Sleep and why it matters to your health

Sleep is a critical pillar of health, like nutrition and physical activity [1, 2].

• Sleep helps support memory and learning [3].
• Sleep helps clear waste from the brain and promote brain health [4].
• Sleep supports brain health, and brain health supports sleep [5].
• Sleep supports immune health, and immune health supports sleep [6].
• Sleep helps the immune system to clear bacteria and viruses [6].
• Sleep helps to recycle old cells and maintain our bodies and energy levels [7].

Poor sleep health can have multiple significant impacts on human health.

• Poor sleep has been linked to obesity [8], diabetes [9], coronary artery disease, and cardiovascular mortality [10].
• Poor sleep can lower immune response, creating greater susceptibility to infections that further reduce sleep quality [4].
• Certain sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder are associated with cognitive impairment [11], dementia [12], risk of seizures [13], and increased risk of stroke [14].
• Poor sleep can result in reduced reaction times, impaired judgment, and cognitive impairment similar in effect to alcohol intoxication [15].
• Drowsiness can impair safe driving even if the driver does not fall asleep [16].

Key Message 2: Sleep health is multidimensional.

“Healthy sleep” means more than simply “enough sleep.” There are six dimensions that affect sleep health and consequently overall health and wellbeing.

Organizing “healthy sleep” into distinct aspects offers sleep health advocates more focused messaging that promotes healthy sleep behaviors.

The six dimensions of sleep health are the following:

• Duration: how much did you sleep over 24 hours?
• Efficiency: how well do you fall asleep and stay asleep?
• Timing: when do you sleep?
• Regularity: do you have consistent sleep and wake times?
• Alertness: do you maintain good focus and attention during waking hours?
• Quality: do you feel satisfied with your sleep?

Key Message 3: Make a plan to prioritize your sleep health.
Each person’s everyday life is unique, so there is no single method to improve your sleep health.
Each person needs to consider their circumstances individually. Consider:

• How can you control your environment for sleep? Your sleep environment is one of the most important factors for good sleep, but it can also be the hardest to control. Control what you can. Minimize light (particularly phone screens); keep the temperature cool; use “white noise” or some other method to control sounds. The most important part is that you are comfortable and
  able to relax in your sleep space.
• When is your bedtime? Plan to make it consistent each day. Regularity is essential!
• How much sleep do you get per night? Make at least 7 hours per night your goal [18].
• Do you feel satisfied with your sleep? Record your answers to this question as you work on your sleep health. Track your progress.

Start with these questions when you make a plan to prioritize your sleep health. There are countless other questions and details you can consider, but you can’t change everything at once! Your first step is the most important: recognize that sleep is essential to your health, and make it a priority!