What Happens if You Don't get Enough Sleep?
Every week, the Wonder Newsroom asks our community to pose questions on topics confronting our world today.
We answered your Qs about catching Zs
While the amount each of us spends doing it every night varies (6-10 hours, on average), SLEEP accounts for nearly one-third of our human lifespan and is vital to maintaining a healthy immune system, memory recall, and more.
And then there are DREAMS, what Sigmund Freud once described as "the royal road to the unconscious" that helps our brains process emotions and store important memories and learnings.
While work schedules, alcohol & caffeine consumption, day-to-day stressors, insomnia, and other medical conditions are all working against us from receiving the blissful slumber we're owed and need... humans are still the only species of mammal that willingly delays their beauty sleep.
Check out what's inside this week's Wonder Newsroom:
How do sleeping patterns differ across generations?
What is the correlation between the quality of sleep and memory?
What is the science behind dreaming?
... And more!
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
WHAT IS THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SLEEP AND MEMORY?
As far back as 1936, evidence to support that quality sleep is the nexus that correlates with long-term memory improvement, memory consolidation, and learning has been observed in patients.
Quality sleep accounted for a 25% variance in academic performance among college students, with the lack of it resulting in poor attention and cognition.
Less sleep (or the lack thereof) causes a 40% reduction in the ability to learn new things, as it impacts the new memory-making hub of the brain called the hippocampus.
Quality sleep improves problem-solving, performance, and critical thinking capabilities by 15-35%
SLEEP LIKE A BABY
HOW DOES SLEEP DIFFER ACROSS GENERATIONS?
Gen Zers sleep the most on average, with a majority (38%) saying they sleep 8 hours each night, typically going to bed after midnight but lying in bed a bit longer by waking up at 8 am.
Even though they sleep the most, Gen Z also takes longer to fall asleep. 63% typically take more than 20 minutes, compared to 57% of Millennials, 45% of Gen X, and 36% of Baby Boomers.
Millennials tend to go to bed the earliest at 9:49 pm, followed closely behind by Gen X and then Baby Boomers.
Reports suggest that Baby Boomers sleep the least, as they average just 6 hours and 33 minutes a night.
32% of Gen Zers and 34% of Millennials find it more difficult to sleep on Sunday nights (aka Sunday Scaries) than other nights of the week. One of the reasons attributed to this is work-related stress.
Similar to Gen Z, the Silent Generation (74%) is the most likely to toss and turn throughout the night.
EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE...
WHAT ARE THE MOST OPTIMAL SLEEPING CONDITIONS?
Cooler temperatures are one of the most important factors in getting a good night's sleep. The ideal temperature range for optimal sleep is 60-72° F (15.6-22.2° C) which can help facilitate our brain's melatonin secretion.
Blankets can help reduce insomnia as well as anxiety. blankets, especially weighted blankets, help naturally increase melatonin production in the body by around 30% due to deep pressure stimulation.
While silence is golden, ambient noise can aid in getting more shuteye. According to more recent findings, adults fall asleep 38% faster when listening to white noise, especially in metropolitan areas.
Your brain is wired to remain most alert in unfamiliar surroundings. Similar to birds and sea mammals, humans frequently put half of their brains to sleep while the other half remains on guard. Known as the first-night effect, one study found that 55% of participants improved their sleep quality from one night to the next after sleeping in a new place.
A DEEPER DIVE
WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND DREAMING?
Check out our analysis of the various theories behind the Dream Team: Freud's wish fulfillment theory, Jung's direct mental expressions theory, Crick's reverse learning theory, and more HERE.
CURIOSITY CORNER
THE BEAUTY SLEEP QUIZ
On average, how long should it take a healthy person to fall asleep at night?
Staying awake for 16 hours straight has the same impact on your performance as what blood alcohol level (BAC)?
Which brain waves are characterized by deep, dreamless sleep?
What sleep disorder known as bruxism, affects 1 in every 3 Americans?
As seen in Inception (2010), what is the sensory experience of "falling" while dreaming in REM sleep?
1) 10 to 15 minutes 2) 0.05% 3) delta waves 4) teeth grinding 5) Hypnic Jerk
