Psych for Life®

Sleep Improvement Module – Part 2 of 12 – Why is sleep important?

00:00:00:01 – 00:00:22:22
Kate
Hi. I’m Kate from Psych for Life. Do you ever feel like you’re not quite getting enough sleep? I know. I feel like that on most days these days. Were pulled in a thousand different directions, and the thing that often suffers is sleep. Take last night, for instance, it was 10:00, and while I knew that I should go to bed, I stayed up.

00:00:23:03 – 00:00:41:19
Kate
I caught up on some work and I watched a little Netflix all at the expense of my sleep. I know sleep is important, but in the moment, often I make other choices. It turns out sleep affects us in more ways than we might anticipate.

00:00:42:19 – 00:01:11:12
Rob
Getting enough sleep is associated with living longer, and sleeping helps you feel better. Did you know that sleep also affects cognition? Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania instructed students to only sleep 5 hours a night after five days of reduced sleep. 70% of subjects complain of illness, infection, pain, discomfort, worry or other problems. And they performed significantly worse on tests of cognitive functioning compared to when they slept as usual.

00:01:12:01 – 00:01:32:04
Rob
So if you’re not getting enough sleep, you may not be performing as well in school or at work, and you might be more likely to get into arguments with your friends and family. Sleep deprivation has also been shown to increase your desire for high calorie foods, causing you to eat things you don’t really want to eat. You know, if you’re not getting enough sleep well, you’re not alone.

00:01:32:05 – 00:01:56:20
Rob
That’s most of us. The CDC or the Center for Disease Control shows that over a third of adults don’t get enough sleep, so it’s not uncommon. And over 70% of high school students report not getting enough sleep, which is crazy when you think that they’re thinking about college This could hurt their chance of getting into college or even getting scholarships So what is the challenge that prevents people from getting enough sleep?

00:01:57:17 – 00:02:22:14
Rob
Fun, because everyone knows that sleep is really important and everyone knows it’s a necessity. That’s really the first thing that goes when people have competing demands. In 2002, Franklin Brown and colleagues found that practicing good sleep habits was linked to reports of better sleep quality. However, the study found that simply knowing about good sleep habits was not enough to improve sleep quality.

00:02:23:08 – 00:02:25:23
Leah
Many of us know what we need to do. We just don’t do it.

00:02:28:05 – 00:02:35:08
Rob
So as you watch this video, we’d like to help you not just learn about good sleep habits, but also to make changes to improve your sleep.

00:02:36:10 – 00:02:39:11
Leah
Think about ways you can really implement these changes in your life.

00:02:39:20 – 00:02:46:18
Rob
And consider signing up for one of our good sleep challenges on our website or start a good sleep challenge with an offline friend.

00:02:47:07 – 00:03:04:15
Leah
This will empower both of you to really change and improve your behavior. It’s really important to practice. The fact is, despite all these competing demands getting better sleep will payoff. You’ll be happier, you’ll be healthier, you’ll increase your cognitive functioning, and you’ll be better at handling stress.

00:03:05:15 – 00:03:13:06
Rob
And don’t worry, many of the changes are not as hard as you think. And if you change them, you’re likely to improve your mood, your cognition and your health.

00:03:16:13 – 00:03:27:12
Kate
Join us as we talk to Dr. Leah Doane about the importance of sleep, the consequences of sleep deprivation and how we can all get better sleep.

Audio Only Version

Why is sleep so important?

In this video, we will discuss:

  • How does a lack of sleep affect us?
  • How common is sleep deprivation?
  • What is the one thing that causes us to not get enough sleep?

How much sleep is enough?

Find out in the next video

Key takeaways:

Sleep deprivation can cause you to eat things you don't really want to eat.
Over 70% of high school students report not getting enough sleep.
Better sleep habits will make you happier, healthier, and better at handling stress.

Meet our host

Kate Gigax

HOST & FOUNDER, DEVELOPMENT CORPS
HOST

Meet Kate

Kate is a certified Executive Coach, Facilitator, and the Founder of Development Corps.

She has designed and facilitated workshops, team off-sites, and training sessions on a range of topics including executive presence, trust, accountability, effective teams, coaching skills, and dealing with different personalities.

Learn more about Kate
Find out in the next video
  • Grandner MA, Hale L, Moore M, Patel NP. Mortality associated with short sleep duration: The evidence, the possible mechanisms, and the future, Sleep Med Rev , 2010, vol. 14 (pg. 191-203)
  • Dinges, D. F., Pack, F., Williams, K., Gillen, K. A., Powell, J. W., Ott, G. E., … & Pack, A. I. (1997). Cumulative sleepiness, mood disturbance, and psychomotor vigilance performance decrements during a week of sleep restricted to 4–5 hours per night. Sleep, 20(4), 267-277
  • Greer, S. M., Goldstein, A. N., & Walker, M. P. (2013). The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain. Nature communications, 4(1), 1-7.
  • Eaton, D. K., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Shanklin, S., Flint, K. H., Hawkins, J., … & Wechsler, H. (2012). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2011. Morbidity and mortality weekly report: Surveillance summaries, 61(4), 1-162.
  • Wheaton AG, Everett Jones S, Cooper AC, Croft JB. Short sleep duration among middle school and high school students — United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:85-90.
  • Brown, F. C., Buboltz Jr, W. C., & Soper, B. (2002). Relationship of sleep hygiene awareness, sleep hygiene practices, and sleep quality in university students. Behavioral medicine, 28(1), 33-38.
  • Rogers, A. E., Caruso, C. C., & Aldrich, M. S. (1993). Reliability of sleep diaries for assessment of sleep/wake patterns. Nursing research.
  • Biggs, S. N., Lushington, K., van den Heuvel, C. J., Martin, A. J., & Kennedy, J. D. (2011). Inconsistent sleep schedules and daytime behavioral difficulties in school-aged children. Sleep medicine, 12(8), 780-786.
  • Wright Jr, K. P., McHill, A. W., Birks, B. R., Griffin, B. R., Rusterholz, T., & Chinoy, E. D. (2013). Entrainment of the human circadian clock to the natural light-dark cycle. Current Biology, 23(16), 1554-1558.
  • Kredlow, M. A., Capozzoli, M. C., Hearon, B. A., Calkins, A. W., & Otto, M. W. (2015). The effects of physical activity on sleep: a meta-analytic review. Journal of behavioral medicine, 38(3), 427-449.
  • Singh, N. A., Clements, K. M., & Fiatarone, M. A. (1997). A randomized controlled trial of the effect of exercise on sleep. Sleep, 20(2), 95-101.
  • Vitale, J. A., Bonato, M., Galasso, L., La Torre, A., Merati, G., Montaruli, A., … & Carandente, F. (2017). Sleep quality and high intensity interval training at two different times of day: A crossover study on the influence of the chronotype in male collegiate soccer players. Chronobiology international, 34(2), 260-268.
  • Miller, D. J., Sargent, C., Roach, G. D., Scanlan, A. T., Vincent, G. E., & Lastella, M. (2020). Moderate-intensity exercise performed in the evening does not impair sleep in healthy males. European journal of sport science, 20(1), 80-89.
  • Slama, H., Deliens, G., Schmitz, R., Peigneux, P., & Leproult, R. (2015). Afternoon nap and bright light exposure improve cognitive flexibility post lunch. PLoS One, 10(5), e0125359.
  • Brooks, A., & Lack, L. (2006). A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative?. Sleep, 29(6), 831-840.
  • Drake, C., Roehrs, T., Shambroom, J., & Roth, T. (2013). Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 9(11), 1195-1200.
  • Hieu, T. H., Dibas, M., Surya Dila, K. A., Sherif, N. A., Hashmi, M. U., Mahmoud, M., … & Huy, N. T. (2019). Therapeutic efficacy and safety of chamomile for state anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, and sleep quality: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized trials and quasi‐randomized trials. Phytotherapy Research, 33(6), 1604-1615.
    Thakkar, M. M., Sharma, R., & Sahota, P. (2015). Alcohol disrupts sleep homeostasis. Alcohol, 49(4), 299-310.
  • Dela Pena, I. J. I., Hong, E., de la Pena, J. B., Kim, H. J., Botanas, C. J., Hong, Y. S., … & Cheong, J. H. (2015). Milk collected at night induces sedative and anxiolytic-like effects and augments pentobarbital-induced sleeping behavior in mice. Journal of medicinal food, 18(11), 1255-1261.
  • Reiter, R. J., Manchester, L. C., & Tan, D. X. (2005). Melatonin in walnuts: influence on levels of melatonin and total antioxidant capacity of blood. Nutrition, 21(9), 920-924.
  • Losso, J. N., Finley, J. W., Karki, N., Liu, A. G., Pan, W., Prudente, A., … & Greenway, F. L. (2018). Pilot study of tart cherry juice for the treatment of insomnia and investigation of mechanisms. American journal of therapeutics, 25(2), e194.
  • St-Onge, M. P., Mikic, A., & Pietrolungo, C. E. (2016). Effects of diet on sleep quality. Advances in nutrition, 7(5), 938-949.
  • Hansen, A. L., Dahl, L., Olson, G., Thornton, D., Graff, I. E., Frøyland, L., … & Pallesen, S. (2014). Fish consumption, sleep, daily functioning, and heart rate variability. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 10(5), 567-575.
  • Richard, D. M., Dawes, M. A., Mathias, C. W., Acheson, A., Hill-Kapturczak, N., & Dougherty, D. M. (2009). L-tryptophan: basic metabolic functions, behavioral research and therapeutic indications. International Journal of Tryptophan Research, 2, IJTR-S2129.
  • Rondanelli, M., Opizzi, A., Monteferrario, F., Antoniello, N., Manni, R., & Klersy, C. (2011). The effect of melatonin, magnesium, and zinc on primary insomnia in long‐term care facility residents in Italy: a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 59(1), 82-90.
  • Yoneyama, S., Sakurai, M., Nakamura, K., Morikawa, Y., Miura, K., Nakashima, M., … & Nakagawa, H. (2014). Associations between rice, noodle, and bread intake and sleep quality in Japanese men and women. PloS one, 9(8), e105198.
  • Katagiri, R., Asakura, K., Kobayashi, S., Suga, H., & Sasaki, S. (2014). Low intake of vegetables, high intake of confectionary, and unhealthy eating habits are associated with poor sleep quality among middle-aged female Japanese workers. Journal of occupational health, 14-0051.
  • Kinsey, A. W., & Ormsbee, M. J. (2015). The health impact of nighttime eating: old and new perspectives. Nutrients, 7(4), 2648-2662.
  • Muscogiuri, G., Barrea, L., Aprano, S., Framondi, L., Di Matteo, R., Laudisio, D., … & Colao, A. (2020). Sleep quality in obesity: does adherence to the mediterranean diet matter?. Nutrients, 12(5), 1364.
  • Haghayegh, S., Khoshnevis, S., Smolensky, M. H., Diller, K. R., & Castriotta, R. J. (2019). Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep medicine reviews, 46, 124-135.
  • Cho, J. R., Joo, E. Y., Koo, D. L., & Hong, S. B. (2013). Let there be no light: the effect of bedside light on sleep quality and background electroencephalographic rhythms. Sleep medicine, 14(12), 1422-1425.
  • Tähkämö, L., Partonen, T., & Pesonen, A. K. (2019). Systematic review of light exposure impact on human circadian rhythm. Chronobiology international, 36(2), 151-170.
  • Fujii, H., Fukuda, S., Narumi, D., Ihara, T., & Watanabe, Y. (2015). Fatigue and sleep under large summer temperature differences. Environmental research, 138, 17-21.
  • Exelmans, L., & Van den Bulck, J. (2017). Bedtime, shuteye time and electronic media: Sleep displacement is a two‐step process. Journal of sleep research, 26(3), 364-370.
  • Wahl, S., Engelhardt, M., Schaupp, P., Lappe, C., & Ivanov, I. V. (2019). The inner clock—Blue light sets the human rhythm. Journal of biophotonics, 12(12), e201900102.
  • Scullin, M. K., Krueger, M. L., Ballard, H. K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D. L. (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139.
  • Jerath, R., Beveridge, C., & Barnes, V. A. (2019). Self-regulation of breathing as an adjunctive treatment of insomnia. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 780.
  • Weiss, J. P. (2012). Nocturia: focus on etiology and consequences. Reviews in urology, 14(3-4), 48.
  • Tassi, P., & Muzet, A. (2000). Sleep inertia. Sleep medicine reviews, 4(4), 341-353.
  • Jewett, M. E., Wyatt, J. K., RITZ‐DE CECCO, A. N. G. E. L. A., Khalsa, S. B., DIJK, D. J., & Czeisler, C. A. (1999). Time course of sleep inertia dissipation in human performance and alertness. Journal of sleep research, 8(1), 1-8.
    https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2019/03/08/is-hitting-the-snooze-button-bad-for-your-health/
  • Wright Jr, K. P., McHill, A. W., Birks, B. R., Griffin, B. R., Rusterholz, T., & Chinoy, E. D. (2013). Entrainment of the human circadian clock to the natural light-dark cycle. Current Biology, 23(16), 1554-1558.
  • Wyatt, J. K., Cajochen, C., Cecco, A. R. D., Czeisler, C. A., & Dijk, D. J. (2004). Low-dose repeated caffeine administration for circadian-phase-dependent performance degradation during extended wakefulness. Sleep, 27(3), 374-381.
  • Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M. A., Doraiswamy, P. M., Watkins, L., Hoffman, B. M., Barbour, K. A., … & Sherwood, A. (2007). Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosomatic medicine, 69(7), 587.
  • Oda, S., & Shirakawa, K. (2014). Sleep onset is disrupted following pre-sleep exercise that causes large physiological excitement at bedtime. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 114(9), 1789-1799.
  • Mindell, J. A., Li, A. M., Sadeh, A., Kwon, R., & Goh, D. Y. (2015). Bedtime routines for young children: a dose-dependent association with sleep outcomes. Sleep, 38(5), 717-722.
  • LeBourgeois, M. K., Hale, L., Chang, A. M., Akacem, L. D., Montgomery-Downs, H. E., & Buxton, O. M. (2017). Digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S92-S96.
  • Dalene, K. E., Anderssen, S. A., Andersen, L. B., Steene-Johannessen, J., Ekelund, U., Hansen, B. H., & Kolle, E. (2018). Cross-sectional and prospective associations between sleep, screen time, active school travel, sports/exercise participation and physical activity in children and adolescents. BMC public health, 18(1), 1-10.
  • Temple, J. L. (2019). Trends, safety, and recommendations for caffeine use in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(1), 36-45.
  • Barnes, C. M., & Wagner, D. T. (2009). Changing to daylight saving time cuts into sleep and increases workplace injuries. Journal of applied psychology, 94(5), 1305.
    https://j2vjt3dnbra3ps7ll1clb4q2-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/daylight-saving-time-sleep-health-advisory.pdf
  • Walker, W. H., Walton, J. C., DeVries, A. C., & Nelson, R. J. (2020). Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health. Translational Psychiatry, 10(1), 1-13.
    https://www.bls.gov/news.release/flex2.nr0.htm
  • Lammers-van der Holst, H. M., Murphy, A. S., Wise, J., & Duffy, J. F. (2020). Sleep tips for shift workers in the time of pandemic. Southwest journal of pulmonary & critical care, 20(4), 128.
  • Brooks, A., & Lack, L. (2006). A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative?. Sleep, 29(6), 831-840.
    https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drowsy-driving
Download your free worksheet
Get my free habits worksheet

© 2023 Arizona Board of Regents/Arizona State University/Psych For Life

Download your free Habits Worksheet.

Improve your habits and practice what you’ve learned in the habits module.

Let’s do this. 

Enter your email for updates on Psych for Life®

Stay in the loop with updates on new solutions, modules, or opportunities.