The “S” Word that Makes You Smarter: Sleep

Does sleep deprivation have long-lasting effects? Recent research indicates a lack of sleep can change how our DNA expresses itself, and not necessarily for the better. More specifically, a lack of sleep affects the genes that control our circadian rhythm. These clock genes are located in metabolic tissue and may contribute to metabolic disorders. Sleep deprivation may cause changes in the genome of adipose tissue and these changes may contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes and various metabolic disorders.

Sleep is also tied to our memories. Some people do crossword puzzles or brain-training games to improve memory. Unfortunately, these activities have only shown improvements with immediate recall. Long-term memory retention requires adequate rest from a good night’s sleep or from a quick nap. Rodent studies have shown that “sleep increases the density of new synapses that form after learning a task.” If you want to excel on your next exam or presentation get plenty of sleep between study and practice sessions to ensure new brain pathways and associations are created.1

Not only does sleep assist in memory formation, it also refines new memories. While we are sleeping, the brain filters out useless information and creates pathways and associations for the new memories. Sleep is an essential part of the memory “pruning” process. This consolidation of memories and information provides better access to the data we need to retrieve.

Bottom Line: To become smarter, enhance memory development and retrieval, make sure you are getting adequate sleep.

Written by: Ariel Beaird, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern

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Sleep, Stress and Weight Gain

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that men and women over the age of 18 get seven hours or more of sleep per night. Additionally, they report that one out of every three Americans are not getting the recommended amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation causes a number of issues including two of particular importance: an increase in stress levels and altered dietary habits, which can both lead to weight gain.

When your body is sleep deprived, the hormones that affect your appetite are altered. Ghrelin and leptin are hormones that effect hunger. Ghrelin is the “hunger” hormone that is produced in the gut and signals your brain to eat. Leptin is the “satiety” hormone, which signals your brain that you are full. When you are sleep deprived your hunger hormones increase, causing you to consume more calories and gain weight.

When you are in a stressed state, the body uses the “fight or flight” response, signaling cortisol to flood the body with glucose. When our bodies are in a constant state of stress it leads to elevated cortisol levels, inflammation and leptin resistance. Leptin resistance is when leptin’s signal to your brain is not working properly. Although there may be plenty of leptin present, the brain doesn’t utilize it. Therefore, your body believes you are hungry and signals for increased calorie consumption, leading to weight gain.

Bottom line: Sleep and stress take a toll on your overall health. Find activities that help relieve stress such as walking or running. These activities serve the dual purpose of decreasing stress and promoting exercise. Create a bedtime ritual that includes stretching or yoga, which will trigger your mind to wind down and prepare for rest.

Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

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Health Benefits of Yoga

Whether you’re a passionate yogi or new to the ancient Hindu practice, the benefits of yoga are endless. “With a growing body of research proving yoga’s healing benefits, it’s no wonder more doctors—including those with traditional Western training—are prescribing this ancient practice to their patients”- Susan Enfield, Yoga Journal. Get in touch with your inner self and discover the benefits of yoga.

Improves your flexibility
One of the first things many beginners say before starting yoga is, “I’m not very flexible.” You do not have to be super flexible to do yoga; however, after consistent practice you will find gradual loosening of muscles. You may even notice aches and pains you had before begin to disappear.

Builds muscle strength
Using your body weight during yoga builds strength in ways many people didn’t think possible. The muscle and strength built from this practice protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain. When you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility.

Increases your blood flow
Yoga gets your blood flowing from head to toe. Many of us have poor circulation in our hands and feet and consistent practice gets oxygen to your cells, helping them function better. Whether it is a twisting pose, side bend, headstand, or downward dog, each function to get your blood moving.

Improves your balance
Many of us often feel off balance in our day-to-day lives. Whether it is mental or physical, yoga is shown to create an overall sense of balance. Regularly practicing yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. Improving balance can increase muscle and mental strength.

Helps you sleep
Yoga can provide a reprieve from the hectic schedules of our lives. Some of the less intensive practices, such as restorative yoga, encourage rest and going within to relax. Allowing our bodies to rest is something we often do not do when we get caught up in our daily schedules. Taking time for yourself is essential in your yoga practice.


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Executives Improve Health with Innovative Wellness Program

One of the six essential pillars of a successful, outcomes based wellness program is multi-level leadership support. As noted in the Harvard Business Review article, "What's the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs", employees won't buy into a program that's just about money. However, if executives make time for healthy behaviors, workers feel less self-conscious about taking a fitness break or signing up for a wellness seminar during working hours.

Wellness Workdays created an innovative program for senior leaders who wanted to make an investment in their own health and set an example for their employees.

The infographic below outlines their improved healthy behaviors and overall results within this 10-week program. Not only did the senior managers improve their health, they helped to shape and support their employees' wellness efforts.

A Cup of Joe Cannot Replace Adequate Sleep

If you didn’t get enough sleep last night, you may be relying on a cup of Joe (or two) to get you through the morning. Instant, percolated or pressed – with cream, sugar or just plain black – coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and we are counting on it to perk us up.  How exactly does it work? Sleepiness comes from a brain chemical called adenosine; adenosine builds throughout the day, giving you that tired, sleepy feeling. When you finally get some sleep, adenosine is removed from your system and the cycle repeats. So what do you do when that 2 pm slump hits and you can’t stop for a nap -- drink a cup of coffee and ward of sleepiness. The caffeine in your cup of Joe helps repel adenosine molecules from reaching the brain’s receptors, preventing that tired, sleepy feeling. New research, however, finds the even the magic of caffeine may have its limits.

A recent double blind, placebo-controlled study looked at whether caffeine is sufficient to prevent performance decline after long-term sleep restriction. The study included 48 healthy individuals. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the intervention group and the control group. Participants in the intervention group were administered 200 mg of caffeine twice daily, while participants in the control group received a placebo twice daily. Participants in both groups restricted sleep to five hours per night for a total of five days. Participants underwent cognitive testing six times per day throughout the five-day period. Testing included a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) test (measures reaction time), Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS).

Results showed that relative to the placebo, caffeine significantly improved PVT performance during the first two days, but not the last three days of sleep restriction. Lead author Tracy Jill Doty, PhD, states, "These results are important, because caffeine is a stimulant widely used to counteract performance decline following periods of restricted sleep. The data from this study suggests that the same effective daily dose of caffeine is not sufficient to prevent performance decline over multiple days of restricted sleep.”

Bottom Line: The recommended amount of sleep is seven to eight hours per night, but as many as 40 percent of Americans are getting less than seven hours of sleep. With a packed schedule, sleep often moves to the bottom of the priority list. This study is an important reminder that adequate sleep should be considered a necessity, not a luxury. While that cup of coffee may add pep to your step over the short term, your performance may start to suffer if restricted sleep becomes a habit. If you’re not currently getting the recommended seven to eight hours, try setting a consistent bed time for yourself that is at least 30 minutes earlier than when you typically hit the hay. Use that thirty minutes to unwind and unplug to promote a restful night’s sleep.


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At One Organization, It Pays to Sleep

Do you know how much sleep your employees are getting? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than one-third of American adults don’t get seven hours of sleep a night.

Lack of sleep has been associated with heart disease, diabetes and stroke. While there’s no data directly linking sleep and profitability, sleep is related to many other factors that might impact a business' bottom line, such as job satisfaction, unethical behavior, leadership, work injuries, employee mood and “cyberloafing”—whittling away the day on social media rather than working.

What can you do to help your employees get enough sleep? Integrating sleep programs into your overall wellness initiative is a good start. Recently, Aetna communicated the value that well-rested employees add to its operation by incorporating a unique perk into its wellness program – paying employees to get enough sleep.

The company’s incentivized solution provides employees with $25 for every 20 nights they sleep for seven hours or more. That comes out to $1.25 a night. The reward is capped at $300 a year. For Aetna, adequate sleep is a driver of productivity. In an interview with CNBC, Mark Bertolini, Aetna chairman and chief executive officer said, “You can get things done quicker if people are present and prepared. You can’t be prepared if you’re half-asleep.”

The company’s program collects sleeping time automatically for employees who wear devices such as a Fitbit, but employees can also enter the information into the company system manually. The sleep program, which is part of Aetna’s larger workplace wellness initiative, incorporates social media to get the message out to its employees: tweets remind people of the importance of sleep; a Tumblr post advises employees on ideal sleep posture, and a YouTube video shows stunt performers knocking over coffee cups and struggling to make sandwiches under conditions supposedly similar to sleep deprivation.

Sleep initiatives can be incorporated into a new or an existing workplace wellness program. Wellness Workdays works with employers to develop sleep programs as part of an overall wellness initiative. Contact us to learn more.

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Losing Sleep Over Your Sleep-Deprived Workforce?

Sleep is the most overlooked element to a healthy body and mind. About 60-million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and insomnia. While many employers offer diet and exercise plans to improve well-being, sleep is now viewed as another critical component in employer-based health and wellness programs.

Wellness programs that include a sleep education component will be a priority for approximately 20 percent of all companies that offer health and wellness programs. Employers are in a unique position to influence sleep and the health while recouping some of the $63 billion annually lost due to a fatigued workforce. Insomnia and lack of adequate sleep affects safety, decision-making, absenteeism, presenteeism (attending work while ill or tired), work site injuries and driving accidents, and can result in expensive mistakes. Sleep-related healthcare claims continue to rise and include payments for doctors’ visits, hospital stays, prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Prolonged sleep deprivation contributes to chronic disease, obesity, depression, cancer, diabetes and mortality.

According to a University of California-San Francisco study, only three percent of the adult population performs well after a minimal amount of sleep. The body has a delicate system that regulates the drive to be awake and to sleep. Ignoring these urges and resisting the temptation to close our eyes can lead to sleep deprivation and common sleep disorders. While a portion of employees may have conditions that interfere with sleep such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or prescribed medications, sleep techniques can be used by employees to aid in proper rest.

The National Sleep Foundation has a variety of tips and suggestions for employers when incorporating sleep improvement education in wellness programs. To start, employees should take a sleep self-assessment using sleep diaries to track and measure sleep patterns while noting sleep environment, daily activities, foods eaten and bedtime routines. Then, small modifications can be used to improve rest and sleep wellness. Employers can encourage employees to power down, set aside electronics and allow bodies and minds to restore.

Employers can introduce employees to solutions for sleep troubles including cognitive behavioral therapy, room environment modification, low blue-light exposure controls, pre-bedtime activities that promote proper sleep, appropriate food and drink, stress and anxiety management, and relaxation tools and techniques. Once employees have information and methods to modify sleeping habits, they can experience life-changing results within a matter of days and weeks.  

Wellness Workdays offers sleep education sessions as part of its comprehensive wellness programs. Contact us to find out what we have done for employers across the country and how we can help you create a well-rested and productive workforce.

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