Answers to the top 5 questions about sleep

1. How long should I sleep?

In 2014, scientists at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Medicine compared the data profiles of more than 3 thousand volunteers database National Social Security Institute, to find out how the human sleep duration is associated with the number of work permits for disease. It turned out, if an adult person sleeps 7-8 hours, he goes to the hospital much less those who sleep less than five or more than ten hours.

It was set daily rate of sleep: 7:00 42 minutes for women and 7 hours 38 minutes for women.

However, statistics are difficult to interpret. Surely among the participants in the study were those who had a couple of times just lied about the disease, so as not to go to work, as well as those who for a long time sleeping due to chronic diseases.

But there is a more serious study. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) in 2016 convened the world's leading specialists who study sleep, to analyze the literature on the subject and to answer the question, how much you need sleep.

Scientists minds considered how sleep affects heart disease, cancer, obesity, cognitive disorders, and human performance. The results showed that the majority of adults are better at their tasks, if they sleep seven to nine hours a day. It is important to sleep and wake at the same time.

2. Is it possible to train yourself to sleep less?

In 1964, 17-year-old high school student from San Diego Randy Gardner (Randy Gardner) for the sake of victory went to experiment on his own body of scientific and technical exhibition. He wanted to find out what happens if you do not sleep for several days. Gardner lasted 264 hours, that is 11 days.

Fortunately, the experiment ended without tragic consequences: the doctors did not find Gardner brain damage or other physical abnormalities.

One of the scientists who observed the experiment Randy Gardner was William Dement (William Dement) Stanford, later - an outstanding expert in the field of sleep and its disorders. Dement and other scientists alternately watched the boys and assessed his condition. Gardner did not take any stimulant medication, not even drinking coffee.

Despite the fact that Randy observed anger and general lethargy (analytical ability, memory, perception, motivation and motor control in a young man from the bottom), on the last night he played with Dement at pinball and win all the games, and at the final press conference, answering questions clearly and clear. Gardner later revealed his secret to waking: it was "only to persuade himself."

I asked the head of the department of sleep and chronobiology at the University of Pennsylvania David Dinges (David Dinges), how many people in the world can do something like this, and not die. He said that the animals are permanently deprived of sleep, faced with serious biological consequences and death - one of them. Therefore, experiments, when people force themselves to sleep for long periods, always carefully documented.

On the ground, only 1% of the so-called fast precipitating people who are fairly 4-6 hours of sleep to feel refreshed.

According to Dinges, you can not change the daily sleep standards set by nature. You can only train yourself to not sleep for eight hours, and stretches for 20-30 minutes.

This is confirmed by research conducted among the participants of sailing regattas. In overcoming the great distances they can not afford the luxury of a long sleep. And winners usually are athletes who sleep little and short lengths. Now the dream is broken into several parts during the day, called polyphasic.

It is unknown how sleep deprivation affects the metabolism, Mood and other aspects of life 1% of the "elite". You may feel cheerful, but do not use their full cognitive abilities, or it will be difficult to implement them because of the aggressiveness and hyperactivity.

Around the same time that Gardner spent his experiment, question of sleep deprivation are interested in the US military. Can a well-trained fighter to function with a minimum amount of sleep?

Initial studies showed that, yes. But when the military sent soldiers into the test laboratory, the latest productivity was not up to par. The less the soldiers slept, the more there was a general shortage of sleep and greater cumulative health problems. They did not recognize the lack of sleep. "We're fine," - the soldiers claimed. But deviations from normal psychological and biological parameters were extreme. In subsequent decades, the results of this research have been repeatedly reaffirmed in a series of similar experiments.

3. How caffeine affects sleep?

Caffeine - the most frequently used stimulant in the world. Its chemical component provokes reactions in the body, which usually occur in response to emergencies. It increases the level of adrenaline in the blood and blocks adenosine, which plays an important role in suppressing the cheerfulness. Caffeine does not allow the body to relax, causes our brain to move and launches the response "fight or flight".

What is wrong?

The problem is that most people drink coffee and start the response "fight or flight", not only in emergencies but also during office routine.

And if you consume coffee all the time, the body's internal clock may have been shot down and look for products that have help fill.

We often hear that coffee in small amounts is not harmful at all, and even helps to be healthy and live long. In fact, to conduct an objective study on food very difficult. Changes in diet can manifest years later and, therefore, monitoring of subjects should be conducted almost throughout life.

Those who claim the benefits of coffee, usually argument is contained in it antioxidants. But the evidence that antioxidants by themselves - the guarantee of health and longevity, either. For example, Vitamin E - an antioxidant, but there is evidence that it can cause in men prostate cancer.

Of course, there are coffee and useful properties. In a world where obesity and anti-social lifestyle are huge problems, loss of appetite and stimulation of social activity using caffeine perceived positively. But it is not in antioxidants, and in something more global.

Lack of sleep is closely related to strokes and other diseases of the heart, and caffeinated beverages are hitting it on the cardiovascular system.

In 2013, the 24-year-old Indonesian died from overwork. She worked as a copywriter in the PR-agency. Shortly before the heart attack she wrote in Twitter: «30 hours, and still hold on." Soon she fell into a coma, and the next morning it was gone. Relatives then reported to Facebook, that she died because she worked too much and drank too much power engineers.

Direct evidence that energy from a lethal dose of caffeine cause getting people to the hospital, no. While this is only the relationship, which can be traced on the basis of statistical data.

Head of Research Center Corporation Public Interest, Michael Jacobson (Michael Jacobson) notes that there are several deaths cases and lawsuits, which involve energy drinks "Sometimes this condition has been associated with the existing problems with heart. After receiving a dose of caffeine, the body is unable to cope with the overload. "

But the Office of sanitary inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns us not without reason that an overdose of caffeine is dangerous and can lead to death.

I have never encountered such cases. Yes, and Jacobson as a fighter for public health confirmed: if you do not talk about the prohibitively high dose of caffeine is safe for healthy people. Probably in hospitalizations associated with the use of Power, not alone to blame these drinks.

4. How gadgets affect sleep?

In 2015 in New York City held a symposium titled Blue Light, where experts discussed the impact of artificial light on our lives.

The keynote speaker was a Japanese ophthalmologist Kazuo Tsubota (Kazuo Tsubota), President of the International Society of blue light, which aims to "disseminate knowledge on the results of ongoing research of physical effects Sveta".

The light falls on the retina, and the signal is transmitted to the hypothalamus. This is a small but very important part of the brain. It processes sensory information and controls such body reactions like hunger, thirst, agitation. Without the hypothalamus, we would not be able to experience the joy of sex. He also controls sleep.

When the eye retina receives less light, the hypothalamus suggests that it is time to go to bed. He says his neighbor-epiphysis: "Hey, make me a minute melatonin and throw it into the bloodstream."

He agrees, produces melatonin and releases it into the blood - you want to sleep.

On the morning of the hypothalamus senses the light and ordered the epiphysis to stop the production of melatonin. If during the day a blood test, then it will not be nearly this hormone.

It is therefore recommended before going to sleep less sit in front of the monitor. Telephones and the plates emit light which is largely shifted to the blue visible spectrum pole. Studies show that the light in a special way affects the human dream.

Many phones have a night mode. It can include, in order not to disturb the natural production of melatonin. But not it be easier to just take a preparation containing this substance?

5. What is the effect on sleep medication melatonin?

In the US, this hormone, so strongly affects our brain, is considered a dietary supplement and is sold without a prescription. The pharmacist can not sell without a prescription diabetic insulin and melatonin - as much as necessary. As well as caffeinated pills.

In 2015, Ben Yu (Ben Yu) dropped the Harvard and opened biotech startup. He released cprey to sleep, in which structure there is melatonin. Spray it on your skin - and you fall asleep.

Yu called melatonin is not a hormone, and biological signaling molecule. I asked him if this is a trick? After all, buyers can scare the prospect of spraying the hormone. "I thought it was really sounds too complicated, - he said. - However, it turned out, people do not care. "

In a society suffering from lack of sleep, deep sleep promise makes people forget about caution.

During the pre-campaign on Indiegogo kraudfandingovoy spray for sleep collected 410 thousand dollars, which is 2106% more than the planned amount.

Unlike spray for sleep by conventional tablets with melatonin is that recent fast are dissolved and removed from the circulatory system, and spray slowly penetrates the skin and enters the blood. This allows you to sleep through the night without interruption.

I used this tool a couple of weeks and really slept, but it's hard to say whether it is a merit spray. I have no problems with sleep. Therefore, I can safely say is spray does not cause skin allergies.

Most people really fall asleep faster under the influence of drugs with melatonin. However, they do not affect the total amount and quality of sleep. In addition, as is the case with other nutritional supplements sold in the United States, there is no information on the effects of long-term consumption.

Melatonin plays an important role in the functioning of subtle body systems. David Dinges worried that it uses the youth. According to the researcher, supplementation with melatonin and caffeinated beverages in any case should not be given to children without doctor's permission. "Adults, at least, to make informed decisions," - said Dinges. But informed you?

Output

A lot of people every day are struggling with lack of sleep, occurring due to stress at work and home, "light pollution" from the gadgets and a wrong way of life.

People are trying to adjust the balance between sleep and wakefulness by using caffeine, melatonin spray and other means, which only further disrupt biological rhythms.

How to be? Here are a few tips on how to sleep properly:

• Get up and go to bed at the same time. Even on weekends.
• Do not abuse the coffee and alcohol. If you think that you not take caffeine, and a glass of wine before bedtime helps sleep, you're wrong.
• Reduce your use of gadgets at bedtime. Even in night mode, the screen emits light. It is better to read the paper or a book Have sex.