Nutrition, Exercise, and Sleep – The 3 Pillars of Good Health
Good nutrition and exercise are often lauded as the most important pillars of a healthy lifestyle, and for good reason. But, people often leave sleep out of the mix, which is a big mistake. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a firm believer that feeding ourselves and our kids a healthy, balanced diet is essential to their well-being. I might even go as far as to say that it’s the single most important factor when it comes to our children’s health. But sleep is, if not equally important, a very close second.
HERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY GOOD SLEEP IS SO IMPORTANT:
1. Poor sleep can make you fat.
Short sleep duration is a strong risk factor for obesity in both children and adults. In addition, sleep-deprived individuals tend to eat more calories. Sleep deprivation affects the appetite hormones, both those that stimulate and suppress appetite.1
Childhood obesity is a huge public health issue, and there are a number of potential health issues that can come along with obesity (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and joint inflammation, just to name a few). But what does sleep have to do with obesity?
A 2008 study conducted by the National Institute of Health5 looked at the average amount of sleep kids ages 6 months to 2 years were getting, and compared it to their occurrences of obesity. Those getting an average of less than 12 hours of sleep were over 2x as likely to be obese than whose who slept for 12 hours or more. Similar results came out of a much larger study conducted in the UK.6
2. Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity.
Sleep is important for optimal brain function, including concentration, memory, and performance. Good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory in both children and adults.1
3. Good sleep has a positive impact on your health.
Adults who regularly get 7-9 hours of sleep see significantly lower rates of infection, inflammation, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, heart attacks, and heart failure.1,2
Sleep deprivation can affect blood sugar and reduce insulin sensitivity, causing prediabetes in healthy adults in as little as six days. And, many studies show a strong link between short sleep duration and Type 2 diabetes.1
A large, two-week study monitored the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the cold virus, and found that those who slept less than 7 hours were almost 3x more likely to develop a cold than those who slept 8 hours or more.1
And research shows that employees who sleep 5 hours a night, compared to 8, miss 1.5 times more work days due to illness.3
4. Poor sleep can affect mood and emotions, and is linked to depression.1,4
Sleep deprivation stimulates the area in the brain responsible for anger and fear, which can result in stress and hostility toward others. A study from the University of Pennsylvania showed that subjects who experienced even partial sleep deprivation reported feelings of stress, anger, sadness, and mental exhaustion.4
It’s estimated that 90% of people with depression complain about sleep quality.1
So is sleep as important as nutrition and exercise? I’m sure you can guess what my answer is to this question, and now you can probably draw the same conclusion yourself.
I tend to put a high priority on sleep for myself, and I can tell when I haven’t gotten enough. For example, in the week leading up to Christmas break, there were so many things going on – trying to wrap up the year at my full-time job in market research, bake Christmas cookies for us and for gifts, attend end-of-the-year programs at school, decorate the house, and get everything wrapped. A week of 6 or fewer hours of sleep a night brought on a cold that I had to suffer through over break. So as passionate as I am about good sleep for my kids and other kids, I still fall into the same traps as many adults do.
With all the physical and mental health effects of poor sleep, it seems to me that sleep should be a major concern for parents. However, we’ve all heard people give well-meaning advice that just simply isn’t true:
“Babies/kids sleep when they want to sleep. Don’t force it.”
“Not sleeping is totally normal for a baby/kid.”
“Just follow your baby’s/kid’s lead. They know how much sleep they need.”
Let’s turn the tables here and imagine if we said the same things in the context of diet.
“Babies/kids know what’s healthy to eat. Just follow their lead.”
“Babies/kids will eat when they’re ready. You shouldn’t schedule mealtimes.”
Not sure about your kids, but left to their own devices, my kids would only eat Lucky Charms, mini muffins, fruit snacks, and ice cream. You’d never let your child choose the rules around their diet, so why would you let them choose the rules around their sleep?
As parents, we want our kids to live long, healthy, active lives, and we want to give them every advantage to ensure they get a good start. Sleep training works, and it is one of the best and most important advancements made in the way we lovingly raise our children today. Making sure your children get enough sleep, and giving them the gift of healthy, independent sleep skills will go a long way to promoting their overall health now and as they grow into adulthood.
Send me an email today at nichole@nicholesmithsleep.com or schedule a free 15-minute discovery call by clicking here so we can get you and your child(ren) started down the road to a rested, healthy, and happy 2020!
Sources:
1) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important#section5
2) Sleep. 1997 Apr;20(4):267-77. Cumulative sleepiness, mood disturbance, and psychomotor vigilance performance decrements during a week of sleep restricted to 4-5 hours per night. Dinges DF1, Pack F, Williams K, Gillen KA, Powell JW, Ott GE, Aptowicz C, Pack AI.
3) https://www.staywell.com/insights/sleep-deprivation-workplace-mistakes
4) https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/2008%20POLL%20SOF.PDF