Understanding Sleep

Quality sleep is considered a pillar of good health for good reason. Missing out on it burdens every system in your body.

“Because when you don’t get good quality sleep,” Pulmonologist Carol Ash, DO warned, “the right timing, the right amount, the impacts on your health are profound. It affects your cardiovascular health, your immune health, your ability to have strong memories and focus. You’ll find that you’re just not able to really perform at your peak both physically and mentally. Every organ system is affected by the fact that you may not be able to get the sleep that you need.”

There are at least 80 sleep disorders that the medical community can address. The most common include forms of sleep apnea, where an individual’s breathing is impaired or interrupted during sleep; insomnia, an inability to transition to and maintain sleep; and restless leg syndrome, a condition that leads to involuntary muscle movements that disrupt sleep.

Sleep science has been advancing steadily to broaden the understanding of sleep’s interconnectivity among all parts of the body, and how important it is to get it right, from the top: the brain.

“The brain is quite active during sleep,” Dr. Ash said. “It’s the time when the brain is clearing out waste and products that have built up during the day. It’s resetting hormones and your heart. It’s really rebuilding and repairing cell by cell. It’s a critical time for our overall health and wellbeing.”

KYW’s Rasa Kaye talks with Dr. Ash about sleep – what may be robbing you of shut-eye, new ways to figure it out and even better, more ways to treat it.