Clean sleeping, which simply means getting a good eight hours of quality sleep, is the new clean eating. And this is one healthy mantra for which you don’t have to shell out a rupee. Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow is known for following unusual health trends (macrobiotic diet, steaming up her nether regions to name a few) and a strict regimen of yoga and dieting, but the concept of clean sleeping is something anyone can and should adopt.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Recently, Paltrow wrote an article for Daily Mail to promote her new book, Clean Beauty, in which she said: “The lifestyle I lead is based not just on clean eating, but also on clean sleeping: at least seven or eight hours of good, quality sleep — and ideally even 10.” “Sleep plays such a powerful role in determining your appetite and energy levels that I believe it should be your first priority — even before you think about your diet,” she wrote further adding, “My nutrition expert Dr Frank Lipman has explained to me that poor-quality sleep can be unsettling for the metabolism and hormones, which can lead to weight gain,bad moods, impaired memory and brain fog, as well as serious health concerns such as inflammation and reduced immunity (which can increase your risk of chronic disease). And it goes without saying that poor sleep is terrible from a beauty perspective.” We asked experts why clean sleeping is so important.

Serious health concerns

That inadequate and poor quality of sleep leads to poor concentration, tiredness, mood swings, weight gain, etc. is known but what about its association with serious health concerns? Dr Amit Sharma, interventional cardiologist, Holy Spirit Hospital, says that people who don’t sleep enough are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. Almost 25 per cent of his patients have some sleep related disorders. The most common reason for not getting enough sleep is the presence of underlying stress, anxiety and depression. Those sleeping fewer than six hours per night are about twice as likely to have a stroke or heart attack in comparison to people who slept six to eight hours per night.Sleeping too little causes disruptions in underlying health conditions and biological processes like glucose metabolism, blood pressure, and inflammation. Women are more prone to sleep problems than men, and previous studies have also shown that women who sleep little may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

So is it just working professionals who are at risk? “Not just the adults, even adolescents who don’t sleep well are at greater risk for developing cardiovascular problems. They are more likely to have higher cholesterol levels, a higher body mass index, larger waist sizes, and higher blood pressure. It’s easy to see how these alterations in childhood health could snowball into major concerns later on, and why it’s important to protect sleep at every age,” Dr Sharma advises.

Causes

Dr Soma Sarkar, medical director and dermatologist, Skin Inn, has more than 40 per cent of patients with irregular pattern of sleep because they are busy watching TV or chatting with friends on mobiles. “It’s a common trend nowadays for clients carry their conversations to the bed and stay awake. There are a lot of youngsters who work in BPOs and have very disturbed sleep patterns. Those in the hospitality industry also go through similar issues. People addicted to smoking and drinking also have this problem,” she says.

Clean sleeping and beauty

“Clean sleeping will help to charge your brain, stimulate the proper regulation of hormones and also keeps the brain cells active. All these will ensure that you skin and hair benefits because the supply of nutrients is optimum,” says Dr Sarkar and adds, “When you don’t sleep properly the first thing what happens is that the body hormones go haywire because of which your skin and hair reacts. The skin looks parched and dry, the eyes look tired because the skin looks dull, hair becomes frizzy, you start getting acne, pigmentation and overall beauty is hampered. Even two days of less sleep will immediately show on your face and one can easily make out the visible changes.”

How much to sleep?

Clean sleeping is very important in today’s age, to prevent lifestyle diseases, opines Dr Pradeep Gadge, diabetologist, Gadge Diabetes Centre. Almost 40 per cent of his diabetic patients have sleep problems. As diabetes is a hormonal disease, sleep has a major impact on sugar fluctuations in diabetes. He recommends 10 hours of sleep for school children and eight hours of sleep for adults including young adults.