Catching Z's

Catching Z’s FLT Beau Claiborne

Sleep is often the forgotten or diminished characteristic of a healthy lifestyle. Lack of sleep, whether intentional (rise and grind mentality), medical (snoring, insomnia, sleep apnea) or due to a responsibility (work / family), is a road block that will affect every component of your decision to live a healthier lifestyle. Sleep affects growth and stress hormones, your immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health. Disclaimer: we can not give medical advice on treating medically diagnosed disorders. If any recommendation contradicts your prescribed plan … please err on the side of your doctor’s orders.

How does lack of sleep affect:

• Nutrition / Weight Loss - studies have shown that sleep deprived people typically have an increase in appetite and a higher daily caloric intake. Firefighters tend to take the easiest route possible when tired and opt for convenience. Usually resulting in processed foods and a craving for simple carbohydrates.

• Fitness - lack of sleep = less motivation and poor performance. Can you still get in a workout or participate in sport? Of course. Would your effort / result and reflexes have been greater if fully rested … 100%.

• Cardiovascular System - Chronic sleep deprivation is horrible for your heart. Adults who average less than 7 hours of sleep a night have shown to have increased blood pressure, elevated heart rates and an increased risk of heart disease.

• Recovery - our body and mind recharges during sleep. Getting the proper amount of sleep allows for the cycling of the 4 stages of sleep. Greatly influencing body function, mental clarity and mood. When sleep is subpar - cortisol levels increase, growth hormone tanks and testosterone severely decreases.

Sleep is a dynamic process. The average healthy adult will experience 3-5 sleep cycles per night. Within those cycles, there are 4 distinct sleep stages: Light Sleep, Deep/Slow Wave Sleep (SWS), Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep and Wake. A full sleep cycle will take 90 to 110 minutes to complete. Light Sleep - easily aroused, physiological process taken to transition to deep sleep. Slow Wave Sleep (deep) - 95% of daily growth hormone is produced here. Muscles recover and grow. Goal is for 23% of sleep to be spent in SWS. REM - brain is restored, new memories, skills are cemented for retention. Most dreams occur here. Goal is for 22% of sleep to be spent in REM.

Wake - it is natural to be awake for brief periods many times in the night. These

periods are known as arousals, or “disturbances”

While there is no simple formula for boosting the amount of time you spend in any of the stages of sleep, there are behaviors you can adopt to give yourself the best chance at an efficient night of sleep. Here are some good practices from the folks at WHOOP. Incorporate at home or in the firehouse, when appropriate.

The darker your room, the better you sleep. Light influences the wake stage of sleep so the darker you can get your room, the more time you will get in the restorative stages.

Set your room temperature at or around 68 degrees. You will fall asleep quicker when your bedroom is slightly cool.

Your bed is not a multi-use space. The more you can train your body to associate your bed with sleep, the more adept you will be at falling asleep in that space. As such, avoid work and leisure time spent in your bed.

Screens are stimulating and keep you awake. Avoid using your phone or computer in bed, screen time makes it more difficult to fall asleep.

Set a cut-off time for caffeine intake. Caffeine has a lingering presence for many hours after consumption. For greater sleep efficiency, consciously refrain from caffeine consumption at least 4 hours before bed.

Plan ahead when consuming alcohol. Just as caffeine intake impacts the body hours after consumption, so too does alcohol. Keep this in mind on a night out so that your sleep performance doesn’t suffer.

** Caffeine and alcohol consumption within the 4 hour window will result in an elevated overnight heart rate. You will be physically sleeping, but your body will not be resting.

Exercise early. Exercise and other physical activity can lengthen the amount of time spent in the deep sleep (SWS) phase. Research has also shown that the cognitive benefits of morning exercise may help overcome the day’s fatiguing effects from being sleep deprived. Hydrate. Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily BUT stop hydrating 3 hours prior to bedtime.

How to make up lost sleep?

The average adult requires between 7-9 hours each night. Multiple days in the firehouse, small children at home or some of life’s activities can make this difficult ... creating a sleep deficiency. Sleep debt is the difference between that amount of sleep you got vs the amount you actually needed.

The most efficient method for making up lost sleep is a well planned nap. One that is either 20 minutes or 90 minutes long. Anything in between or longer could be counterproduct, as you will be waking during a restorative portion of the sleep cycle. Leaving you groggy.

• 20 minutes - a power nap. You will complete a stage of light sleep, waking before transitioning into heavier sleeping. Leaving you rejuvenated.
  

• 90 minutes - the body will cycle through all 4 stages of sleep. Cutting your sleep debt significantly.

How to make a concentrated effort to improve your health through adequate sleep.

Start tracking your sleep!! It can be as simple as keeping an old school log. Purchase a composition book and document: 1. When you go to bed at night 2. When you wake up in the morning 3. Do the same for any naps you may take

If you are looking for an advanced metric of your sleep, consider one of the wearable sleep trackers on the market such as the Oura Ring or WHOOP.

Despite your work schedule, sleep is non-negotiable and needs to be a top health priority. It is of equal importance as nutrition and exercise.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding sleep at healthandladders@boston.gov or reach out to me directly - beau.claiborne@boston.gov