New book unravels mysteries of sleep

Why we sleep? We would usually answer that we sleep because we get exhausted after hours of wakefulness and activity and the body needs rest. That is a common man’s answer. But when a scientist unravels the science of sleep, it is a new ballgame altogether. The scientist concerned is Dr Matthew Walker who is currently Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and Director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. While answering the question as to why we sleep.

Walker says: “Theories ranged from the logical (a time for conserving energy,), to the peculiar (an opportunity for eyeball oxygenation), to the psychoanalytic (a non-conscious state in which we fulfil repressed wishes).” Walker says that his new book (Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams released a few days ago) “will reveal a very different truth, a truth that is more health-relevant.”We sleep for a rich litany of functions – an abundant constellation of nighttime benefits that service both our brains and our bodies.

There does not seem to be one major organ within the body, or process within the brain, that isn’t optimally enhanced by sleep (and detrimentally impaired when we don’t get enough)” In his significant scientific research, Walker finds that “sleep restocks the armory of our immune system, helping fight malignancy, preventing infection, and warding off all manner of sickness. Sleep reforms the body’s metabolic state by fine-tuning the balance of insulin and circulating glucose… Adequate sleep is intimately tied to the fitness of our cardiovascular system, lowering blood pressure while keeping our heart in fine condition.” Walker makes another interesting observation: “A balanced diet and exercise are of vital importance, yes. But we now see sleep as the preeminent force in this health trinity. The physical and mental impairments caused by one night of bad sleep dwarf those caused by equivalent absence of food or exercise.”

That explains why, Walker says, both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Sleep Foundation recommend an average of eight hours of nightly sleep. But he adds, “Tragically, twothirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep.” Walker goes on to say: “Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer. Insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor determining whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Inadequate sleep – even moderate reductions for just one week – disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic. Short sleeping increases the likelihood of your coronary arteries becoming blocked and brittle, setting you on a path toward cardiovascular disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.” Walker has specifically researched the correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and sleep disruption of the adults, especially the elderly. “Sleep disturbance precedes the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by several years, suggesting that it may be an early-warning sign of the condition, or even a contributor to it.” Walker makes a definite prediction: “Getting too little sleep across the adult lifespan will significantly raise your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease… Parenthetically, and unscientifically, I have always found it curious that Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan – two heads of state that were very vocal, if not proud, about sleeping only four to five hours a night – both went on to develop the ruthless disease.” Walker goes on to warn: “The current US president, Donald Trump – also a vociferous proclaimer of sleeping just a few hours each night – may want to take note.” (Should I add that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take note as well?) It is time doctors advise patients, as a prevention as well as a cure to most diseases, ‘non-negotiable eight-hour sleep opportunity each night’. Walker also takes potshots at the school education system that forces children to get up early in the morning (at 5.15 am or so) to catch the school bus. He says: “ Keep in mind that 5.15 am to a teenager is not the same as 5.15 am to an adult… (T)he circadian rhythm of teenagers shifts forward dramatically by one to three hours. So really the question I should ask you, if you are an adult, is this: Could you concentrate and learn anything after having forcefully been woken up at 3.15 am, day after day after day? “ Professor Walker makes another telling observation: “Forced by the hand of early school start times, this state of chronic sleep deprivation is especially concerning considering that adolescence is the most susceptible phase of life for developing chronic mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and suicidality.” And then he goes on to make a strong statement that should be an eye-opener to all: “Unnecessary bankrupting the sleep of a teenager could make all the difference in the precarious tipping point between psychological wellness and lifelong psychiatric illness.” This 300-odd page educative book is written primarily keeping the American readers in mind, but it is a mustread for all as sleep concerns us all.