Credit to Author: Hazel Morley| Date: Tue, 30 May 2023 13:30:44 +0000

Newcomers may have trouble sleeping due to emotional distress

Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Measures Survey suggests that 43 per cent of men and 55 per cent of women in the 18 to 64 age group reported trouble going to sleep or staying asleep.

And it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that immigrants may suffer more from symptoms of sleep disorders; in fact, a 2012 Swiss study attributed differences in disturbed sleep between immigrants and non-immigrants to emotional distress. No doubt, the stress of settling into a new country keeps many newcomers awake at night.

Why does sleep matter?

When sleep loss becomes chronic, the impact on our health is significant. Poor sleep triggers inflammation in the brain and body. Our risk increases for cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, depression and Alzheimer’s. When we get inadequate rest, our brain is unable to clean up the metabolic trash, affecting our learning, memory and creativity functioning.

Poor sleep compromises productivity and safety. According to a 2010 study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, fatigue-related productivity losses are estimated to cost an employer about $2,000 per employee, per year. Absenteeism from the workplace can be as costly as presenteeism (on-the-job work loss), with rising health care and short-term disability costs.

What causes poor sleep?

There are many contributing factors to poor sleep from North America’s modern, 24/7 lifestyle. We have become a society of energy addicts, over-stimulated and hyper-aroused by poor food choices and too much caffeine, alcohol, information, entertainment and light at night. Stressors such as financial concerns, commuting, shift work, abnormal work schedules, multiple jobs, extensive travel across many time zones and daily demands of life keep us tired and wired.

While, for some people, alcohol may provide temporary respite, it only sedates us and we pass out, rather than enter a deep, restful sleep. We wake often but usually do not remember waking so we may fail to associate it with poor sleep.

Caffeine, another widely used (and abused) stimulant, has a quarter life of twelve hours. If we have a cup of coffee at noon, a quarter of that caffeine is still in our brain at midnight while we are trying to sleep. Energy drinks keep us in fight or flight mode. Our busy lives and quest to have/be/do it all may mean that we squeeze in a cardio workout at the end of the day, which, for some of us, can interfere with our sleep.

Since industrialization in the Western world, it has become acceptable to be up at night. Access to technology, entertainment and information keeps us hyper-aroused and many of us do not want to slow down or stop.

Our circadian rhythm is the body’s natural regulator for sleep and wake cycles, based on a 24-hour schedule. When we live in harmony with our pre-programmed rhythms of light and dark, we sleep and wake at the same time. When we are misaligned with our biological clocks, our sleep is disrupted, negative stress hormones spike and we increase our risk for disease.

How can immigrants better manage sleep?

A last resort for some people is often sleep medication. Studies reveal an alarming increase in the number of prescriptions for sleep medications. However, studies also show that pills do not heal insomnia; they merely suppress the symptoms and undermine our trust in our innate ability to sleep.

It would be more beneficial to shift our paradigm about sleep, to be willing to slow down, stop at the end of a day and change our routine to invite sleep.

Here are 11 practical ways to help you get a good night’s sleep:

1. Adopt a regular routine for bedtime and waking up, on weekdays and the weekend.
2. Minimize light and use of electronic devices at nighttime.
3. Be mindful in food choices and other stimulants.
4. Avoid coffee after midday.
5. Avoid alcohol three hours before bedtime.
6. Get 15 minutes of sunshine within 30 minutes of waking to reset the circadian rhythm.
7. Time exercise to suit — no strenuous activity within four hours of bedtime.
8. Consider supplements such as melatonin and magnesium.
9. Cool the body before bedtime. Lower the temperature in your bedroom.
10. Use a blanket on the bed to amplify the effect of gravity and ground the body to descend into sleep.
11. Use meditation, prayer, gratitude, journalling or gentle yoga, all of which have a soothing effect on the nervous system and trigger the relaxation response.

Some small changes can make a significant difference to your health and wellbeing and could substantially boost workplace productivity at the same time.

Maybe we should sleep on that thought … ?

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