To Sleep or Not to Sleep

WRITTEN BY: Pasindu Dissanayake, Class of 2025

This blog is about insomnia and the importance of sleep. The author has given insight about sleep hygiene as well as answered why some people can’t sleep.

'A good night's sleep'

How often have you checked the time in the evening and seen it’s already past midnight? In this modern day and age with our artificial lights and busy schedules sleep can sometimes fall by the wayside. Waking up in the morning to go for classes can feel almost impossible. Even after waking up it can feel like you didn’t get a “good night’s sleep”. One may be tempted to think that being sleep deprived is normal and a price we all must pay to keep up with modern lifestyle and responsibilities. Some of us may even develop “insomnia”. Is the situation really as bleak as it sounds? Or is there something that we can do to finally get a good night’s sleep?

What is insomnia?

“Insomnia”, it’s a word that is frequently used. But what does it really mean and how do you know if you have it? Insomnia is defined as having an impaired ability to generate sleep even though ample opportunity is given to sleep. True insomnia can be further divided into onset insomnia (difficulty falling asleep) and maintenance insomnia (difficulty maintaining sleep). To diagnose insomnia all these criteria have to be fulfilled

• You are not satisfied with the sleep quantity or quality (difficulty in falling or staying asleep, early morning awakening)

• You suffer significant daytime distress or impairment due to this

• You have had sleep difficulty for at least 3 nights each week for more than 3 months

• You do not have any coexisting mental disorders or medical conditions that could cause the sleeping difficulty

• You have sleep difficulty even though you give yourself an adequate opportunity to sleep

If you meet all these conditions then you can be sure you have insomnia and should get more medical advice. But as you can see even though many people do suffer from classical insomnia it is not why the majority of us have poor sleep.

If you meet all these conditions then you can be sure you have insomnia and should get more medical advice. But as you can see even though many people do suffer from classical insomnia it is not why the majority of us have poor sleep.

So if it’s not insomnia why can’t most people sleep?

Insomnia should not be confused with sleep deprivation which is what really causes sleep problems for most of us. Sleep deprivation is having the ability to sleep but not giving yourself the adequate opportunity to sleep.

What does “adequate sleep opportunity” mean? Think of sleep opportunity as the total time you spend in bed with the intent to sleep. This means without any distractions like checking your phone and turning off any bright lights. Why is this important? Because the time you actually sleep is less than the sleep opportunity you give yourself.. This is because it takes some time for you to fall asleep. For a healthy adult the ideal amount of sleep time is at least 7.5 hours. Therefore to get a sleep of 7.5 hours you should give yourself a sleep opportunity of at least 8 hours

Why is sleep important?

Sleep is necessary for making new memories (to learn new things) and to save memories (to remember what you learnt for the long term)

Sleep is necessary for making new memories (to learn new things) and to save memories (to remember what you learnt for the long term)

• Boosts immunity

• Protects you from cancer

• Decreases risk of heart attacks, stroke and diabetes

• Lowers the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s

• Improves recovery after a workout

• Decreases the risk of obesity

• Solidifies things you practiced (Like learning a new guitar strumming pattern/practicing a new type of stroke in swimming)

Sleep hygiene

Like our daily hygiene, sleep hygiene is also something we can work on and improve

• By far the most important thing is to wake up and go to sleep at the same time each day (So set a time for sleeping as well and not just for getting up)

• Avoid coffee in the afternoon (Effects of caffeine can last for 6-8 hours)

• Don’t eat large meals at night (can cause reflux)

• Take naps but not after 3pm (Naps later than this will decrease the adenosine buildup and prevent you from feeling naturally sleepy at night)

• Try to get some sunlight exposure in the morning and keep the room dark when going to sleep

• Don’t force yourself to sleep. If even after some time you find it difficult to fall asleep do a relaxing activity (reading, listening to music) until you naturally feel the urge to sleep

Conclusion

Even though our poor sleep hygiene may have caused us to be sleep deprived, it does not have to be this way. By following these steps we can gradually build a better routine in which we give our body the amount of sleep it really needs.

As mentioned, before it will reward us a with a whole host of benefits. And the extra time which you spend for sleep will also be compensated as you will spend less time learning and restudying material, less time practicing and less time recovering from illnesses.

So tonight as you fall asleep and you slip into the realm of sleep, know that you’re in good hands and you’re being recharged and energized to take on the next day.