Price
Paid for Sleep Deprivation
That
we are not much sicker and much madder than we are
is
due exclusively to that most blessed and blessing of all
natural grace , sleep.
~
Aldous Huxley
In
today’s fast and ultra-modern world, more people than
ever are sleep deprived. Everyday there seems to be
twice (or thrice!) as much work and half as much time to
complete it in.
In
fact, a poll by the National Sleep Foundation reported
that 65% of people do not get enough sleep. Sleep
experts recommend an average of 8 hours of sleep each
night. The financial loss to US businesses is estimated
to be at least $18 billion each year.
Many
tragedies that have been linked to human error were also
due to severe sleep deprivation. Some examples include:
Exxon Valdez oil spill, the NASA Challenger shuttle
explosion, and the Chernobyl nuclear accident. At its
extreme, sleep deprivation can lead to death, such as
the famous death through overwork known as Karoshi in Japan.
So
what causes sleep deprivation? Here is a short list.
- Not
allowing enough time for sleep
- Anything
that causes insomnia or poor quality sleep
- Environment
(noise, temperature, bed partner’s snoring or
periodic movements)
- Sleeping
disorders (such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, restless
legs syndrome)
- Anxiety,
stress, or depression
- Misuse
of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and dangerous drugs
- Shift
work
- Jet
lag
- Medication
(such as decongestants, antihistamines, betablockers)
- Health
problems (diabetes, anemia, Alzheimer’s disease,
heart and pulmonary diseases)
- Medical
illness
Sleep
deprivation is also known to have alarming consequences.
In fact in a study published in the British journal
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers in
Australia and New Zealand report that sleep deprivation
can have some of the same hazardous effects as being
drunk.
Experts
agree that sleep helps the brain recharge its energy and
store memories for the long term. Sleep also helps the
body fight off infection. People who don’t get enough
sleep may lack energy, be depressed or irritable and get
sick more often than people who get enough of it.
But the most common consequence of lost sleep has
become a public health issue – sleeping behind the
wheel. It has been estimated that the cost to society of
sleep disorders that includes lost productivity,
absenteeism at work, people getting into accidents and
the cost of medications amount to billions of dollars a
year.
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