The Connection Between Sleep Patterns and Working Hours

The U.S. is a sleep-deprived nation. That’s the takeaway from numerous studies, including one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It found that roughly 50 to 70 million Americans struggle with a chronic or ongoing sleep disorder. Along with contributing to daytime sleepiness, not getting enough sleep can open the door to numerous health problems, some of which can lead to premature death. To understand how being sleep-deprived can take such a drastic toll on someone’s health, it helps to know more about what happens while we sleep.

Understanding the Importance of Sleep

According to the American Heart Association, adults should get 7 to 9 hours of deep, restorative sleep each night. And that’s for good reason. A myriad of things happen during this sleep window. As we sleep, we enter two distinct sleep stages non-REM and REM.

Non-REM occurs soon after we drift off and is the easiest to wake up from. During this sleep stage, brainwave activity slows down, muscles relax, and body temperature drops. REM is a deep sleep stage that is not as easy to wake up from. It occurs 60 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep, and during this stage, we experience rapid eye movements, elevated brain activity, and muscle paralysis. Dreams are also common during REM sleep. As we drift into non-REM sleep and eventually into REM sleep, the following things that benefit our physical and psychological health start to occur:

  • Brain recharge – While sleeping, our brain works hard to move short-term memories into long-term storage, which explains why we can remember events that occurred years ago. The brain also flushes out toxins that build up while we are awake, and that, in turn, leads to improved cognitive functioning, learning, and problem-solving.
  • Body repair – While we are asleep, the body rebuilds muscle tissue. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus also secrete human growth hormones while we are sleeping. These hormones help regenerate skin cells, regulate appetite, and strengthen bones. The body also produces more infection-fighting molecules while we sleep, which goes a long way towards strengthening our immune system.
  • Hormonal regulation – Along with human growth hormones (HGH), sufficient sleep helps balance testosterone, ghrelin, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, melatonin, and other hormone levels in our blood that support healthy body function.

How Your Working Hours Can Negatively Affect Your Sleep

Depression, schizophrenia, chronic pain syndrome, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease are the most common causes of sleep deprivation in the U.S., according to a study from Cedars-Sinai. But there are many others. A growing body of evidence shows that shift work and long workdays can also lead to sleep deprivation. Over time, insufficient sleep can give rise to a myriad of health problems.

According to one study published by the American Association of Cancer, for every five years someone works overnight, their chances of being diagnosed with breast, prostate, and other cancers increase by 3.3%. That is in addition to an already above-average risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, and hypertension. Those who engage in shift work, which includes evening, night, and early morning shifts, or work more than eight hours per day face many of the same health risks. Overnight work and shift work disrupts the body’s natural circadian rhythm. That disruption sets the stage for various health problems.

What Is the Circadian Rhythm?

According to the National Institutes of Health, the circadian rhythm refers to the 24-hour internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness based on light changes in our environment. The circadian rhythm is why we get tired at night and feel alert and energetic during the day. When we work when we should be sleeping and sleep when we should be working, it opens the door to circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Symptoms typical of such disorders include excessive sleepiness and lack of daytime alertness.

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders can wreak havoc on various bodily systems, including the endocrine system, which houses several hormone-secreting glands. Because shift workers and individuals who work overnight struggle with inconsistent sleep times, reduced total sleep time, and difficulty achieving deep, restorative sleep, they tend to also struggle with circadian rhythm sleep disorders more than people who work a traditional 9-to-5 workday. As a byproduct of that, many also struggle with low human growth hormone levels.

How Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders Can Trigger an HGH Deficiency

During sleep, the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus secrete most of the human growth hormones our body needs to function as it should. Inconsistent sleep times, reduced total sleep times, and fragmented sleep resulting from shift work and overnight work prevent people from getting enough sleep for their pituitary gland and hypothalamus to secrete adequate HGH into their bloodstream. The following can further reduce the amount of HGH in their blood:

  • Genetic conditions
  • Certain medications
  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • Pituitary gland issues

When someone’s human growth hormone levels fall too low, they can encounter multiple unpleasant symptoms. Some of the more common ones include the following:

  • Anxiety
  • Decreased bone density, which can lead to osteoporosis
  • Decreased energy levels
  • Depression
  • Increased body fat
  • Insulin resistance, which can lead to type 2 diabetes
  • Reduced muscle mass

Natural Ways To Boost Low HGH Levels

There are multiple ways to boost low HGH levels in one’s blood naturally. Some of these include consuming a healthy diet, not watching television or using a smartphone right before bed, not consuming alcohol before bed, and not smoking. Adopting these healthy lifestyle habits makes it easier to get the deep, restorative sleep needed to stimulate the pituitary gland and hypothalamus to secrete more HGH.

HRT To Treat a Human Growth Hormone Deficiency

Many physicians prescribe hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat low human growth hormone levels in men and women. This therapy involves the use of injectable hormone-boosting medications, such as Omnitrope. According to its manufacturer, Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals, Omnitrope is injected into a muscle or under the skin. Omnitrope injections work by replacing or supplementing natural growth hormone production in the body. Before looking for a pharmacy offering Omnitrope HGH injections for sale, individuals should secure a prescription from a licensed physician. That applies whether they are looking for online or local pharmacies offering Omnitrope injections for sale.

In summary, shift work, overnight work, and long workdays can affect our health in many ways. That includes putting us on a path to struggle with hormonal imbalances. Fortunately, there are natural and medicinal ways to safeguard our health while continuing to work the hours we must work to make a living.

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