Of the six master levers of health: feet, forks, fingers, sleep, stress, love, sleep may still be one that is neglected the most these days in our 24/7 society.

Falling asleep is a highly complex active and coordinated process that involves the entire body and is essential for normal function. We cannot make ourselves go to sleep, we allow ourselves to fall asleep, to miraculously fall into a trancelike state wherein we cycle from deep rest and rejuvenation to light sleep associated with dreaming. Just as miraculously, we arise feeling refreshed and recharged when everything is working the way it should be.

In our natural state, we are designed to fall asleep when the environmental light intensity drops and the pineal gland starts producing melatonin. During times of restful sleep, the body temperature drops as does the plasma cortisol ( a stress hormone).
We cycle between shallow dream sleep to deeper more restful slow wave sleep through the course of the night. Although we do not always remember dreaming, REM ( dream) sleep is part of every sleep cycle and in fact our duration of REM sleep increases as we get later into the sleep cycle.
With advances in technology our rest is constantly being interrupted by cell phones, emails, text messages and alerts from social networking apps. Enhanced connectivity with technology has been a two edged sword, longer hours connected to our work have effectively added a 13th month of work compared with the last century.
Not getting enough sleep leads to decreased productivity, increase risk for accidents, decrease in cognitive performance, increase in physical pain and aggressive behavior. In fact getting one less hour of sleep than what you need can double your chances of catching a cold. Did you know that 24 hours of sleep deprivation impairs performance as much as being legally drunk?
We already knew that subjects were sleep deprived of increased appetite and consume more calories especially from fat and sugar, developing insulin resistance in as little as three days. In fact, Melatonin (Sleep hormone) receptors are found in the islet cells of the pancreas that are involved with insulin production. Fascinating new research is finding that one night of sleep deprivation and six months on a high fat diet could both impair insulin sensitivity to a similar degree, demonstrating the importance of a good night sleep on health.
Contrary to advertisements for medication seen on TV the truth is that we can sleep better by changing our habits. Some simple strategies include waking up and sleeping at the same time each day, going to bed when sleepy, avoiding excessive daytime napping, avoiding stimulants such as caffeine after 12 noon. Strategies at the end of the day to slow down and unwind include avoiding watching TV and other screen time such as cell phone, tablet for one hour prior to bedtime. Avoiding exercise for four hours before bedtime and avoiding heavy meals and alcohol at night. A quiet safe sleep environment is cool, (around 66° F) and dark.

Although behavior is hard to change the truth is that changing behavior is the most powerful way to improve health outcomes. It may take a few weeks to notice a change as we solidify habits but the reality is that getting enough sleep maybe one of the low hanging fruit in our journey towards optimal health.