Sleep Patterns & Health

[Luna Black]

Most people sleep once every day or every 24 hour period, for an average around 7 or 8 hours.

We only have a time period equal to a 24 hour day-night cycle because of living on this specific planet in this specific solar system. The absolute length of a cycle of day-night on any other planet would be different.

There are people sleeping multiple times per cycle. The most common case is those having a short sleep in the early afternoon as a cultural or personal habit.
One extreme example was a man doing a solo world navigation, he got used to micro-sleeps, such as a few minutes, whenever he could and many times per 24 hours cycle, because he didn't have any partner to watch the ship and the sea conditions. So he had to be awake as often as possible to be able to react.
Apparently there are also people sleeping every two days or on similar non daily patterns. I did an internet search on that one. Some people wrote they sleep like 10 or 12 hours every two days. Some even say every 3 days on places such as reddit.

My question is thus, baring any professional, social and relationship obligations, or any illness conditions, or adaptation times, are there any biological reasons that atypical sleep patterns would be personally harmful compared to "typical" sleep patterns for humans (typical being of one long sleep at night every day-night cycle) ?

Another question I have, loosely related, is about the viability of deep meditation as partial replacement for sleep.

 

[Aquarius]

Interesting topic, the problem with this is lack if sleep, but if one manages to sleep enough for himself there shouldnt be harmful effects.

 

[Ol argedco luciftias]

When people are in a very deep sleep, spinal fluid comes up out of their spine and into their skull and washes around the brain. This washes away waste products that build up in the brain from being so active for so long. So if people don't sleep often enough, their brain is filling with these waste materials without enough chance for it to be cleared away. If there is a prolonged habit of bad sleep, it just keeps building up worse and worse and causes a bunch of problems. There was a "scientific" :roll: study that found that being severely tired has an almost identical effect to being very drunk. Which makes sense alcohol is a harmful contaminant just like the brain's waste products.

There was another study that found that drinking a small amount of wine occasionally NOT often at all before sleeping can act to promote this flushing and cleaning of spinal fluid washing over the brain. In my very limited experience (not that it counts for anything) this feels like it's true and gives a deeper sleep. But it should only be done in very small amounts and only like once every few months, not more often than this.

 

[Centralforce666]

You are correct in saying that the sleep pattern matches our planet's conditions.

Our bodies resonate with the ebbs and flows of the solar system's energies because we live here in this place.

If one wants to deny those natural rhythms, and attempt to live out of sync with them, on purpose then the consequences of being out of rythym with one's environment will be that person's to live with.

I don't think there is any need to say anything else except that extraordinary sleep patterns are often massively detrimental to health both physical and psychological, whether or not such detriment is immediately evident or becomes apparent down the line.

 

[Luna Black]

When people are in a very deep sleep, spinal fluid comes up out of their spine and into their skull and washes around the brain. This washes away waste products that build up in the brain from being so active for so long. So if people don't sleep often enough, their brain is filling with these waste materials without enough chance for it to be cleared away. If there is a prolonged habit of bad sleep, it just keeps building up worse and worse and causes a bunch of problems. There was a "scientific" :roll: study that found that being severely tired has an almost identical effect to being very drunk. Which makes sense alcohol is a harmful contaminant just like the brain's waste products.

There was another study that found that drinking a small amount of wine occasionally NOT often at all before sleeping can act to promote this flushing and cleaning of spinal fluid washing over the brain. In my very limited experience (not that it counts for anything) this feels like it's true and gives a deeper sleep. But it should only be done in very small amounts and only like once every few months, not more often than this.

Interesting.
I used to love a bit of wine here and there but I'm not sure if the benefits out-weight the cons ultimately. I don't drink any alcohol anymore.

You are correct in saying that the sleep pattern matches our planet's conditions.

Our bodies resonate with the ebbs and flows of the solar system's energies because we live here in this place.

If one wants to deny those natural rhythms, and attempt to live out of sync with them, on purpose then the consequences of being out of rythym with one's environment will be that person's to live with.

I don't think there is any need to say anything else except that extraordinary sleep patterns are often massively detrimental to health both physical and psychological, whether or not such detriment is immediately evident or becomes apparent down the line.

Do you think if we ended up living in other places such as let's say an hypothetical planet where the day night cycle lasts a total of 8 hours (on average 4 each), would we end up naturally adapting to a sleep pattern such as 2,5 hours of sleep at night every 8 hours cycle ?

By the way how about people who naturally prefer to sleep at decaled hours, the ones called night owls, that are more productive at late hours then during the middle of the day, and regularly sleep to noon or even to the afternoon ? Is that a result of physiological imbalances or can that be healthy and natural (assuming no external issues and still getting enough sunlight overall) ?

 

[Taol]

You are correct in saying that the sleep pattern matches our planet's conditions.

Our bodies resonate with the ebbs and flows of the solar system's energies because we live here in this place.

If one wants to deny those natural rhythms, and attempt to live out of sync with them, on purpose then the consequences of being out of rythym with one's environment will be that person's to live with.

I don't think there is any need to say anything else except that extraordinary sleep patterns are often massively detrimental to health both physical and psychological, whether or not such detriment is immediately evident or becomes apparent down the line.

Speaking about sleep patterns. What about those that are on night shift and that sleep throughout the day?

 

[Ol argedco luciftias]

...

Don't worry about the wine it probably doesn't help anyway. If it does actually work, it's probably just by hugely increasing the layer of contaminants to force the body to have to do a deeper clean to remove all of the mess. Just being sober and getting a good deep sleep is just as effective probably even better.

 

[nishka]

Speaking about sleep patterns. What about those that are on night shift and that sleep throughout the day?

The sleep quality is not the same, and there are definitely going to be physical consequences, as well.

With respect to your question, I'm afraid the answer is rather non-spiritual:

Sleep is regulated by nervous nuclei inside the hypothalamus. They receive their signals via the retinohypothalamic tract, a bundle of axons that connect your optic nerve with the aforementioned thalamic region.
The nuclei relay those signals to the pineal gland in order to produce melatonin, your body's "sleep hormone".

Influx of light inhibits the production of this hormone, e.g. sleeping during daytime.

A lack of melatonin ( because of frequent night shifts, constant light stimulation, etc. ) has also been shown to correlate with a drastically decreased excretion of 8-hydroxydesoxyguanosine inside one's urine; a possible sign of a lowered activity of DNA reparation mechanisms.

This hormone is known to repair oxidized guanosine nucleosides of your DNA by either inducing the nucleotide excision repair system, or by binding free radicals on its own.
Sleep deprivation or irregular sleep patterns are therefore suspected to increase the risk of oncogenesis.

If constant or frequent night shifts cannot be avoided, an external supplementation of melatonin may definitely be recommended.
Caution must be exercised if one suffers from gonadotropic ailments ( e.g. lack of sex hormone production, glandular susceptibility to chemicals, etc. ), as melatonin is slightly antigonadotropic.

 

[Centralforce666]

People who work long term night shift, or sleep in patterns Inconsistent with day and night develop problems of yin and blood.

These issues can take years to manifest as they develop slowly and their onset is insidious.

Once these have set in however, they take a significant amount of time to recover from and many times seemingly unrelated diseases will arise from this type of lifestyle (in conjunction with other factors) however the common person does not recognise this link.

It has to do predominantly with the lack of nourishment of the liver in the hours of 1-3 am when the body's energy is concentrated in the liver - this is the time during which the liver receives its nourishment.

 

[solun]

Does anyone know how to correct being a night owl as it sounds it may be due to an imbalance?

I eventually switched to a night shift job because I could not stick to a natural schedule. I'm currently unemployed and trying to get on a first shift schedule again but I always feel unrested when I sleep at night and want to take naps all day. I can sleep deeply like a log during the day even with moderate noise and feel more energized at night.

I also have untreated sleep apnea and I think this and my day sleeping has caused me a lot of health and mental problems. I've had issues with depression and some possible hormone related illnesses. I can't help think these might be related to my sleep issues after reading these posts.

People who work long term night shift, or sleep in patterns Inconsistent with day and night develop problems of yin and blood.

These issues can take years to manifest as they develop slowly and their onset is insidious.

Once these have set in however, they take a significant amount of time to recover from and many times seemingly unrelated diseases will arise from this type of lifestyle (in conjunction with other factors) however the common person does not recognise this link.

It has to do predominantly with the lack of nourishment of the liver in the hours of 1-3 am when the body's energy is concentrated in the liver - this is the time during which the liver receives its nourishment.

 

[Taol]

Speaking about sleep patterns. What about those that are on night shift and that sleep throughout the day?

A lack of melatonin ( because of frequent night shifts, constant light stimulation, etc. ) has also been shown to correlate with a drastically decreased excretion of 8-hydroxydesoxyguanosine inside one's urine; a possible sign of a lowered activity of DNA reparation mechanisms.

This hormone is known to repair oxidized guanosine nucleosides of your DNA by either inducing the nucleotide excision repair system, or by binding free radicals on its own.
Sleep deprivation or irregular sleep patterns are therefore suspected to increase the risk of oncogenesis.

So it causes less repair of DNA changes, which ultimately increases the risk of cancer thus causes cancer.

Thanks!

 

[Taol]

The sleep quality is not the same, and there are definitely going to be physical consequences, as well.

I just made an oversimplified reaction.

Just so you know I didnt mean to come across as not taking your reply seriously, but some of the details in the end of the post went a bit over my head.

Thanks for the explanation though.

People who work long term night shift, or sleep in patterns Inconsistent with day and night develop problems of yin and blood.

These issues can take years to manifest as they develop slowly and their onset is insidious.

Once these have set in however, they take a significant amount of time to recover from and many times seemingly unrelated diseases will arise from this type of lifestyle (in conjunction with other factors) however the common person does not recognise this link.

It has to do predominantly with the lack of nourishment of the liver in the hours of 1-3 am when the body's energy is concentrated in the liver - this is the time during which the liver receives its nourishment.

Thanks centralforce

 

[Centralforce666]

This is more than likely a problem of yin deficiency.

This must be corrected by a diet which nourishes yin as well as attempts to move and do things throughout the day so that you are tired by night fall.

 

[nishka]

I eventually switched to a night shift job because I could not stick to a natural schedule. I'm currently unemployed and trying to get on a first shift schedule again but I always feel unrested when I sleep at night and want to take naps all day. I can sleep deeply like a log during the day even with moderate noise and feel more energized at night.

Is the rotation split into three shifts? If yes, I'd also consider adapting gradually to a new rhythm by taking the late shift ( in the afternoon till the late evening ).
The body can be rather sensitive to sudden changes

I also have untreated sleep apnea and I think this and my day sleeping has caused me a lot of health and mental problems. I've had issues with depression and some possible hormone related illnesses. I can't help think these might be related to my sleep issues after reading these posts.

They are very well related with one another. Your hormones are subject to a circadian ( and pulsatile ) rhythm, which can get messed up pretty easily by irregularities in sleep.

Also, frequent oxidative stress may lead to chronic inflammation. If the respiratory tract is affected, they will constrict, thus increasing the bronchial / tracheal resistance.
This causes what is known as an airway obstruction, which will usually manifest itself in apnoea and/or snoring.

There are many other causes, as well. Is there anything more to your lifestyle, e.g. dietary, weight-wise, any other ailments?

I just made an oversimplified reaction.

Just so you know I didnt mean to come across as not taking your reply seriously, but some of the details in the end of the post went a bit over my head.

Huh? No, not at all! The summary of yours was spot-on!
I'm glad somebody's taken interest.

 

[Taol]

Actually, I have another question which, as a matter of fact, is indeed kind of important.

You said that the hours the organs have their peak are dependednt on the sun. Yet there are entire countries that are put together in one uniform timezone, whilst they should be in another.

So here is my question. Should the time be based on the tiemzone you are actually in on the world map?

And another question is, if the timing of the hours is based ont he sun, shouldn't thoe hours for cleaning the organs be longer in the night during winter time?

This is more than likely a problem of yin deficiency.

This must be corrected by a diet which nourishes yin as well as attempts to move and do things throughout the day so that you are tired by night fall.

Sometimes its not just a matter of being tired by night fall.. but rather being too busy to go and sleep. Also those darn lights all the time esp in winter time.
Makes me wonder if dinner shouldn't be eaten earlier as well.

 

[solun]

This is more than likely a problem of yin deficiency.

This must be corrected by a diet which nourishes yin as well as attempts to move and do things throughout the day so that you are tired by night fall.

Thanks for the answer. I think this is part of my problem as I tend to favor stimulants like caffeine, sugar etc. I will try some things with my diet to try and balance it and see if it helps. Keeping active during the day did not usually help in the past for falling asleep at night though.

Also, frequent oxidative stress may lead to chronic inflammation. If the respiratory tract is affected, they will constrict, thus increasing the bronchial / tracheal resistance.
This causes what is known as an airway obstruction, which will usually manifest itself in apnoea and/or snoring.

There are many other causes, as well. Is there anything more to your lifestyle, e.g. dietary, weight-wise, any other ailments?

Interesting. I had not heard that inflammation can cause sleep apnea. I also had some inflammation in my knees but cleared it up with osteo biflex supplements. Other than my sleep issues my health is ok at the moment. I'm not overweight but my diet is a bit carb heavy and I do have a sweet tooth and coffee addiction. I'm not eating meat but I do eat dairy and eggs, plus lots of vegetables. I've had serious issues with my female cycles and like I said before, it may be hormone related to the sleep problem.

Also I tried to switch to a normal first shift schedule in the past for about 10 years or more. I could not ever feel right. For a while I also developed hypersomnia and would sleep for up to 16 hours. I switched to nightshift because I was tired of almost getting fired all the time for being late. I would sleep through any alarm and not even remember turning it off. For a while I also struggled with sleep paralysis that was very painful.

Luckily the paralysis and hypersomnia stopped several years ago. I'm hoping something easy like diet change can help with the current problem.I'll also try to change my schedule more gradually and see if that helps.