December is a crazy month – so many holidays packed into 31 days!  And with this month come end-of-the-year deadlines, final exams, holiday shopping, and of course parties. Stress levels are high, we might be staying up later than normal, and we may be more inclined to imbibe a bit more than usual, especially as we join family and friends in celebrating. Together, all of these factors can negatively impact our sleep for several weeks in a row.

Why do we need sleep?

We sleep in stages, and they each provide benefit over the course of the night (or day, if you happen to sleep during the day on account of a work schedule). One stage isn’t more important than the others but deficits in any one of them will impair your brain function. A stage that many of us have heard of is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM functions not only to help us problem-solve and be creative, but it’s important for refreshing our emotional and mental health. Non-REM sleep is important too, especially for those of us between the ages of 40 – 60, to help the brain retain new information, make fact-based memories permanent, and recover memories that are vulnerable to being lost.

When we sleep is determined by our circadian rhythm (our 24-hour internal clock), and by sleep pressure. After you wake up in the morning, the chemical adenosine starts to accumulate throughout the day until you go to bed. The longer you’re awake, the more adenosine builds up, as does your need for, and desire to sleep. An insatiable desire to sleep typically happens after being awake for about 12 to 16 hours.

What happens when we stay out too late?

When you stay out until last call at the holiday party or are up until the wee hours finishing that end-of-year presentation the concentration of adenosine in your brain remains high.  As a consequence, just like your rollover data plan, when you wake up in the morning there’s still some of yesterday’s adenosine accumulated in the brain. This keeps happening the more that you stay up late, and adenosine continues to accumulate under a chronic state of sleep deprivation. Over time, accumulation of adenosine creates a feeling of chronic fatigue, which then results in many forms of mental (e.g., irritability) and physical issues (e.g., slower reaction time) that are all too common for many of us.

 I can just drink coffee to keep me awake, right?

Well, yes… but no. Caffeine blocks adenosine from attaching to its receptors in the brain, but adenosine is still building up. And when the caffeine wears off, the adenosine buildup is still there so all you have done is mask the deficit. Even worse, there are some pretty pronounced effects that arise from sleep deprivation. One study found that when comparing people who were drunk at the legal driving limit (0.08% blood alcohol) with people who were sleep deprived for one night, those who were sleep-deprived showed equal cognitive impairment on a concentration task as those who were legally drunk.

 Speaking of alcohol, I feel like it helps me to sleep

Ummm, no. Your experience of being able to fall asleep or relax makes sense though, because alcohol is a sedative, and binds to receptors within the brain that prevent neurons from firing. But even if it does sedate you initially, alcohol doesn’t induce natural sleep. In fact, alcohol is one of the most powerful suppressors of REM sleep that we know of. And some of its byproducts (aldehydes in particular) can hijack what would have otherwise been some restful sleep.

Being forewarned is being forearmed.  Buckle up for the December ride – and get as much (restorative) sleep as you can!

Beacon Physical Therapy

At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our patients in leading a healthy life and establishing a healthy lifestyle. And remember, if you are having an issue, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.