Chronic lack of sleep may make you less intelligent
As we turn our clocks back one hour this weekend for daylight saving time, if we sleep that extra hour many of us will become smarter because of it.
Studies show that when we allow our bodies to rest more, it helps our brains — with memory, concentration and focus.
Receiving fewer than five hours of sleep a night makes people less intelligent and less able to concentrate, and it can make people more susceptible to false memories, according to a new study published in Psychological Science. The study found that of the 193 people tested, participants who slept for less than five hours a night were significantly more likely to say they had seen a news video when they in fact never had.
"There are a lot of studies looking at not just physical, but mental, performance if people don't get adequate rest," said Hank Williford, department head of kinesiology at Auburn Montgomery. "They get stressed and it activates a hormone called cortisol. It can affect physical and academic performance and it makes people tired.
"It can affect the body overall. Sleep and rest is important for recovery, especially for people who exercise. They need adequate sleep to recover and for the next day's exercise."
The study in Current Biology shows that about one-third of people living in first-world countries are required to wake two hours before their circadian clocks, or "natural waking times," tell them to, and 69 percent of people have to wake one hour before their bodies would like.
Of course, different people require different amounts of sleep and although there's no universal rule for how long we should all be sleeping, it's becoming increasingly clear that working late and waking early can cause serious problems, according to an article in The Atlantic, which highlights various sleep studies. It's not just repeated sleep deprivation that does people in, either. Just one restless night can seriously affect us in the morning.
"My change in movement led me to getting more sleep," said Mark Lehmkuhl, a corporate wellness manager in the River Region, who used to participate in heavy-lifting activities. "Just by changing my movement, I sleep more. I do 100 percent yoga, and that has helped my concentration so much. And it has changed and increased my workflow and productivity."
It also has increased his sleep at night from six hours to eight hours.
"It really does go together," he said of a good night's sleep and productivity the following day. "There's a theory out there that different people and bodies respond differently to exercise. The yoga makes a lot of sense to me, and where I am in my life. It helps everything out."
In the schools
In the classroom, students who sleep more tend to be better at remembering what they've learned in the previous day than those who slept less, according to a 2001 study published in Science, with another study confirming that more sleep leads to higher exam scores as well, according to The Atlantic article.
Students who slept seven hours the night before an exam that tested them on economics, languages, and math, scored an average of 9 percent higher than students who only slept six hours the night before.
Leann Marion, director of the Sylvan Learning Center, sees how the lack of sleep affects school work as children come in hungry and tired.
"If they are worrying about where their next meal is coming from, and where they will sleep, they are not going to worry about their grades," she said. "That, we see in the classroom every single day. We have children here that worry about those things. Even as you come in for tutoring, their brains are tired."
Turn back time
When do I need to change my clocks?
Move your clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday. Then on the second Sunday in March, move your clocks ahead one hour.
Ditch daylight saving time?
Arizona and Hawaii are currently the only two states that don't observe daylight saving time.
Why does daylight saving time exist?
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act into law.
The idea behind daylight saving time is to take advantage of daylight hours and save energy. But some studies have shown there's minimal energy savings, reports National Geographic.
Source: USA TODAY
Get more zzzzzzs
• Stick to a sleep schedule: Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night.
•Pay attention to what you eat and drink: Don't go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.
•Create a bedtime ritual: Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.
•Get comfortable: Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
•Limit daytime naps: Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep — especially if you're struggling with insomnia or poor sleep quality at night. If you choose to nap during the day, limit yourself to about 10 to 30 minutes and make it during the midafternoon.
•Include physical activity in your daily routine: Regular physical activity can promote better sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and to enjoy deeper sleep. Timing is important, though. If you exercise too close to bedtime, you might be too energized to fall asleep.
•Manage stress: When you have too much to do — and too much to think about — your sleep is likely to suffer. To help restore peace, consider healthy ways to manage stress. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks.
Source: Mayo Clinic