Episode 5 SLEEP

Sleep plays a crucial role in the health and well-being of individuals with autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune conditions occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues, leading to inflammation and various symptoms. Quality sleep is vital for regulating the immune system and reducing inflammation, as it helps maintain a balanced immune response. During sleep, the body undergoes repair and regeneration processes, which are particularly important for those with autoimmune disorders to help heal damaged tissues. Moreover, adequate sleep can reduce stress levels, which is known to exacerbate autoimmune conditions. Poor sleep, on the other hand, can lead to a weakened immune system, increased inflammation, and flare-ups of autoimmune symptoms. Thus, ensuring sufficient, restful sleep is essential for managing autoimmune diseases, enhancing overall quality of life, and preventing the worsening of symptoms. Prioritizing good sleep hygiene can make a significant difference in managing these chronic conditions.
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Transcript

Episode 5 SLEEP

Welcome back to Inflammation Superhighway. Thanks for joining me again. It is so nice excuse me, I was(yawn) oh, sorry. It's been a very tiring day. But interestingly, we're going to talk about sleep today—what we should have, what we don't get, and what our body requires.

So, it's Claire Tierney with Inflammation Superhighway. We're recording in Yarraville, Melbourne, Australia. (small yawn)  Oh, so sorry. I probably should edit that out, but today is all about sleep: Episode Five.

So, let's move forward. First, ‘I'd like to honour the original custodians of this saltwater-encircled country, who lived in harmony with the land and the sea. I honour the elders, past and present, and I recognize that this land was never ceded. It is, and always will be, Aboriginal land.’

(music)

Sleep. How much do you get? How much do you need? How much do you want? And is rest the same as sleep for our bodies? If you don’t sleep, what can happen to you?**

Alright, let’s talk about sleep. I learned a lot about sleep when I was pregnant. I learned even more about sleep when I was a first-time mother. I also learned about sleep when I worked in the hospitality and event management industries. And I guess what I really mean is that I learned a lot about the lack of sleep. So, my relationship with sleep has always been a little bit hit or miss, a little bit precarious, maybe even a little bit offhand. I really didn't pay too much heed to my health when it came to sleep hygiene. I truly did exist on very few hours of sleep. It was a lifestyle choice, but there were also other stages of life, such as partying, working hard, traveling, pregnancy, and having newborns.

When you're in the last phase of pregnancy, you wake up all the time to go to the toilet, leading to a lot of broken sleep. You’re so uncomfortable that you wake up constantly and can't get back to sleep. You then have a young child who, in my case, woke up every 45 minutes or, if I was lucky, every hour and a half. That's when you start to understand that sleep deprivation is a form of torture. However, I was fairly well-prepared because I led an evening lifestyle.

Let's say that when I was studying at university, I worked in a lot of pubs, bars, and music events, which were part of my working world. Therefore, I worked at night and got home late, usually quite wired from dealing with the public. It takes a little while to come down, so I would head off to bed around two, three, four, five, or six, depending on what the evening or journey was like. And I’ve got one of those bodies that likes to wake with the sunrise. Aren’t I lucky? So, minimal sleep. 

I learned to live on minimal sleep. I had an upbringing where it was drilled into me that sleeping in was a waste of a day and was considered lazy. So I wake with the dawn and get restless, needing to get up and start enjoying the beautiful day. I also lived in the tropics for about 20 years, and when you wake in the morning, it’s almost always sunny. I think sleep is an interesting conversation because that's my sleep story, but it's not everyone's. I have friends who can't function if they haven’t had nine or ten hours of sleep a night. Sleep and the capacity to sleep well have always been a bit of a luxury for me. I’ve always been lucky that I can pretty much sleep anywhere, though I haven’t always gotten quality sleep. I’ve slept in the craziest places. I’ve slept on the floor of trains, I sleep well on planes, and I’ve slept on the ground next to a dance floor or well, on the ground.

In the dirt, I’ve slept. In cars and on boats, in hammocks. I can basically sleep anywhere if I’m tired enough. But yeah, look, sleep is something that you grab when you need it in my world. For other people, it needs to be a lot more regimented. So, I'm going to go back and talk about sleep hygiene and how I really didn't have a good sleep hygiene routine, grabbing sleep whenever it came to me. I mentioned before that I know people who can't function with less than 10 hours of sleep. I know people who need to have afternoon naps every day. I know one lady who sleeps all day when she's tired. I've never been able to do that, actually.**

No, that's not true. I believe I did sleep all day when I had glandular fever, but that's another story. However, the requirement for sleep is biological. We process so much of our daily input when we're sleeping. Some people manage to put their head on the pillow and fall asleep straight away. Some people need to do things like meditation. For some people, just reading a book is enough to fall asleep. But it’s not the same for everybody. However, what we do when we sleep is the same, and it is vital. Your brain needs to undergo a series of events, and I'm going to list them all here.

They are cellular regulation, brain detoxification, protein synthesis, metabolic regulation, memory consolidation, hormone regulation, and energy restoration. But the main focus of today with regard to sleep is immune system function. I could break all of those things down, but they're not all specific to autoimmune issues. However, they do play a part.

Okay, so cellular repair and maintenance—you've got to have the synthesis of proteins, and that happens while we're sleeping. Those proteins are really important for your cells and your cytokines, which are crucial for regulating the immune system. We need to have metabolism, obviously, which includes absorbing all of our nutrients. Hormone regulation is also important, especially for autoimmune issues. We need to regulate our cortisol, which helps manage stress, a huge factor in autoimmune conditions. Balancing the endocrine system is also key.

The one I really like to talk about with respect to immune system functioning is energy restoration. It’s not just about being tired and needing to sleep. It’s about the body restoring its energy on a big-picture level. Every cell in our body needs to restore its energy so that each one can function properly and do the job it’s there to do. If we don’t have good energy restoration to rebuild our reserves, the detoxification process for all the organs in our body won't happen effectively, and this helps our brain work better. 

We really, really need to think about sleep with respect to our immune system. There's a thing called cytokines, and they’re the proteins that regulate the immune response, produced while we sleep. So, the less sleep we get, the fewer cytokines we produce, and therefore the less regulation there is. Again, I go back to the fact that sleep supports your physical health, overall well-being, mental health, stress levels, and the detoxification of your body. It’s important to get rid of all the old garbage, as it were, so that the body can be light, clean, and ready to run its daily course of looking after you on a micro level.

So, there’s good quality sleep, and then there’s also well-rested sleep. As I mentioned before, broken sleep or not getting enough sleep means we also need to talk about the quality. The amount of sleep you need varies with age and, of course, with your individual needs. Newborns require somewhere between 16 and 18 hours of sleep, while adults typically need more like seven to nine hours. Sleep is a vital biological process that allows the body and the mind to rest, repair, and recharge.

The brain processes a great deal of information, consolidating everything you've learned or observed during the day. It helps transfer memories from short-term to long-term. The body itself clears toxins and repairs tissues. Most importantly, the immune system is strengthened during sleep. So, adequate sleep is crucial for overall health. It improves cognitive function and is physically and emotionally rejuvenating. A lack of sleep can lead to serious health issues. As I mentioned before, insufficient sleep can weaken the immune system, impair judgment, and increase the risk of chronic conditions.

Everyone deserves a good night's sleep, and everyone performs better after having one. I also want to mention this great little component of every cell in your body called the mitochondria. I don't want to get too biologically technical at this moment, but mitochondria are my favorite little organelles. They are membrane-bound structures that exist in every cell of your body, and they generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cells and all the biochemical reactions. 

Why do I love these little creatures? Because they work on the smallest level to produce energy for our body. So, when we think about being tired and wanting to go to sleep, we think about it on a body level. But now, when I think about being tired and wanting to go to sleep, it's because I need to allow my mitochondria—the tiny little organelles inside every cell of my body—to restore and rejuvenate. These little powerhouses collectively fuel the power and energy in our bodies. Sleep is vital to support your mitochondria for all the functions that they do as little powerhouses.

Cumulatively, I have come to understand that sleep is far more vital than anyone had ever explained to me, especially when I was diagnosed. I don’t think anyone pulled me aside when I was diagnosed and asked, "How are you sleeping? What is your sleep level? What is your sleep pattern? What’s your process? What are you doing for your body with respect to sleep? How is your sleep hygiene?" No one talked about that. No one probably still talks about it. But now I understand how truly important it is to have good sleep hygiene. So, when I look back at my five- or six-hour sleep habits, I realize how much more vital sleep is.

Here's the revised version of your blog:

Now I understand how important it is to have good sleep hygiene. When I look back at my five- or six-hour daily sleep lifestyle that I had through all of my twenties, thirties, and into some of my forties, I realize I was not giving my body much chance for support, detox, energy restoration, and reducing inflammation. So, please do yourself a favour. Look yourself in the mirror every night and every morning, tell yourself how much you love yourself, and promise—promise yourself and promise your body—to get enough sleep. 

The reason why I'm going on about sleep is because it is one of the environmental factors that we can actually control. It costs us no money. We don't have to give up any of our favorite things, like certain foods, or make major life changes like changing jobs or moving houses. Without too much of a lifestyle shakeup, you can adjust your sleep patterns. You can inject joy and energy into your life, and you can support your immune system and your nervous system to calm, which helps your mental state. We've talked about how it helps your physical state on a micro level, but mostly, it should just bring more joy into your life. 

So, I'm going to add just two things into this sleep story. First, we are going to talk about meditation to support your health. I think the word "meditation" can sometimes cause people to stress out more because they have an attitude that it's hard, or they think, "I can't do it; I don't have the time." You can probably tell from my voice that I think that's crazy because meditation has changed my life. I think anybody that practices meditation regularly will say the same thing. I'm here to tell you that it is actually really easy. The reason I feel it's really easy is because meditation encompasses so many things. 

I am going to start with some of the things that you may not have thought of, like going for a long walk in nature, which is meditating. Not if you're on a walk with lots of friends and you're all chatting away, but walking on your own, being present in the moment, looking around, enjoying what you're seeing, observing the birds, the bushes, the ground, and the noise of your feet on whatever surface you're walking on. If you're lucky enough to go for a walk where you can take your shoes off and have your feet in the dirt or the sand, that's meditating. There are also more formal aspects of meditating, such as sitting still.

Now I understand how really important it is to have good sleep hygiene. When I look back at my five- or six-hour daily sleep lifestyle that I had through all of my twenties and thirties and into some of my forties, I realize I was not giving my body much chance for support, detox, energy restoration, and reducing inflammation. So, please do yourself a favour. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and every morning, tell yourself how much you love yourself, and promise—promise yourself and promise your body—to get enough sleep. 

The reason why I'm going on about sleep is that it is one of the environmental factors that we can actually control. It costs us no money. We don't have to give up any of our favourite things, like foods or other pleasures. We don't have to change jobs, move houses, or make any of those major life changes. Without too much of a lifestyle shakeup, you can adjust your sleep patterns. You can inject joy and energy into your life, support your immune system, and calm your nervous system, which helps your mental state. And we've talked about how it helps your physical state on a micro level. Overall, it should just bring more joy into your life.

I'm going to add just two things to this sleep story, and we are going to talk about meditation to support your health. I think the word "meditation" can sometimes cause people to stress out even more because they think it's hard, or they think, "I can't do it; I don't have the time." You can probably tell from my voice that I think that's crazy because meditation has changed my life, and I think anybody that meditates regularly will say the same thing. I'm here to tell you that it is actually really easy. The reason I feel it's easy is that meditation encompasses so many things.

I am going to start with some of the things that you may not have thought of. Going for a long walk in nature is meditating, but not if you're on a walk with lots of friends and you're all chatting away. Walking on your own, being present in the moment, looking around, enjoying what you're seeing, observing the birds, the bushes, the ground, and the noise of your feet on whatever surface you're walking on—if you're lucky enough to be able to go for a walk where you can take your shoes off and have your feet in the dirt or the sand, that's meditating. There are also more formal aspects of meditating, such as sitting still.

You can listen to pre-recorded tapes where you are guided, called guided meditation. If you don't know how to do it or you don't think you can clear your mind, you can just listen to somebody else who takes you on a generally chill journey. There are apps that you can put on your phone. I believe Calm is probably one of the most popular apps, and it offers a multitude of things. You can also get them off YouTube. 

I also like some mindfulness practices, such as what I mentioned before. When you're walking for meditation, be in the moment and observe what is going on around you. Observe your breath, the noises, the smells, the birds—anything that you go past. It's probably not as meditative if you are with a friend or your kids and you're chatting away. This is also a great thing to do, but the meditating process of being on your own and being in the moment, aware of your surroundings, can be extremely meditational. I like that word.

The other thing about sleep is that it's not just about being asleep. A major part of sleep is rest, so you can rest your mind and body along with sleep. There are many aspects to sleep that aren't always actually being in the complete zone of sleep. Resting can help you get to sleep easier if you're having trouble getting to sleep. 

There are other practices, obviously, that are calming to your body, like cups of herbal tea, if you like that sort of thing. But I could throw out a thousand suggestions. However, I do feel that meditation is a great tool to put in your toolbox, as it were, for the benefit of sleep and calming the body so that it can perform its functions at the best of its capacity. 

The final thing related to sleep that I will bring into this conversation is breathing and oxygen intake.

So, sleep hygiene. The quality of your sleep can be related to the quality of your oxygen intake, not just the quality of the air, but also the volume that you breathe. If you suffer from conditions like sleep apnea, or have difficulty taking deep breaths, it’s worth looking into these issues. Increasing your oxygen levels while sleeping or practicing deep breathing before sleep can greatly enhance your sleep experience.

I think I'll go into greater depth about meditation and breath-work in another episode, because there's so much to be said about it all. I may even add the ice bath story that I have, which is another amazing process you can do for your body. I'll talk about all the wonderful side effects that can have. But for now, I think I'll summarize my story with the fact that I wasn't really good at this for most of my life, but I am really good at it now. 

If there's anything I could change when I look back on my wellness journey, it would be to have honoured my body by being more mindful of my sleep. If I had done more research about the important cellular processes that occur in your body while you're sleeping, I probably would have made the changes that I have now made much earlier. But I'm not going to dwell on the “shoulda, coulda, woulda.”

For this week, my suggestions are to try to get to bed earlier than you usually do. If you can, sleep at least once or twice a week without an alarm and check in with what your natural body processes need. Not everyone is going to need 10 hours of sleep. Some people might need eight, and some might need six. The important thing is to figure out what your body needs at this time. My sleep needs have fluctuated, and I know when I was really wiped out with this MS journey, at times I needed a lot more sleep. So try to concentrate on and check in with your sleep to see what your natural patterns are. Look at your diary to see what you are actually doing now and think about adjusting it if you feel tired all the time.

If you are tired all the time, melatonin is something you can take orally that helps you get to sleep and stay asleep. A GP can prescribe it, as it is a naturally occurring product.

I know I bombard you with all sorts of things coming from left and right each week, but thank you for joining me and for listening. I hope you got something out of this sleep story. My sleep patterns haven't always been great. Reflecting on my life, I probably could have been a bit kinder to myself and supported my body better on many levels. Sleep is definitely one of them, and breathing is something that I'm getting a lot better at now. (big long yawn)

Oh my goodness, isn’t that appropriate? Excuse me—it's time for me to stop talking and head to bed. Have a really good night's sleep, and see you next time when we cruise the inflammation superhighway safely, with eyes wide open. …..And don't forget to always enjoy the ride!