{"id":6243,"date":"2026-05-19T10:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?page_id=6243"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:39:07","slug":"the-importance-of-sleep","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2023\/features\/the-importance-of-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andrew J. Concatelli<\/em><\/p>\n

While stress of any kind can interfere with a good night\u2019s sleep, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new stressors that make restorative sleep even more elusive.<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID brought on physical and psychological stress, including the stress of being isolated from each other,\u201d says Jeff Durmer, M.D., \u201987, a Denver-based sleep performance physician and neurologist who has worked with the Atlanta Falcons NFL team, the U.S. Olympic team, and the Federal Aviation Administration.<\/p>\n

Durmer has spent much of the last several years speaking with health care organizations and other companies about the importance of sleep health and the challenges posed to it by the pandemic, which for many people has made falling asleep and staying asleep more difficult.<\/p>\n

By definition, he says, sleep health is utilizing proper sleep techniques and identifying impediments to sleep to maintain good health. Sleep health care, by contrast, involves the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea.<\/p>\n

Most people underestimate the importance of sleep, and about a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a daily basis, Durmer says. \u201cWe need to reframe how we think about sleep and sleep health,\u201d he says. \u201cSleep is a fundamental building block of life, a basic physiologic need. It keeps you healthy and reduces the chances of disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts say that with basic knowledge about sleep and careful attention to their own behaviors and environments, all people have the power to improve their sleep health, even during a pandemic.<\/p>\n

At Trinity, Durmer studied psychology and psychobiology\u2014a precursor to the college\u2019s neuroscience major\u2014and was a member of the men\u2019s varsity heavyweight rowing team. He earned an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and has spent decades teaching at medical schools and serving as chief medical officer for health care companies, which recognize the ways in which sleep helps fight and even prevent disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep affects four basic categories of health: immune, mental, cardiovascular, and metabolic or inflammatory health,\u201d Durmer says. \u201cThe greatest benefits are realized with the proper duration, timing, and quality of sleep.\u201d The average American adult sleeps 6.2 hours a night during the week, but that should be in the 7- to 9-hour range, he notes, adding that as the country\u2019s average sleep times have decreased over the past 60 years, associated increases in obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and some cancers have emerged.<\/p>\n

Trinity Assistant Professor of Psychology Brian Chin, whose areas of research and teaching include sleep and circadian rhythms, also notes that sleep is crucial to both physical and psychological health. \u201cRepeated disruption to our circadian rhythms\u2014an internal \u2018clock\u2019\u00a0in our brains that entrains our bodies to a 24-hour cycle of rest and activity\u2014can compromise our immune systems,\u201d says Chin, who joined the Trinity faculty in 2022. \u201cPoor sleep can also be dangerous; people who don\u2019t get enough sleep are more likely to get into accidents on the road and in the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durmer notes that the immune system and sleep are intimately integrated. \u201cTypically, if you get sick, your brain activates sleep, which helps to modulate your inflammatory response to support your defenses against viruses or other infections. If you\u2019re not getting enough sleep, you\u2019re not protecting yourself from agents you come in contact with on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

People who are sleep deprived may therefore be predisposed to COVID infection, Durmer says. COVID also has been noted to cause sleeplessness, which further weakens the immune response, making it harder for your body to fight the infection, he says. \u201cPartially, we think that long COVID may reflect a lingering impact of sleep disruption and deprivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chin adds that there was a dramatic rise in the number of people who reported difficulty sleeping after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cSome people were calling this\u00a0\u2018COVID-somnia.\u2019 The pandemic has increased stress levels, decreased our access to social contact and social support, and led us all to feel like things are overwhelming and unpredictable,\u201d Chin says.\u00a0\u201cAll these things are antithetical to restful sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cStress makes it harder for people to fall asleep, harder for them to reach the deeper and more restorative stages of sleep, and harder for them to stay asleep the entire night,\u201d he continues.\u00a0\u201cOn the other hand, well-functioning social relationships\u00a0provide us with the security and sense of belonging that we need to get a good night of sleep.\u00a0We know that people who\u00a0perceive their social networks to be more supportive find it easier to fall and stay asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Illustrations: Mirjam\/Stock.Adobe.Com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Getting a good night\u2019s sleep is simply essential for a person\u2019s well-being, Chin says. \u201cWe can\u2019t thrive without good sleep. It\u2019s connected to our mood and our emotions; we feel better and happier\u00a0after a great night of restorative sleep than we do after a lousy night of interrupted sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this may be easier said than done, Chin and Durmer say there are ways to improve the duration, timing, and quality of sleep. Maintaining what they call \u201cgood sleep hygiene\u201d sets a person up for a restful night and a better day to follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cSleep is not the end of your day; it\u2019s the beginning of your next day,\u201d says Durmer. \u201cWhat you do to prepare for and improve your sleep today will have a dramatic impact on your tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students and shut-eye<\/h3>\n

Even before the pandemic, one segment of the population stood out as particularly sleep-deprived: \u201cOf students in middle school and high school, 66 percent are not getting the sleep they need,\u201d says sleep expert Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., \u201987.<\/p>\n

Assistant Professor of Psychology Brian Chin notes that poor sleep greatly impacts student performance because sleep is associated with cognition. \u201cWhen we are sleeping poorly, we can\u2019t think as clearly, as quickly, or as creatively. We are also worse at paying attention and staying focused on tasks,\u201d he says. \u201cAthletes who aren\u2019t getting enough sleep are going to recover more slowly from training and\u00a0perform worse on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

With these reasons and more in mind, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Sarah A. Raskin has been a longtime advocate of later school start times. She says that adolescents experience a sleep phase delay after puberty, meaning they can\u2019t fall asleep early, often not before 11:00 p.m. or midnight. The problem with early school start times, she notes, is that students this age need 9 to 10 hours of sleep, but they can\u2019t get an adequate night\u2019s sleep if they need to be in class at 7:30 a.m. \u201cWe set them up to be cognitively less than their best, and then we tell them to go learn algebra or do a close reading of a novel,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Trinity faculty member since 1994, Raskin teaches a unit on sleep in her \u201cBrain and Behavior\u201d course. \u201cRecent studies of college students show that, everything else being equal, grades go up in line with the hour in the day they take a class; the later in the day, the higher the GPA,\u201d she says. \u201cThe State of Connecticut has a task force looking at making a change to later, healthier start times. Advocates say that high school and middle schools should not start before 8:30 a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

School start times also are an equity issue, Raskin says. \u201cWe know that early start times impact students from disadvantaged backgrounds more, so it makes the achievement gap worse. Kids whose parents have means can drive them to school, which may give them an extra hour of sleep, while others may have to wait at a bus stop,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s critical to recognize the effects of sleep deprivation on mental health, Raskin adds. \u201cStudents who are sleep-deprived have much higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and thoughts of suicide,\u201d she says. \u201cOne of the tools we have to help improve their mental health is to encourage them to get enough sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond counting sheep<\/h3>\n

Tips to help you sleep <\/em><\/p>\n

From Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., \u201987, sleep performance physician and neurologist, and Brian Chin, assistant professor of psychology at Trinity<\/p>\n

Avoid artificial light and caffeine before bed.
\n<\/strong>Durmer: Think about light as medicine that wakes you up. Better sleep is associated with outdoor daylight and reducing screen time in the evening.
\nChin: Avoid caffeine close to bedtime. It\u2019s a powerful signal to our bodies to stay awake and alert. Drinking coffee, caffeinated tea, or caffeinated soft drinks within six hours of your bedtime can be harmful to your sleep that night.<\/p>\n

Have a bedtime routine.
\n<\/strong>Durmer: Think about what we do with our kids, things like a calming bath, reading quietly, reducing stimuli.
\nChin: Even though it\u2019s hard, try not to sleep in too late on your weekends. Your circadian rhythm could be thrown off, as if you had jet lag from changing time zones.<\/p>\n

Make your bedroom a sanctuary for sleep.
\n<\/strong>Durmer: Try to do things other than sleep\u2014like studying, working out, and eating\u2014outside of your sleep space.
\nChin: You will get the best night of sleep\u00a0possible in a quiet, dark room with no interruptions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Andrew J. Concatelli While stress of any kind can interfere with a good night\u2019s sleep, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new stressors that make restorative sleep even more elusive. \u201cCOVID brought on physical and psychological stress, including the stress of being isolated from each other,\u201d says Jeff Durmer, M.D., \u201987, a Denver-based sleep performance physician […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"parent":6211,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6243","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Importance of Sleep - The Trinity Reporter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/winter-2023\/features\/the-importance-of-sleep\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Importance of Sleep\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Andrew J. 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