There is significant research on the relationship between poor sleep and compromised immunity. Sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea can fragment the sleep architecture, leaving a person feeling tired and fatigued during the day as well as leaving the person vulnerable to infections, viruses, and bacteria. There are also environmental and behavioral factors that can worsen your sleep, increasing your risk for illness.
Sleep specialist physicians and researchers have known for many years that poor sleep routines (known as sleep hygiene) can contribute to insomnia symptoms and disruptions to the sleep-wake circadian rhythm cycle. Despite the widespread knowledge of these routines, the activities remain quite common in the average American’s lifestyle … and for many, have even worsened during the pandemic.
Nighttime activities to avoid if you want a good night’s rest:
Alcohol usage
Caffeine usage
Nicotine usage
Marijuana usage
Alcohol prior to sleep
It is a common misconception that alcohol is helpful to sleep. Though alcohol may perceptively assist with falling asleep, alcohol can prevent a person from staying asleep. As alcohol metabolizes during sleep, the metabolic factors produce a stimulant effect. The alcohol stimulant effect increases the frequency of ‘micro arousals,’ brief moments where the brain’s electrical activity shifts from a neurological state of sleep to a neurological state of heightened wakefulness. Alcohol also has a relaxing effect on the upper airway muscles, which increases snoring and sleep apnea episodes (which further disrupt sleep and exacerbate oxygen deprivation).
Caffeine after midday
It is a common misconception that caffeine consumed midday has no effect on sleep. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, or energy drinks. Caffeine can negatively affect your sleep even six hours before bedtime. Additionally, caffeine increases inflammation and produces stress hormone production (particularly when consumed in the increasingly higher doses that are more common with Americans nowadays). Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are common reasons for insomnia and reduced sleep time.
Nicotine usage
It is a common misconception that nicotine produces a relaxing effect on its user. The opposite is true. The relaxation effect is a result of satisfying the brain’s underlying addiction due to the stress the brain is experiencing when it is deprived of the nicotine for any length of time. Nicotine (whether by tobacco cigarettes, tobacco chew or snuff, cigars, or vaping) is an addictive chemical that the brain craves when you are asleep. The addictive features of nicotine prevent restful sleep by producing ‘micro arousals’ during sleep, where the brain briefly awakens from sleep for a second or two due to the brain’s withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, nicotine consumed in the evening does produce a stimulant effect that can lengthen the time it takes to fall asleep.
Marijuana usage
It is a common misconception that marijuana is a safe, natural sleep aid. Most marijuana products today have been genetically modified to produce high levels of THC – levels far higher than what occur naturally. THC alters the neurological balance of REM and NREM sleep, with long-term or habitual THC usage reducing your neurologically-refreshing REM sleep and thus worsening your cognitive function and mood during the day.
Get Professional, Medical Sleep Help
Do you have sleep problems and need an evaluation sleep study? For home sleep testing and sleep study procedures, consider SleepSomatics, an American Academy of Sleep Medicine accredited sleep disorders center serving Austin, TX for over twenty years. Request an appointment at SleepSomatics for a sleep study now for more information.
