ANCSLEEP BLOG

Why are Sleep Debts Common in Alaska?

Sleep debts are a term that refers to the accumulated sleep deprivation that you experience. It's not as simple as just getting a certain amount of sleep per night and catching up on the missed hours. The concept of sleep debt is useful but can be misleading. It highlights the consequences of not getting enough sleep, namely sleep deprivation, and the need to adjust your sleep patterns to restore a well-rested state. However, repaying your sleep debt is not like repaying a loan.

In Alaska, sleep debts are more common due to the extreme conditions we experience. The long hours of daylight in summer and extended periods of darkness in winter, along with potential lifestyle changes in each season, put us at higher risk for developing sleep disorders or exacerbating existing ones, leading to sleep deprivation. These disorders can include insomnia, restless leg syndrome, parasomnias, and circadian rhythm disorders.

Understanding how to properly repay your sleep debt is crucial, as is recognizing the causes and effects of sleep deprivation. By knowing the recommended amount of sleep you need based on your age and individual needs, you can establish healthy sleep patterns and gradually eliminate the effects of sleep debt. It's important to avoid the misconception that oversleeping can compensate for sleep debt. Instead, focus on consistent, restful sleep over time.

In Alaska, there are specific considerations in different seasons to promote good sleep habits and repay sleep debt effectively. For example, using blackout curtains in summer, being mindful of shift work sleep disorder during shift work, utilizing white noise machines to drown out increased traffic noise, and incorporating light therapy and exercise in winter can all contribute to better sleep.

Recognizing the symptoms of sleep deprivation is also crucial. From decreased performance in various aspects of life to chronic fatigue, sleep attacks, morning headaches, sexual dysfunction, memory and concentration issues, anxiety, depression, and medical complications, the consequences of sleep deprivation are far-reaching.

If you're dealing with chronic sleep problems or sleep deprivation in Alaska, reach out to one of our sleep specialists for assistance. Start by taking our free online sleep test to gain further insight into your sleep patterns and needs.

Link Between Weight and Sleep

If you are trying to lose weight, or have historically struggled with managing your weight, pay attention to how much sleep you are getting. You should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep (if you are an adult), but you also might need more depending on your unique needs. When you get less than 7 hours of sleep, and thus become sleep deprived, you are likely to exhibit numerous weight-unfriendly behaviors. To boot, lack of sleep also affects your metabolism in ways you don’t want it too if you are trying to manage or lose weight.

The link between sleep deprivation and weight is well studied. What we know is that sleep deprivation:

• Triggers a cortisol spike, which tells your body to conserve energy (i.e., slow metabolism)
• Inhibits your body’s ability to produce insulin, which is integral in turning carbs/sugar in to energy or, in the case of lack of sleep, into fat
• Poor sleep can increase your appetite
• Sleep deprivation hampers your ability to make good weight-friendly choices
• Sleep deprivation hampers your ability to fight cravings
• People who are sleep deprived tend to eat more

So, if you are trying to lose weight or manage weight, pay attention! Let’s explore these topics in more detail.

What is Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is a condition that occurs when you are deprived of sleep. It can be a long-term or short-term deficiency, known as chronic or acute sleep deprivation. Regardless of the duration, sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on your overall well-being and the people around you. Take a moment to reflect, did you get enough sleep this week?

Sleep deprivation has a profound effect on various aspects of your life, including physical health, cognitive performance, emotional well-being, athletic abilities, and overall medical health.

The criteria for sleep deprivation differ from person to person, depending on three fundamental factors: age, lifestyle, and individual needs. As we age, our sleep patterns and requirements change. Different lifestyles may necessitate more or less sleep, especially for those who work irregular hours, such as shift workers. Additionally, there is the unique aspect of each individual's sleep needs, where a certain amount of sleep is required simply because it is what you personally need.

Sleep deprivation can affect individuals of all ages, from children to adults, and can have both known and unknown causes. It can range from severe to moderate or minor in its impact.

Understanding Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a fascinating sleep disorder that can disrupt the very fabric of our daily lives. It is characterized by an overwhelming and sometimes uncontrollable desire for sleep, leading to sudden bouts of sleepiness at any given time, in any place. This can throw our normal sleeping patterns and rhythms off balance, making it challenging to live the life we truly desire.

One common aspect of Narcolepsy, affecting approximately 75% of sufferers, is a condition known as Cataplexy. Cataplexy involves the sudden loss of muscle tone triggered by intense emotions, causing our bodies to become slack and potentially leading to collapse. It's our body's way of challenging us to find balance amidst the chaos.

To better understand this sleep disorder, it's important to recognize the two distinct types of Narcolepsy. Type 1 includes the presence of Cataplexy, while Type 2 does not. Each type comes with its own set of unique challenges and experiences.

By delving into the depths of Narcolepsy, we can uncover the various symptoms and explanations that accompany it. Sleep attacks, for instance, are a common occurrence where extreme sleepiness engulfs us suddenly, similar to hitting a wall of exhaustion. These attacks can strike during the daytime without any apparent cause, making it impossible to resist the overwhelming urge to drift off into slumber.

Sleep paralysis, another symptom, renders us temporarily unable to move or speak upon waking up or just before falling asleep. This fleeting moment of powerlessness can range from a few seconds to over a minute, evoking a sense of terror and vulnerability. Some individuals even report brief periods of breathlessness, as if the very act of breathing has been momentarily suspended.

Hallucinations, too, play a role in the complex world of Narcolepsy. Around half of those affected will experience dream-like visions or delusions before falling asleep or upon waking up. These hallucinations may transcend mere visual experiences, encompassing a multitude of sensations. It's as if our REM sleep, the stage responsible for vivid dreaming, infiltrates the waking world when it shouldn't.

The impact of Narcolepsy symptoms extends far beyond mere inconvenience. Sleep attacks, particularly in severe cases, can pose significant dangers to our safety and overall functioning. Engaging in activities such as driving, operating heavy machinery, or performing high-risk work becomes perilous. Even maintaining job consistency and fulfilling the responsibilities of parenting or pregnancy can present significant challenges.

While there is currently no cure for Narcolepsy, managing its symptoms is crucial for leading a fulfilling life. This often involves a complex combination of medications, tailored to each individual's unique response. However, it's important to recognize that managing Narcolepsy requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond medication alone.

Certain activities and occupations may need to be approached with caution or avoided altogether. Navigating daily life may require strategic planning and the ability to take necessary naps when needed, even in unconventional settings such as the workplace. Coffee, often seen as a temporary fix, can be both a helpful aid during sleep attacks and a hindrance to establishing normal sleeping patterns.

It's essential for sleep partners to be aware of the potential hallucinations and sleep paralysis experienced by Narcoleptics. Understanding and recognising these occurrences can alleviate fear and provide the necessary support and reassurance.

For those with Cataplexy, incorporating exercises such as meditation, yoga, and breathing techniques into daily routines can help manage strong emotional reactions and mitigate the risks associated with sudden muscle tone loss.

If you resonate with the experiences described in this article, it may be time to seek a diagnosis through a sleep study. Don't hesitate to take control of your sleep health and reach out for professional guidance.

What is Sleep Debt?

If you've ever heard of sleep debt, it’s the term that refers to how much less sleep you are getting than what you should be getting. The idea is that over time, a “sleep debt” forms that you need to get extra sleep to “pay back” your debt. In other words:

• Your body requires a certain about of sleep, which is different depending on your age
• As you get less sleep than required, you become sleep deprived
• This sleep deprivation causes a “debt” which you have to “pay” by sleeping more than the required amount

For example, if you should be sleeping 7 hours per night, and the last three nights you have slept 6 hours each night, then your “sleep debt” would be 3 hours. It’s important to understand sleep debts because they are more complex and nuanced than the above bullet points.

Even the term “sleep debt” is a bit misleading because you can’t “repay” a sleep debt like you repay a loan. Namely, you can’t just get a bunch of sleep one night and repay your sleep debt. It doesn’t work this way.

Why Alaskan Winter Darkness Can Cause Insomnia

Alaskan winters bring about extreme lighting conditions, with most of the day being shrouded in darkness or completely devoid of sunlight. However, contrary to popular belief, this prolonged darkness does not bode well for our sleep. Adjusting to the Alaskan darkness after our vibrant summers requires significant lifestyle changes, and the natural hormonal fluctuations that occur during these long, dark winters only exacerbate our struggle to achieve restful sleep.

Our lives tend to change in predictable ways during winter, sometimes to the point where, on paper, we look like different people between winter and summer in Alaska. The winters can hit many of us particularly hard:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Restlessness
• Feelings of isolation
• Low levels of physical activity
• Little time outside
• Hormonal changes

These symptoms often end up either exacerbating or causing sleep disorders, most commonly insomnia. In addition to these natural responses to the darkness, our melatonin regulation can also be profoundly changed during all of the darkness.

Melatonin regulates our biological clock. It is produced in response to changes in light. The lack of light changes during winter can throw our melatonin regulation completely off, and in consequence, and combined with other factors, our sleep schedule can become whacky as well – i.e., exhibit or exacerbate classic signs of insomnia:

• Can’t fall asleep
• Can’t sleep until a normal hour in the morning
• Keep waking up throughout the night

If this sounds familiar, then keep reading. Let’s look at good ways to combat the darkness issue.  

Preparing for a good night's rest is more than just getting in the bed. It's essential that your environment is conducive for rest. Below is a list of 7 bedroom dos and don'ts for perfect sleeping. 

How Alaskan Winters Affect Our Lives

Alaskan winters pose and extremely unique challenge to our lives and sleep. Our winters mean either receiving mostly or only darkness, depending on where you live. This extreme lighting condition is contrasted against summer, which is the opposite, and entails making fairly drastic changes to our lives – changes which be very disruptive towards sleep.

The extreme winter darkness means shifting our lives form summer in all ways:

• Sociologically
• Psychologically
• Physiologically
• Habitually

Most of us look like different people in the winter vs the summer: we get outside less, we might work different jobs, the things we do and places we go for fun change, and we may interact with friends less as a result. Furthermore, many of us respond in mental or emotional ways to the darkness, but ways which are unconscious, and our behavior further changes as a result.

An Ideal Sleeping Environment

Creating an ideal sleeping environment is absolutely essential to getting a good night’s rest. It can also play a crucial role in the process of identifying and diagnosing a sleep disorder (or ruling it out). A sleep environment is, unfortunately, not something many people think about when they think about having sleeping problems. The common reaction is to instead reach for a sleep aid, such as melatonin. But I repeat, a sleep environment can make all the difference in the world.

Having a good sleep environment means setting one up: if you are like almost everyone else, there are aspects of your sleep environment that are most definitely not ideal. The primary things to look for in a proper sleep environment are:

1. Dark
2. Quiet
3. No blue light (televisions, computers) – keep them out!
4. Nice sleeping apparel (sheets, pillows, mattresses)
5. Nice smelling
6. Clean

Does your room hit all of these marks? Probably not.

If you are having sleep trouble, the first thing you might do is ensure that your sleep environment is not the cause of your sleep problems. Let’s look at each of these in more detail.

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that brings about an overwhelming and sometimes uncontrollable longing for sleep. It causes sudden and unexpected episodes of sleepiness, occurring at any given moment and in any location. As a result, the regular patterns and rhythms of sleep become disrupted, leading to individuals with narcolepsy experiencing multiple sleep episodes throughout the day, followed by difficulty sleeping at night.