Monday, May 31, 1999
Good morning, Cincinnati
If you're not alert yet, maybe your mother was right
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer contributor
What do you know.
Your mom really was right those many years ago when she kept an eye on the clock to make sure you went to bed on time. You did need to get your eight hours of sleep each night.
It wasn't some plot on her part to ruin your social life or make you the only kid in the neighborhood to go in early on a warm summer night. She instinctively knew something that sleep experts now confirm: Most people need at least eight hours of sleep every night to function their best the next morning.
And with the busy lifestyles we've developed, sleep seems to be the first thing we cut in our efforts to squeeze in just one more ball game, do one more load of laundry or finish that PowerPoint presentation before we allow ourselves to crawl under the covers.
“On average, our population is sleeping 1.5 hours less than they did at the turn of the century,” said Dr. Virgil Wooten, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Centers of Greater Cincinnati. “Most people need an average of eight hours of sleep each night. Some people can get by on less, some need more.”
Playing catch-up on the weekends doesn't cut it, experts say. Justifying late hours by vowing to sleep late on Saturday or Sunday might ease a guilty conscience, but it won't help your body much. In fact it might worsen how you feel when you finally do wake up.
“Sleeping in for three hours is like flying to the West Coast,” said Gregg Rucosky, manager of the Sleep Disorder Center at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. “You can't make up sleep. Once it's lost, it's lost.”
It usually takes the body about three days to change its rhythm, making it almost impossible to effectively keep one schedule weekdays and a different one weekends, Dr. Wooten said. Some people, he says, have a natural propensity to stay up late and sleep in while others are just the opposite. That just makes it tougher if your body clock is set on one schedule but your job dictates another.
“It seems some people are predisposed to being alert and energetic in the morning, while others are just the opposite,” Dr. Wooten says. “Most people can function (on a lack of sleep). They get by, but they're tired.”
That doesn't mean you can't function if you're a night person in a day job or vice versa. But it might mean some lifestyle changes along with good eating habits and exercise could help you.
And don't be surprised if your natural body rhythm changes as you age. That's natural. Growth hormones are released while the body sleeps, making it easier for children and teen-agers to sleep, Mr. Rucosky says. Adults don't release those hormones.
So, what can you do to wake up if you can't convince your boss you really do need to come in at 10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m.?
• Keep a regular schedule. Go to bed the same time each night and get up the same time each morning — even on weekends. Eventually, your body will get used to it and you might not have to set an alarm, because your internal clock will wake you up. They also advise to get eight hours of sleep each night.
• Optimize the sleep you do get. When you do go to bed, make sure it's quiet. Don't try to cheat by watching television or reading and then counting that time as part of the eight hours. Don't snack just before bed and avoid caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
• Keep a diary for a few weeks to examine your sleep habits. People who come to Mr. Rucosky's center have to keep one as part of their evaluation and are often surprised at what they find.
“People have a hard time sorting out their personal preferences and lifestyle choices from natural body rhythms,” Dr. Wooten said. “For a lot of people the problem is chronic, inadequate sleep, not anything medical.”
Wake-up call
Experts recommend these tips to help sleepyheads become more alert in the morning:
• Take a hot, not cold shower. Warmth wakes the body up.
• Get more light either by letting the sunlight wake you or turning on a bright light.
• Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time each morning.
• Exercise when you wake up.
• Drink one or two six-ounce cups of coffee or other beverage with caffeine first thing in the morning.
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