Allostasis, Sleep and Happiness

Following on from allostasis and happiness I've been thinking about the contribution of sleep to allostasis (and therefore, well-being). The Times carried a summary of El-Sheik's research into sleep quality in children. The more that children are exposed to parental conflicts, the worse they sleep. And, the worse children sleep, the more likely they are to be tired when awake, have difficulty focusing and be irritable and badly behaved. All of which sounds like it could make a contribution to a diagnosis of ADHD, particularly the need to have the behaviour documented in a variety of settings. And, as the children would be tired for most of the day, I think that that criterion would be met.

I wrote about the diabetic children with uncontrolled ketoacidosis who prompted Salvador Minuchin to say that "behavioral events among family members can be measured in the bloodstream of other family members". It seems as if that could also be adapted to "behavioural events among family members can be measured in the diagnoses of other family members".

Recent sleep research in both adults and children shows that sleep quality has a tremendous impact on physical and emotional well-being and on our cognitive performance. The effects of poor sleep quality go beyond feelings of fatigue; they are said to encompass raised blood pressure, metabolic changes linked to metabolic syndrome, increased likelihood of diabetes etc.

Lack of sleep is a common complaint. So is the sense that sleep wasn't satisfying. During Happystance workshops carers often report that they have difficulty sleeping. Many of them talk about their hypervigilance. And some of them have the raised blood pressure, raised heart rate, eating habits and even fat deposits around their middles that accompany this. Behavioural hypervigilance has strong physiological correlates that can have other impacts on health. The hypervigilance seems to be not only grounded in the need to listen out for or watch for significant changes in the person for whom they care but also in the social circumstances that go along with caring: financial problems, the benefit/allowance system, difficulties with socialising and relationships with other family members.

One of the interesting predictions of allostasis is that raised blood pressure is related to hypervigilance, and that this can influence the foods to which people are attracted. One of the contributions to raised blood pressure is the retention of sodium and water by the kidneys. Because hypervigilance is persistent, the body anticipates a continuing need for sodium and can increase the attraction to salty foodstuffs. The anticipation of the need for extra sodium, the body seems to assume that there will be a future demand for fuel. So there can be cravings for foodstuffs like fats and carbohydrates.

So, it is possible to argue that hypervigilance and sleep disturbance influence what people eat. And what we eat has its own impact on our health. Carers often report that they wish they ate more healthily. It seems as if some of the reasons that they don't may lie in the social policies that influence their lives.

Copyright 2006, Tony Plant Happystance Project