R Madhavan’s commitment to healthy living—which includes clean eating and regular exercise—inspires the young and old. In a recent conversation with neurologist Dr Sid Warrier, the 54-year-old actor learned new things, including one key habit for good health.
Sleep is the habit with the “highest ROI on health,” the expert noted. “If you get good sleep for your brain, that is the biggest return on investment that you get. Nothing comes close to sleep,” he said, adding that this, however, has to be over a period of time, across many years.
According to Dr Warrier, if you miss one day of sleep, it’s fine and there’s no problem. “Your brain can recover. Your brain is incredibly resilient. But if you have had bad sleep for two years or five years, those things do add up, and then eventually, you will do enough damage to the brain that cannot be reversed. That is what eventually leads to Alzheimer’s and memory loss,” he continued.
To understand why that happens, consulted experts and discovered the havoc bad sleep can wreck on brain health.
Health and wellness coach Mahalakshmi K said deprivation and have been linked to a variety of adverse health outcomes, including an increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. “After only four hours of sleep, blood pressure rises, parasympathetic tone decreases, and cortisol (stress hormone) levels and oxidative stress increase,” she said.
“Sleeping for less than ideal hours is also associated with lower levels of leptin, a hormone adipose tissue produces that inhibits hunger, and higher levels of ghrelin, a peptide that increases appetite, leading to obesity. It can result in an allostatic overload (the body’s ability to anticipate and adapt to environmental demands by regulating blood pressure and temperature), which can be detrimental to your regular health,” said Mahalakshmi.
Dr Shreshtha Gupta, an assistant professor at Safdarjung Hospital, added that sleep needs vary from person to person and that sleep is a state in which the body repairs and rejuvenates itself.
“The ideal sleeping time depends on age. It is 16-20 hours for kids, and six to eight hours of night sleep is important for adults to maintain the circadian rhythm,” Gupta said.
Sleeping less leads to hormonal imbalance, increased cortisol levels (a stress hormone), and impaired rapid eye movement (REM) sleep patterns. In the short term, this can lead to irritability and fatigue, while long-term effects include mood changes, stunted growth, decreased productivity, and early signs of aging.
Elaborating on the importance of having a sound REM sleep, which people enter around 2-4 AM, Dr Gupta said, “Having a complete REM sleep improves memory consolidation, emotional processing, brain development, and prepares us to be awake. REM sleep is also associated with repairing injury and a stronger immune system.”
*DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.*
