heavier and heavier? It’s warm. It is likely a class that you are not particularly interested in, or one that you have to take as a prerequisite for your program. The teachers voice sounds like white noise in the background? 

For many people in college or educational programs, this struggle may happen more often than not. College life take a toll on sleep habits. Between assigned readings, paper to write, schedules to manage, extracurricular activities, etc., getting a lot of sleep is touch to manage, so realistically how is a student supposed to keep from getting a little tired and sleepy in those extraneous classes?

When things begin to heat up, it is very important to recognize the impact that hot weather can have on sleep, both quantity and quality. In the summer months, especially if you do not have AC, you may find yourself tossing and turning, throwing off the sheets, waking multiple times at night, etc. This can be a source of frustration and fatigue. Continue reading to learn more about ways to sleep in hot weather.