LACK OF SLEEP Asist. univ. Gabriela LICA MIHAILA
We don't know what sleep is. We do know we need it to survive. Many organs in the body can
rest and recover during relaxed wakefulness -- to a similar extent to that achieved during sleep -- butthe cerebral cortex seems unable to do this," said Jim Horne director of the Sleep Research Laboratoryat the Sough borough University in Leicestershire, England.
Cutting back on sleep is an extremely common response to the time pressures of modern
industrial societies. The average night's sleep decreased from about nine hours in 1910 to about 7.5hours in 1975, a trend that continues. In America sleep problems may be the country's number-onehealth problem. Millions of shift workers average less than five hours per work day. But even eighthours of sleep do not produce the fully rested state. Young adults may function best after more thaneight hours of rest each night.
“The amount of sleep we require is what we need not to be sleepy in the daytime" (Jim Horne).
Sleep studies suggest that adolescents need between 8.5 and 9.25 hours of sleep each night. Accordingto the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) at NHLBI, children need nine hours ofsleep each night on a regular basis for their health, safety, and best performance in school and otheractivities. Most researchers agree that adults usually need to sleep about 8 hours. There are alsocontradictory opinions according to which anyone can program themselves to sleep only 5 or 6 hoursper day; all you need is a little practice. If you only get 1-4 hours of sleep, you may be in trouble, butthe difference between 6 and 8 hours is negligible. Drowsiness is usually the result of boredom ratherthan lack of sleep.
Stephens, who has worked for the Sleep Disorder Center for eight years, shows that anxiety is the
No. 1 cause of insomnia. "Stress coming from balancing pressures at school, work and family life canadd to one's anxiety levels. Class exams, student loans and preparing to enter the work force can becontributing factors to stress and anxiety that might lead to sleep problems," he said. "Sometimes stresscan come from being in a new environment and around new people." "Anxiety disrupts sleep patterns. It may sound like common sense, but children and adults get sleepy when sleep patterns are disrupted".
Inadequate sleep in children can lead to attention difficulties, easy frustration, and difficulty
controlling emotions. For adults and college students it isn't about just being tired. It affects your wholelife. Regardless of the brain's attempt to overcome sleep deprivation, a sleep-deprived person cannotperform mental tasks as well as someone who is well-rested. Stephens added that concentration can beaffected by lack of restful sleep. "Memory problems, loss of productivity, being tired, irritable, andbecoming depressed are just a few things that can all result from poor sleeping habits." Deep sleepcoincides with the release of growth hormone in children and young adults. Many of the body’s cellsalso show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. Since proteinsare the building blocks needed for cell growth and for repair of damage from factors like stress andultraviolet rays, deep sleep is really important. Lack of sleep not only hastens the onset but could alsoincrease the severity of age-related ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and memory loss. Chronic partial sleep loss can reduce the capacity of even young adults to perform basic metabolicfunctions such as processing and storing carbohydrates or regulating hormone secretion, report Chicagoresearchers. Cutting back to four hours each night quickly produced striking changes that resembled theeffects of aging or early diabetes. Those who sleep fewer than six hours a night don't live as long asthose who sleep seven hours or more. Lack of sleep can be expensive: Figures suggest that driverfatigue contributes to 30 to 40 percent of all heavy truck accidents. Dr. Charles Czeisler, who studiessleep at Brigham and Women's Hospital talks about Automatic Behavior Syndrome when one part ofyou falls asleep, the other part keeps on going. The syndrome has been a contributing factor in plane,train and car crashes. A recently published Australian study compared the relative effects on
performance of sleep deprivation and alcohol. The scientists found out that moderate sleep deprivationproduces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels ofalcohol intoxication.”(Occup Environ Med. 2000 Oct; 57(10):649-655). During the war in Iraq, one ofthe major problems the Americans had to face was sleep deprivation. After 24 hours without sleep, thedoctors found that brain activity decreased significantly in two distinct areas: the areas of the brainresponsible for attention, planning and anticipation. The research suggests that this problem may causesome soldiers on the battlefield to become confused about where they are, and what they're doing; andabout whether a target is friend or foe.
Sleep deprivation costs billions of dollars a year in higher stress and reduced workplace
productivity. It may also lead to personal and public tragedy. There are indications that the Challengerdisaster, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown can all be partly linked to people suffering from asevere lack of sleep
Stephens said there are a number of behaviors students can change that would help promote
better sleep. "Keep a regular sleep schedule. Try to go to bed every night around the same time, evenon the weekends. Avoid staying up all night and sleeping until noon the next day." "Don't make yoursleep suffer just to get work done. You are better getting a good night's sleep instead of pulling an all-nighter cramming for school," he said. "Regular exercise has shown to improve and deepen sleep, butavoid doing any sort of exercise at least two hours before bedtime. You're body will not have ampletime to become calm before trying to sleep," he said. Stephens also suggested avoiding stimulantsbefore going to bed. "Nicotine and caffeine will keep you awake longer than the general time it mighttake you to fall asleep," he said. "After being out on the weekends, alcohol will make you fall asleepfaster, but will make the quality of sleep less sound," Stephens said. "Alcohol will make you groggy inthe morning and is no answer to sleeping problems." "Try keeping your bedroom cooler at night andcooler than other rooms where you live. Keep the television off. Even though you might fall asleep theextra lights and noise will affect an individual's quality of sleep," he said. For brain recovery, the earlypart of sleep each night is the most important. While it’s great that you are able to find time to catch anap, sleeping more at night may be healthier and allow you to forgo your nap (although there is nothingwrong with a nap as long as it does not interrupt your bedtime routine at night. NHLBI is offering somemore simple tips that will help people get a good night's sleep.
Establish a regular bedtime and stick to it. Setting a regular bedtime and wake up time reinforces
a person's biological clock, making it easier to fall asleep quickly and awake feeling fully rested andalert:
• Avoid eating a big meal too close to bedtime;• Avoid sodas and other beverages with caffeine. Consuming anything with caffeine less than six
hours before bedtime can interfere with a good night's sleep;
• Build in quiet time before bedtime. Allow some time to relax before bedtime;• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine. Is it a bath in the evening, followed by a book? Or the
reverse? Try different routines; find out what works best, and stick to it;
• Make sure the room is dark and quiet and the bed is comfortable;• Gregory Brown, associate professor of psychiatry at UCSD states: „Even in the best case, it is
unlikely that we will find a real substitute for sleep - it is just too complex of a behavior to dowithout“. Bibliography
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[4] WILL 4 HOURS OF SLEEP A NIGHT AFFECT GROWTH (Body, Height & Weight-What's
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University of Chicago Medical Center Office of Public Affairs Copyright 2003 University ofChicago Hospitals. All rights reserved. McKenzie,John.
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BASIC FIRE SAFETY Self-Study Guide OBJECTIVES OF THE BASIC FIRE SAFETY PROGRAM Upon completion of this self-study guide, you should be able to identify classes of fires, types of fire extinguishers and your role in the Basic Fire Safety Program. Successful completion of this program can be accomplished by completing the examination on the last page of this self-study guide with a s