The Importance of Sleep

Throughout history, human beings instinctively knew how long they needed to sleep. But the invention of the light bulb and technology has disturbed our circadian rhythm. Our circadian rhythm is what naturally tells us when and for how long our body needs to sleep. We grow sleepy when we receive signals from the environment that it is dark outside and when our body sends signals to our brain that we need to rest. Unfortunately, today the average person sleeps a whole hour less than before the 1940s. This continuous deprivation has taken a negative toll on our health. A study shows that almost 70% of young people and 30% of adults are sleep-deprived. 

Why is getting enough sleep so important for our Health?

1. Sleep allows detoxification of the brain - Regular sleep has an incredible restorative function for the mind. All the organs in our body, including our brain, need to replenish all their cells with nutrients continuously. This process is especially critical in the brain. The circulatory system supplies nutrients and oxygen to every part of the body, including the brain. The lymphatic system is what clears and gets rid of the body’s waste products but not the brain. The Glymphatic system uses cerebral spinal fluid to flush out the toxins but only occurs when we are asleep. When we go to sleep, our brain cells shrink and allow space in between the brain cells to clean and flush out the waste product throughout the brain. When we are awake and busy, our brain is working, but when we are asleep, our brain shifts into a cleaning mode.  SubhanAllah!

2.Prevents Alzheimer's and Dementia- Amyloid-beta is a waste product the brain needs to clear out for it to be healthy. It is a protein made in the brain by everyone, all the time. But for people with Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia, Amyloid-beta does not clear up and instead builds up and aggregates in the spaces between the cells. Regular restful sleep allows the body to get rid of Amyloid-beta much more rapidly and, in turn, can help prevent these terrible diseases. Get regular sleep Now so that you will be healthy as you age.

3. Sleep can prevent many other health problems- Poor sleep is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Poor sleep also has an impact on our mental state. Studies show if a person chronically sleeps less than 6 hours, they are almost 5x as likely to have a stroke. Image what kind of an impact it has on the rest of our bodies?

4. Strengthen your memory- Memory formation occurs in 3 stages: 

• Encoding occurs when you are awake and taking in information.

• Consolidation happens when you are asleep, and the new information is stored in your brain.

• Retrieval happens when this stored information is accessed and recalled; this is when you remember the information. This occurs if we get enough sleep.

   Sleep promotes the formation of new connections between brain cells, called synapses. Synapses are where your memory is stored. More synapses are formed when we are well-rested. The next time you need to take an exam, make sure to get enough sleep. It’s actually more important than staying up an extra hour to study.

5. It supports learning, sharpens mental clarity, & improves reaction time-Sleep enriches our learning ability, recalibrates our emotional brain circuit, and helps us make logical decisions and choices.  Poor sleep has an impact on our mental state. We tend to cause rash, hasty decisions when we haven’t had enough sleep. A restful night’s sleep allows our mind to think and contemplate our thoughts and intentions clearly, calmly, and throughly.

We acquire learning when we are awake, but we cement neural connections while sleeping and store them in our memory for later usage.

6. Sleep improves Immunity- Getting proper sleep helps maintain the microbiome in our gut. When we are asleep, we fast and allow our body to regenerate new healthy cells and repair damaged ones, especially in the gut. During the day, when we are constantly eating, our digestive tract is too busy trying to break down the food. Obtaining the right amount of sleep allows our gut to maintain health, which in turn allows our immune system to become strong. When our immune system is healthy and working at an optimal rate, it can prevent infection by fighting malignancy. Studies have shown nighttime shift workers have an increased rate of developing many types of cancers. This should be a warning sign for us.

7. Too little sleep adds pounds-  The less a person sleeps, the more likely they will eat. Sleeping less than 6 hours per night can increase the risk of diabetes and obesity. How does this happen? Your body needs good sleep to regulate the hormones that affect hunger. The two hormones, leptin, and ghrelin, regulate satiety and hunger when we do not get enough sleep. These hormones are not regulated, so we feel more hungry and less satisfied when we eat. Ditch the snack and instead take a nap.

8. All around healthy growth- When we sleep, human growth hormones and androgens are released, which help our bodies to grow and repair damaged cells, build muscle, and burn fat. There is not one major organ in the body or process within the brain that isn’t enhanced by sleep or impaired when we don’t get enough sleep. 

How much sleep do I need? The amount of sleep depends on our age and how much energy we expend. Infants need about 16 hours a day. Child-youth needs 9-10 hours of sleep per day. Adults need about 7-8 hours a day.  A good rule of thumb is to get one hour of sleep for the two hours you are awake. This is a 1:2 of sleep to being awake. If you wake up at 6 am and go to sleep at 10 pm, your day is 16 hours long. 16/2=8. You need to get 8 hours of sleep. 

Sleeping or taking a nap, and allowing you brain or mind to rest is so important that our blessed Prophet Muhammad(s) would take a midday nap daily. He called this beautiful Sunnah Qaylullah. We are rewarded by added this power nap time in our daily routine. Our scholars teach their hifz students (children memorizing the entire Quran) to repeat their lessons and then take a nap or sleep on it. My children have tried this excercise and it really does work. I remember studying all day and then going to sleep to give my brain a rest and waking up to review right before an exam, and that is when I did exceptionally well on tests. People who want to solve a puzzle were more able to discover a shortcut after they took a nap.  

Understanding that we need to add an extra hour or two in our night sleep is only have the solution. But realistically living in a world with so much demand can make it difficult for us to implement this much needed sleep. Why not follow the example of the most balanced human being which Allah swt has sent for us to learn from and look up to? We can always spend 20-30 minutes in the afternoon to relax and give our mind and body a rest. Qaylullah. The much needed power nap that Nabi(s) advised his companions to follow even during the most difficult of times, during a battle. We know from studies that a power nap can have restful affect on our body. Why not try this Sunnah today?

Sleeping is not just a luxury. It is a necessity if we want to maintain a healthy body.