Sense of purpose may improve your sleep: study

We all know sleep deprivation is a major problem. A recent survey carried out by Aviva last year revealed that almost half of us manage on only six hours or less each night. So worrying are the effects of chronic sleep deprivation — increased fatigue and irritability, decreased concentration and memory function, even decreased immune function — that a leaked public health green paper suggests the U.K. government is planning to recommend the number of hours of sleep for individuals in different age groups.

What we need more, however, is practical help. No doubt you’re familiar with the usual advice: Turn off screens and dim the lights an hour or so before bedtime, establish a relaxing bedtime routine, make your bedroom as inviting as possible, and go to bed and get up at regular times. But clearly, these suggestions aren’t sufficient.

Instead of focusing entirely on our surroundings and bedtime routines, scientists are beginning to examine a very different approach to encouraging a better quality of sleep.

Eric Kim, then at the University of Michigan, recruited 4,144 adults over 50 who had little or no sleep disturbance. He asked them to assess their quality of sleep and rate their “strength of purpose in life” on a six-point scale, at the outset and again four years later. The stronger their sense of purpose, the less likely they were to develop sleep disturbances during those four years.

Arlener Turner and colleagues at Northwestern University recruited 825 older participants and measured not only their sense of purpose and overall sleep quality, but also the frequency of symptoms associated with greater sleep disturbance, in particular sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome (RLS). Participants were followed up for three years. Higher levels of purpose in life appeared to be protective against the occurrence of both sleep apnea and RLS, and to be associated with better quality of sleep generally.

Further studies are needed, in particular looking at sleep quality and sense of purpose in younger adults. Furthermore, it’s important to bear in mind that these two studies are correlational only.

Causation has not yet been established. It could be that when we sleep well, we feel more able to think about our sense of purpose — equally, if we have a clear sense of purpose, it may be this encourages us to take good care of ourselves and prioritize good sleeping, eating and other healthy habits. But either way, because clarity of purpose seems to coincide with better sleep, there’s certainly every reason — to think about your higher aims and ambitions.

Set aside time soon to think about what you really enjoy doing, and how you can make a positive difference to your surroundings and to those around you. Chances are you’ll soon be sleeping better.