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| What do you want to know about sleep? Neuroscientists answer your questions | What do you want to know about sleep? Neuroscientists answer your questions |
| (about 15 hours later) | |
| Do you have difficulty getting enough sleep? Sleep problems affect one in three of us at any one | Do you have difficulty getting enough sleep? Sleep problems affect one in three of us at any one |
| time, and about 10% of the population on a chronic basis. Of Guardian readers who responded to a recent poll, 23% reported that they sleep between four and six hours a night. | time, and about 10% of the population on a chronic basis. Of Guardian readers who responded to a recent poll, 23% reported that they sleep between four and six hours a night. |
| With continued lack of sufficient sleep, the part of the brain that controls language and memory is severely impaired, and 17 hours of sustained wakefulness is equivalent to performing on a blood alcohol level of 0.05% – the UK's legal drink driving limit. | With continued lack of sufficient sleep, the part of the brain that controls language and memory is severely impaired, and 17 hours of sustained wakefulness is equivalent to performing on a blood alcohol level of 0.05% – the UK's legal drink driving limit. |
| In 2002, American researchers analysed data from more than | In 2002, American researchers analysed data from more than |
| one million people, and found that getting less than six hours' sleep a | one million people, and found that getting less than six hours' sleep a |
| night was associated with an early demise – as was getting over eight | night was associated with an early demise – as was getting over eight |
| hours. | hours. |
| Studies have found that blood pressure is more than three times | Studies have found that blood pressure is more than three times |
| greater among those who sleep for less than six hours a night, and women | greater among those who sleep for less than six hours a night, and women |
| who have less than four hours of sleep are twice as likely to die from | who have less than four hours of sleep are twice as likely to die from |
| heart disease. Other research suggests that a lack of sleep is also related | heart disease. Other research suggests that a lack of sleep is also related |
| to the onset of diabetes, obesity, and cancer. | to the onset of diabetes, obesity, and cancer. |
| Are you worried about how much sleep you get? | Are you worried about how much sleep you get? |
| Professor Russell Foster, chair of circadian neuroscience | Professor Russell Foster, chair of circadian neuroscience |
| and head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience | and head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience |
| Institute at the University of Oxford, and professor Colin Espie, professor of sleep medicine at the University of Oxford and lead researcher on the Great British | Institute at the University of Oxford, and professor Colin Espie, professor of sleep medicine at the University of Oxford and lead researcher on the Great British |
| Sleep Survey, will answer your questions between 4 and 5pm GMT on Thursday 12 June. | Sleep Survey, will answer your questions between 4 and 5pm GMT on Thursday 12 June. |
| Ask your question about sleep in the comment thread below | Ask your question about sleep in the comment thread below |
| Is there any substitute for a good night's sleep? | |
| (And I don't mean drinking a lot of coffee to stay awake after a bad night) | |
| The day after I've had a bad night or not enough sleep, I often wonder if there is some activity/foodstuff/practice that would help by body recover that I don't know about. Other than taking a nap that is... | |
| ... probably no proper substitute except sleep itself!Sleep wouldn't substitute for a meal after all!!A nap takes the edge of dangerous sleepiness ... but all in all a good sleep pattern maintains best health! | |
| Can sleeping twice a day for four hours replace sleeping once a day for eight hours? These numbers do not have to be exact. I find often that I am more productive at night than during the day. If I have work the following day, I usually go to work without sleep until the following evening; however, if I do not have work, I find an afternoon nap replenishing. With increasing research of the glymphatic system, could we see a change in the recommended 8-hour sleep cycle? Maybe a person needs to sleep only as long as it takes for the body to flush out waste from the brain and CNS. There are times when I feel more refreshed from a 2-4 hour sleep than from a 6-8 sleep. | |
| .... there are individual differences, mostly based on what we call chronotype ... owls and larks. Good to figure out if you are one or other (most are neither!). Owls can work better in the night than larks - for sure. Consolidated sleep is what most people find best so no reason deliberately to go to bi-phasic sleep. There's a lot of pseudoscience out there around so-called multi-phasic sleep; don't be filled this is NOT proper science. | |
| I have had chronic insomnia for the last 17 years (I am now 53). I went through a lot of major trauma in my teens and twenties, and after that I functioned okay professionally as a young adult, but have had major trust issues and personal relationship problems since the trauma. | |
| I am a sensitive person and I also suffer from generalised anxiety disorder and can only hold down part time work. I tend to worry a lot about surviving day to day and holding onto my job. | |
| A lot of my problem, apart from an overactive mind (going over and over the day's events), is worrying about getting enough sleep so I can function the next day and get to work on time. I know I need to cultivate more of an attitude of 'not minding' so that I don't add further anxiety to my sleepless state. I do practice meditation which often does help me sleep, however sometimes it makes me feel quite alert instead. | |
| But another disturbing facet I have is that I periodically seem develop a sense of almost paranoia or obsession around sleep. At these times I am very conscious of my state as I am lying in bed ie how awake or asleep I feel, and even find myself thinking about such things as how it feels and what happens in the moments when I fall asleep. | |
| Is this type of thing common? I know ideally I should probably see a psychiatrist but I cannot afford one. I would be grateful for any suggestions you may have. | |
| ... well the first thing to say (to anyone) is that if you are concerned about your health - any aspect of it - you should seek professional help... but let me address your comment because it is really a common thread of insomnia to TRY TO SLEEP. Trying is an enemy of sleep because it keeps us alert, anxious and awake. Absolutely the wrong solution!I've just completed a 5 year study with US colleagues on what we call selective attention bias; that is that excessive and specific focus on sleep - it makes things worse, paradoxically. The not minding and not trying approach is preferable ... but you have to genuinely not care!!CBT is the solution here. Try www.sleepio.com; have to say there is a conflict of interest here cos I was involved in developing it. On the otter hand clinical trials show it is effective.! | |
| Is there a correlation between tobacco smoking and difficulty to wake up? | |
| ... generally we find that nicotine being a stimulant keeps people awake rather than keeping people asleep. That said nicotine, caffeine and the like are not the explanation for the amount of insomnia we see nowadays. More like the racing mind is the problem!Interesting that you have experienced smoking as a sedative!! | |
| Is it bad if you hold your breath for short periods whilst sleeping? I looked into it once, I was told it could be sleep apnoea, but I don't stop breathing, I hold my breath for a few moments, then exhale loudly. I'm often very tired during the day, could this be connected? | |
| Sleep apnoea is a problem with breathing pauses during sleep and can be associated with excessive sleepiness. It depends really on the extent of the pause and the oxygen depletion associated with it and the frequency of the events. If you are sleepy in the day you should speak to your doctor. | |
| RE: Oversleep in the mornings .. | |
| this is quite a familiar concept to the young - 20 something population ! but if a young person regularly sleeps into the morning .. is this actually damaging? | |
| [this particular example has late work / study sometimes.] | |
| It's typical for young people to be night owls at least for a spell - hard to get to sleep, hard to waken. Its called a circadian phase delay.The problem arises if you have to get up early then you will have shortened sleeps and may get sleep deprived | |
| Will taking Tryptophan help improve getting to sleep and sleeping better.all to do with Serotonin,Melatonin I think,any views.? | |
| Theoretically yes; but in practice no evidence from any compounds or natural produce.Clearing the mind before going to bed and feeling sleepy at bedtime is an easier and more effective solution! |