Dr. Ruth Benca has news for the alpha executives, lawyers and investors who don’t think they need seven hours of sleep nightly.
“If night after night, you only get 5 or 6 hours of sleep, you’ll get progressively impaired although you’ll feel you’re getting used to it,” she said.
“Your brain doesn’t function as well when you’re chronically deprived. You might not be aware of it.
“Your judgment becomes impaired. You cannot judge risk as well. You’re more likely to engage in dangerous activities, like driving when you shouldn’t or making risky ventures.”
She’s examined executives who have significant abuse problems with alcohol and stimulants and found it would often be linked to lack of sleep.
“There’s this macho thing that sleep is for sissies,” Benca said.
Rising early, like say 4 a.m., is fine if seven hours of sleep is achieved, she said.
She recognizes that sometimes executives must pull all-nighters.
She urges them to not go more than two nights in a row deprived of sleep, saying it’s possible to “catch up on sleep.”
Sport of Gaming?
Are video games a sport? Benca says no—there’s no cardiovascular activity and causing adolescents to become “sleep-deprived couch potatoes.”
“They are up all night and they are not moving. I worry about that.
“Both sleep and lack of fitness have similar impact on our physiology in terms of affecting inflammations, brain functions, moods, causing problems with glucose, regulations, leading to Type 2 diabetes.”
Jet Lag Tips
• For eastward travel, shift waking time and bedtime earlier by 1 hour per day for 3 days prior to departure; use bright light early in the morning to advance the circadian rhythm and avoid light exposure late in the day.
• For westward travel, shift bedtime and waking time later for several days prior to travel; use bright light in the evening or during the first part of the night to delay the circadian rhythm and avoid light exposure in the morning.
• Consider use of low-dose melatonin (0.5–5 mg) at the anticipated bedtime in the destination.
• In flight, avoid alcohol and caffeine; try to sleep.
• Upon arrival, adapt to the schedule in the new time zone by remaining awake during the daytime and following the new mealtimes.
Apnea
Snore loudly? Feel tired during the day? Wake up with headaches in the morning? All are signs of sleep apnea.
If it isn’t treated, apnea can lead to heart disease and Alzheimer’s, she said.
CPAP machines, which force air into the lungs, are still the “gold standard” for effective and safe treatment and are improving, she said.
Wake Up
She doesn’t give advice on which type of bed to pick, saying people have different needs. She likes apps such as Fitbit that monitor sleep.
Sleep isn’t an instantaneous process, so she advises that before falling asleep, wind down for an hour in a restful way such as reading. Late evening use of alcohol, coffee and even exercise will cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.
“We think we’ll go, go, go and then shut off,” she said. “It takes a while for the brain to shut down.”
Waking up isn’t an instantaneous process either.
“It takes a good half hour for your brain to boot up in the morning.”
—Peter J. Brennan
