Stress, Our Bodies, and Sleep
At one point in my life, I did a great bit of reading (think of a literature review) on stress and how stress affects the body. Perhaps I was motivated because I entered a caretaking field notorious for seeing people burn out. Perhaps it was because I had a frightening history of kidney stones - could stress maybe play a role? Perhaps I remembered the fact that I got mono in high school and missed nearly 9 weeks of school. You get the point - for a long while I've been interested in how stress affects the body.
Anyone who knows me really well knows that I like my sleep and I am not by any stretch of the imagination a morning person. If I know I have to be somewhere unusually early (like to catch a flight), I won't sleep well the night before because I am afraid I will oversleep. I had my high school morning routine down to a science. I would know just how late I could wake up and still get to school on time; passing the same cars of friends each morning. Early morning school extra-curricular activities held no appeal for me. My mom would have trouble waking me (needing to do it 2-3 times on some mornings) and I've been known to fall back asleep even when the lights are on. And yes, I am that person who hits snooze a lot and every snooze has its purpose; I need them all.
Last week I re-read an article I wrote years ago on resting as a way to cope with stress. I realized I could probably update my thoughts and it would be good to read a few more recent books on rest or burnout. Also, I wrote that article living in a different culture, getting by with a cell phone that was not (gasp) a smart phone. So I'm also curious to learning how the whole 24/7 technology access is affecting stress and burnout levels.
Living Grace-Paced in a Burnout Culture??
Thanks to Amazon Kindle, a click of the button, and two new books are mine in digital form. The first book I'm reading is Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture by David Murray published in 2017. The title caught my attention as did the name of one of the official book reviewers, Derek W. H. Thomas, who happens to be the senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church where my dad goes to church.
There are two things I don't like about this book. First, it's geared toward pastors. If it's true that we all live in a burnout culture, people other than pastors might need to know what is in this book. Second, it's geared toward men. Granted Murray does say he is working on another book geared toward women jointly with his wife. He recognizes that men and women likely process stress differently. Still, I'm interested enough to keep reading it to see what truths I can glean than might be applicable to all. And fairly early on in the book, there is a chapter on rest.
Interesting Facts and Consequences on Sleep Deprivation
Now I will just put in bullet point fashion some of the facts and consequences that Murray claims are caused in part by reduced sleep. I find them interesting so maybe you will too:
"Just one week of sleeping fewer than six hours a night results in damaging changes to more than seven hundred genes, coronary narrowing, and signs of brain tissue loss" (48).
Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with:
Increased risk of infection
stroke
cancer
high blood pressure
heart disease
infertility
increased hunger (and not for the healthier type foods)
In terms of being in a good mood, the chemicals in our brains that help regulate our moods are disrupted when we suffer from chronic sleep deprivation.
Chronic sleep deprivation also reduces empathy levels and increases fear levels.
"The cognitive impairment that results from being awake for twenty four hours is higher than the drunken-driving limit in all states" (50).
"Disasters such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Challenger space shuttle explosion, and the Metro North train crash in New York were all linked to sleep deprivation" (50).
I want to share one more longer quote by Murray (keep in mind this was all written and researched pre-Covid-19):
Every victim of burnout will tell you that unhealthy patterns of living and working that they learned in their youth caused their downfall later in life. And if any group is in danger today, it's the millennial generation [they would now be 21-36 years as this book was published in 2017], whose stress levels are higher than they national average, according to a report by the American Psychological Association. Thirty-nine percent of millennials say their stress has increased in the past year, and 52 percent say stress about work, money, and relationships has kept them awake at night in the past month, with one in five clinically depressed or stressed out and needing medication (14-15).
I can't help but wonder how this millennial generation will shape the future of the American workplace. Take these tidbits for what you will and/or let it motivate you to take a 20-30 minute power nap (also encouraged by Murray). Please, do your own research. What rings true for you? I do think getting sufficient rest is needed for a strong immune system which could crucial for Covid-19. I also think our culture is being pushed to the limit in what passes as adequate rest. I do know that other cultures like Japan don't get enough rest and there is a word in their vocabulary for death by overwork "Karoshi". Granted there will always be seasons where no one gets the ideal amount of sleep, but I do agree with Murray that there could be long-term consequences for someone who lives with chronic sleep deprivation.