Sleep-deprived workers, it’s time to wake up
If someone invented a pill that could give us more energy, help us lose weight, improve memory, reduce the risk of diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer, improve our decisions, make us more productive employees, improve our performance between the sheets, had no side effects and costs us absolutely nothing, would we knock down walls to get it? Although there is no magic pill, there is something we can do to accomplish all of this and more, and it actually does have no side effects, costs nothing and, when you think about it, takes no effort. It’s as simple as getting an hour or two of additional shuteye each night.
We live in a world that robs us of sleep. We believe we need more time to run the rat race, socialize, cram for exams or otherwise fit in a flood of important activities. We have convinced ourselves that the best way to get enough time for everything is to cut back on sleep. The result is an epidemic of sleep deprivation. According to a June 4 article in the Los Angeles Times, “A new survey (by Harris Interactive) reveals that 83 percent of Americans do not get a good night’s sleep.”
How much is a good night’s sleep?
There are some who brag they can function on much less than the recommended amount. A key example is outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who has been known to brag about needing only five hours of sleep a night. Unfortunately, this is more bravado than fact. The actual amount of sleep we need varies by individual, and it’s exclusively by age. The following chart, taken from Healthguide.org, shows the recommended amount of nightly sleep a person requires to stay healthy.
Why do we need to spend so much time in the sack? In a 2013 msnbc.com story, Dr. Neil B. Kavey, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York , offers some clues: “What we do know is that sleep is an anabolic, or building, process. . . . Sleep is also the time when the body does most of its repair work; muscle tissue is rebuilt and restored. We know, for example, that growth hormone is secreted during sleep. This hormone is important for growth in children, but is also important throughout adulthood in rebuilding tissues.”
According to Helpguide.org, “Sleep isn’t exactly a time when your body and brain shut off. While you rest, your brain stays busy, overseeing a wide variety of biological maintenance that keeps your body running in top condition, preparing you for the day ahead. Without enough hours of restorative sleep, you won’t be able to work, learn, create, and communicate at a level even close to your true potential.”
What happens when we don’t get enough sleep?
Kavey goes on to say, “Lack of sleep clearly affects our thinking, or cognitive, processes. A sleep-deprived brain is truly running on four rather than eight cylinders. If we’re trying to be creative, the motor doesn’t work as well. We can perform calculations, but not as quickly. We’re much more likely to make errors.”
Our coordination suffers. We lose our ability to do things with agility. Sleep improves muscle tone and skin appearance. With adequate sleep athletes run better, swim better and lift more weight. We may also see differences in immune responses depending on how much someone sleeps.
Mentally, insufficient sleep can damage judgment, work performance, mood, and safety. According to Camille Peri, writing for WebMD in an article titled “What Lack of Sleep Does to Your Mind,” “Most people who don’t get enough sleep don’t recognize the toll that it takes on their cognitive and mental health. Many people think of sleep simply as a luxury — a little downtime. They know they feel better when they get a good night’s sleep and worse when they don’t. But sleep actually improves learning, memory and insight.”
Who hasn’t shown up to work a little drowsy? All it takes is a cup of coffee and maybe a doughnut and I’ll be as sharp as ever, right? Wrong, according to the editors of Publications International, Ltd., and Victoria Plummer in “5 Effects of Sleep Deprivation,” which published Aug. 30, 2010: “When the body is forced to stay awake, it becomes very difficult for it to process blood sugar and leptin, a protein hormone that regulates appetite and metabolism. Over time, poor sleeping habits could lead to Type 2 diabetes and weight gain, due to your body’s decreased ability to process sugar and suppress food cravings.”
In addition, that “fake awake” you get from downing a cup of Joe or hitting the Monster drink doesn’t last. When the effect of the jolt wears out, the landing could be worse than the takeoff.
Although taking in a little caffeine may not hurt, relying on it too much can lead to dependence and inability to function at a high level when it’s not available. Know anybody that just can’t get started in the morning until after that first cup? That migraine or mild headache a few hours into the day may be the body’s way of shouting, “Give me more caffeine!”
Feeling a little foggy this morning? It likely is lack of sleep the night before. Peri gives three reasons:
“1. Sleepiness slows down your thought processes. Scientists measuring sleepiness have found that sleep deprivation leads to lower alertness and concentration. It’s more difficult to focus and pay attention, so you’re more easily confused.
“2. Excessive sleepiness impairs memory. Research suggests that the nerve connections that make our memories are strengthened during sleep. “Sleep embeds the things that we have learned and experienced over the course of the day into our short-term memory,” says Avelino Verceles, M.D., director of the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s sleep medicine fellowship.
“3. Poor sleep makes learning difficult. Sleep deprivation affects your ability to learn in two ways. Because you can’t focus as well, it’s more difficult to pick up information, so you can’t learn efficiently. In children, sleepiness can lead to hyperactivity, also hampering learning. Teens may lose the focus, diligence, and memory capacity to perform well in school.”
Are caffeine pills the answer?
Many college students and some high school students use over-the-counter caffeine pills. Rather than sharpen their performance with sufficient sleep, they rely on the pills to keep them awake. As a result of continued use and ease of acquisition, most users soon begin taking too many tablets at once and disregarding package instructions.
In a Nov. 7, 2011, article “Caffeine tablets: Working Wonders or Endangering Students’ Health?” Ina Fischer said, “Students who repeatedly use caffeine tablets may start to depend on the increase in energy and mental alertness that they allegedly provide. Once the habit is interrupted, withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, agitation or nervousness can occur. Despite knowing about the risks involved, many students continue to rely on caffeine tablets as a means to stay awake and finish their assignments. Whatever your position on the issue, be aware that caffeine tablets should never be taken to substitute sleep.”
Sleep deprivation causes accidents
Studies show that sleep-deprived workers cause accidents at work as well as on the road. WebMD’s Peri agrees: “Sleepiness makes your reaction time slower, a special problem when driving or doing work or other tasks that require a quick response. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that at least 100,000 crashes reported to police each year are because of driver fatigue. Other estimates put that number at 1 million — 20 percent of all crashes. ... You don’t need to fall asleep at the wheel to be a danger — drowsiness alone can be as dangerous as driving drunk. Driving while sleepy is like driving with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent — over the legal limit in many states.”
Nix the nightcap
Thinking about a little nightcap to help you slip into dreamland? Imbibing before bedtime is one way some people slide into sleep. According to an article published in the November/December 2007 issue of WebMD the Magazine, “Up to 15 percent of people use alcohol to seduce the sandman, large-scale surveys show, even though research suggests that it loses any benefit as a sleep aid within just a few days. ... After a few nights of regular imbibing, your body builds up a tolerance to alcohol’s effects. A larger dose than usual will put you out like a light, of course. However ... this type of slumber steals from the sleep you would normally get early on in your nightly cycle (called dream sleep). Hours later, when your body has mostly metabolized the alcohol, your sleep becomes fragmented, and you’re prone to frequent wakings (often to hit the bathroom). You may also struggle with snoring, night sweats, nightmares, headaches, and insomnia.”
Following a few sensible rules can ensure that your lack of a good night’s sleep isn’t alcohol related. Consume no more than two or three drinks a day and none within three hours before bedtime. Drink plenty of water so that you don’t wake up dehydrated in the morning.
Employer provided nap rooms
In an effort to stem the ill effects of sleep deprivation exhibited by workers, a few employers have gone so far as to provide a nap room. In a March 11, 2013, article in USAToday: “Some employees find a 20-minute nap during the day will boost their productivity. Without the benefit of a brief afternoon nap, they have turned to habits both healthy and unhealthy to fight their fatigue, only to be faced with the same early morning wake-up call the next day.” Experts agree that a nap room is a poor substitute for a good night’s sleep.
There’s a story about two loggers, we’ll call them Smith and Jones, who competed for a job with a logging company. The foreman said that whoever could cut up more logs with his chain saw in eight hours would get the job. At 8 a.m. they both began cutting logs. A storm of sawdust accompanied the roar of chain saws as they tackled the task.
Jones, a large, burly guy, cut furiously and leaped into the lead. He cut continuously all day. Smith, of just average build, would cut logs for 40 minutes, then, disappear into his tent for 20 minutes. He continued this practice throughout the day. By noon, Jones obviously had the largest stack of logs and seemed to be well ahead in the competition. However, by quitting time, when the foreman came back to see who had cut the most logs, Smith’s stack was considerably larger than Jones’.
Jones couldn’t believe it. He asked Smith, “You only cut for 40 minutes out of each hour and spent the other 20 minutes in your tent. I cut continuously, yet you beat me. How did you do it?”
Smith replied simply, “Well, each time I went into my tent, I sharpened my saw.” By sharpening our mental saws with just a little bit more downtime each day, we’d be able to cut more wood.
Sleep disorders
If your lack of sleep is caused by a disorder over which you have little or no control, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, excessive snoring or restless leg syndrome, you may need the care of a professional specifically trained to treat these disorders. There are clinics in Las Vegas that provide treatment of sleep disorders. Some are freestanding and others are associated with hospitals. Discuss any possible disorders you feel you may have with your health care professional who can then recommend a proper solution.
The best way to tell if your sleep cycle is adequate is simply to assess how you feel during the day. If you wake up energetic and stay alert until it’s time to go to bed, you’re doing well. If you experience any of the negative symptoms described in this article, you’re likely not getting enough shut-eye.
