Dr Oz: Arianna Huffington & Sleep Deprivation
There’s no denying that just about all of us are desperate for a good night’s sleep. Dr Oz was thrilled to have the opportunity to reveal more than one million nights of sleep data as well as a sleep giveaway worth more than $1 million! Arianna Huffington joined Dr Oz to discuss her role in promoting the importance of sleep. She had to learn the hard way, explaining that she was so deprived of sleep that she collapsed and broke her cheekbone. She began looking at new science that shows “sleep is not negotiable” and most of us need 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
As part of Dr Oz’s 2016 Health Report, he learned that 75% of women get less than 7 hours of sleep per night. Traditionally, women put themselves last and the new science shows the importance of women putting themselves first in order to improve their lives everywhere else.
Dr Oz looked more at the connection between brain health and proper sleep, and what technology can help you get the rest you need. (seniju / Flickr)
Arianna compares a sleep-deprived person to dirty dishes, explaining that the only time the brain has to clean toxins that have accumulated during the day, is while you’re asleep. A lack of sleep can mean a loss of self control, a weakened immune system, a slower metabolism and increase in cravings, and memory loss.
Dr Oz: Importance Of Sleep For Brain Health
The cells inside the brain are protected by space vital for spinal cord fluid and brain fluid, to go through the cells to get rid of toxic build-up. The more you sleep, the more of that space there is. When you are deprived of sleep, you don’t get the benefits of that process.
Arianna actually doesn’t even use an alarm clock anymore, explaining that when your body gets enough sleep, you will wake up on your own. Arianna Huffington is the author of “The Sleep Revolution.”
Dr Oz: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Insomnia
Dr Oz gave five women a new insomnia therapy to see if they could achieve better sleep in just a few weeks. Dr Michael Breus explained that they used cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. Professionals everywhere are touting it as the first line of defense for insomnia, before drugs or even an over-the-counter sleeping pill. It looks at your thoughts and behaviors, using therapy to change them in a way that works. Basically why can’t you sleep, what you need to change, and when you need to fall asleep.
Dr Oz: Technology To Improve Sleep
Dr Breus explained that because CBT-I is so new, there aren’t enough doctors trained in it to help everyone that could benefit from it. Fortunately, technology can be used to our advantage. The CDC estimates 80 million Americans suffer from insomnia, and technology can help bridge the gap.
CBT-I Coach is a free app created by the Veterans Association and Stanford Medical School that everyone has access to. It can reportedly be used to supplement CBT therapy while also being used by itself to teach positive sleep routines.
The Conquering Insomnia Program is $49.95, can be downloaded onto a tablet and the five steps can be completed at the user’s own pace. Shuti costs $135 and is a 40-minute program that users complete once a week for six week. It teaches users sleep strategies through engaging interactions, quizzes, and homework.
Sleepio is a step-by-step digital program that gives users their own virtual sleep expert. The expert gives weekly input during the course, but it costs $300.
Dr Oz: Sleep Technology Reviews
Tia Brown held regularly Skype appointments with sleep expert Dr Michael Breus to see if the therapy could work for her. When it came time to reveal what program worked best for the five women, Tia joined Dr Oz. Tia learned the importance of the rituals before bed, saying that improving those changed her entire sleep pattern. But how would the other four technologies compare to meeting with a real expert?
The Sleepio app was difficult at first but the online community was encouraging. Holly, who used the app, is now happy with how it worked for her. She saw an hour and 22 minute increase in her overall sleep time. She’s also falling asleep a few minutes faster.
Conquering Insomnia helped the next woman learn more about what was keeping her awake. She was able to sleep nearly 30 minutes longer and fall asleep 50% faster. Faye tested the Shuti program and while she wasn’t sleeping longer, her quality of sleep greatly improved. Finally, the CBT-I Coach app kept crashing and didn’t help the final woman sleep better, but it did help her learn more about what was causing her to lose sleep.
Leave a Reply