March 6th marked the beginning of Sleep Awareness Week, to promote healthy living through effective sleeping habits. Most adults need about 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, but the CDC reports that 28% get fewer than 6 hours a night. 6 hours just isn’t enough sleep for most adults, not only for feeling rested the next day, but also for preventing health problems. Lack of sleep has been linked to major health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. “Serious as a heart attack” translates into getting serious about your nightly rest. If there are aspects of your life that interfere with getting more than 7 hours of sleep every night, it’s time to make some adjustments.
Sleep allows your brain to prepare for the next day, so sleeping “less than 7” interferes with your ability to learn and retain important facts. This is especially important for college students. Pulling an all-nighter may seem like a good idea to cram for an exam, but less sleep means less memory retention and poorer exam performance. According to research, sleep deficiency can alter brain activity, interfering with decision making and controlling your emotions. Sleep deficiency can even be linked to depression and risk-taking behavior. If you’re struggling with daily stress, safeguarding your sleep time can be one of the most helpful choices you can make.
If you drive while sleep-deprived, you are increasing the risk to both to yourself and the drivers around you. This is because your reaction time and awareness are greatly reduced when you’re feeling tired, upping the odds of getting into an accident. The Institute of Medicine has estimated that one out of five auto accidents in the U.S. result from people driving while tired. This equals over a million accidents every year.
Sleeping well can greatly improve your immune system and reduce the chance of getting serious health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Sleep is involved in healing and repairing your heart and blood vessels (and cardiovascular disease is still the Number One killer in America). A stronger immune system means getting sick fewer times – some studies estimate a 3 to 5 fold increase in the risk of getting colds and flus when you are sleep deprived. Sleep helps to maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel full, so sleeping less can translate into feeling hungrier and being more likely to break diets. Sleep also controls insulin levels, resulting in a stable and healthy blood pressure. This is why sleep deprivation has been linked to obesity and diabetes.
Don’t let your surroundings control the amount of sleep that you get regularly, because a good night’s sleep can essentially help you live longer and happier. It’s too important to leave to chance. If you find yourself staying up late and waking up early because of your job, think about restructuring your work duties, delegating more when possible, and focusing on the critical items rather than time-consuming “busy work.” If you’re constantly going out late, it’s time to scale it back so that “wake up time minus 7” is the latest you’ll go lights-out (ideally it should be “wake up time minus 8”). And if you spend time on your smartphone, tablet, or computer before bedtime, turn those off or consider some blue light blocking glasses – the LEDs in those device screens emit a blue light spectrum that tricks the brain into thinking it’s time to wake up and face the day. To our local Orange County residents: If you are experiencing any serious effects of sleep deprivation, please visit one of our local urgent care centers in Woodbridge, Fountain Valley and Costa Mesa. You can schedule an appointment here.
Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
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