SLEEP

SLEEP AND CRAZY HOURS ON THE JOB QUIZ

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 1. If you cut back on the sleep you need by just one hour, your body will adjust.

• 1. If you cut back on the sleep you need by just one hour, your body will adjust.

• The correct answer is: False• Shortchanging yourself by one hour of sleep a night doesn't seem like a big deal. But this "sleep debt" can accumulate over time, leading to problem sleepiness. Even if you think you feel fine, sleep debt can significantly impair thinking and performance. It can also lower your mood. When sleep debt leads to memory and concentration problems, you're more likely to make mistakes on the job or at school.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 2. People who juggle work and family are most likely to fall asleep while driving.

TRUE or FALSE ?• 2. People who juggle work and family are most likely to

fall asleep while driving.• The correct answer is: False• Crashes in which the driver falls asleep are most common

among young male drivers. In one large study, more than 50% of fall-asleep crashes involved a driver 25 or younger. Drowsy driving is a significant problem. In a national 2009 poll, 28% of respondents reported that they drive while drowsy at least once a month.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 3. Poor sleep may cause you to lose weight.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 3. Poor sleep may cause you to lose weight.

• The correct answer is: False• Just the opposite: There's a link between poor sleep and

weight gain. Scientists have discovered that sleep loss can boost appetite by altering the behavior of hormones that regulate metabolism, such as leptin and ghrelin. As a result, sleep-deprived people may have more cravings for foods rich in calories and carbohydrates, leading to increased weight.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 4. Lack of sleep can hurt your relationships.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 4. Lack of sleep can hurt your relationships.

• The correct answer is: True• Chronic lack of sleep can cause fatigue, lethargy, and

irritability. It can even contribute to depression. Such mood changes can create problems in your relationships. In one national survey, 20% of respondents said that they had lost interest in sex because they were too sleepy. An additional 14% said they missed family and work functions, as well as leisure activities, because of sleepiness.

• 5. Too little sleep can lead to high blood pressure.

• 5. Too little sleep can lead to high blood pressure.

• The correct answer is: True• Usually, blood pressure decreases while people sleep, but

interrupted sleep can interfere with this normal reduction, paving the way for high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 6. Not enough sleep can cause diabetes to develop.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 6. Not enough sleep can cause diabetes to develop.

• The correct answer is: True• Poor sleep impairs the body's ability to use insulin, which

can eventually cause diabetes. One study found that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep are prone to abnormal blood sugar levels. Several hormones that regulate the body's use of energy are released during sleep. Too little sleep, or interrupted sleep, can disrupt this process

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 7. During sleep, your body shuts down to rest.

TRUE or FALSE ?

• 7. During sleep, your body shuts down to rest.

• The correct answer is: False• Sleep is actually an active process. Although your

metabolic rate slows and your body does get rest, some brain activity increases dramatically. In REM sleep, many parts of the brain are as active as they are during wakefulness. During sleep, the brain is "recharged."

• In addition, your endocrine system secretes larger amounts of certain hormones during sleep, such as growth hormone. In the "deep sleep" stages, your body experiences the most restorative effects of sleep.

DANGERS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION

• Three Mile Island• The key accident that caused

the 1979 meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear generator in Pennsylvania occurred at 4am, and was made by operators working the night shift. Experts believe fatigue may have been a contributing factor.

• Operators were too fatigued to notice right away when coolant water was lost. When they did notice, they were not alert enough to take care of the problem efficiently

• Chernobyl • The accident at the Chernobyl

nuclear power plant in the Ukraine is the worst nuclear disaster in history. The trouble started at 1:26 am on April, 26 1986. The cause of the disaster has been partially attributed to human error caused by confusion and, yes, fatigue.

• With critical automatic safety systems shut off, the reactor began to overheat at about 1:30am. The sleepy shiftworkers didn't think to turn the automatic safety systems back on, but instead turned off the cooling system, causing the reactor to get too hot. In result of the explosion that occurred, many people were severely affected by the radiation

Space Shuttle

• January 6, 1986 at the Kennedy Space Center. Before the Columbia space shuttle was to be launched, an over tired operator pressed the wrong button, the button that released needed fuel from the shuttle's tank. Fortunately, the error was detected in time to cancel the launch.

• But on February 2, 2003, Columbia was not as lucky

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

• Exxon Valdez oil spill, March 23, 1989• Prince William Sound, Alaska• Largest oil spill in American waters (at that time)• The Captain had left the bridge and gone below deck to sleep leaving the 3rd Mate in charge

• Major consequences included the cost of $41 million to help 800 birds and a few hundred sea otters. Many other animals could not be helped. An estimated 36,000 birds and 3000 otters died. The total estimated clean up cost was about $2 billion!

• What Caused Exxon Valdez Spill : Video : Travel Channel

Train Derailment• February 28, 2001• Gary Hart, in a sleep deprived state, while driving his

vehicle in Selby, North Yorkshire, England, drove off the road, veering onto the railway tracks causing the derailment of 1 train into the path of an on-coming train travelling at a high rate of speed

• This accident caused the deaths of 10 people, injuring 82; this is the worst train disaster in the 21st century in the United Kingdom

Auto Accidents

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "drowsy driving" causes over 100,000 car crashes each year, resulting in about 1,550 deaths. Tired drivers pose a danger to themselves, their passengers, and everyone they share the road with.

• But sleep loss is also a big public safety hazard every day on the road. Drowsiness can slow reaction time as much as driving drunk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue is a cause in 100,000 auto crashes and 1,550 crash-related deaths a year in the U.S. The problem is greatest among people under 25 years old.

BUT WHAT ABOUT IN CHILDREN?

How much sleep do children need?

• School-age children need between 9-10 hours sleep/night

Sleep Deprivation Symptoms• Sleepy children tend to ‘speed up’ rather than slow down.• Symptoms include: • Moodiness and irritability • Temper tantrums • The tendency to emotionally ‘explode’ at the slightest

provocation • Over-activity and hyperactive behaviour • Daytime naps • Grogginess when they wake up in the morning • Reluctance to get out of bed in the morning.

The Reality of Sleep Today

• For each of the past 3 decades, children have lost ½ hour of sleep

• Today’s children sleep an average of 90 minutes less each night than their counterparts did 30 years ago

How lack of sleep affects children

• Children’s sleep is different from adults; children spend much more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is the ‘dream’ stage of the sleep cycle

• Infants who typically sleep up to 16 hours/day, spend half of that time in REM sleep

• Whereas, a young adult spends 90 minutes in REM sleep; a senior spends 20 minutes in REM sleep

• REM sleep is crucial for brain activity; the brain is at least as active during the dream cycle as it is when a person is awake

• This activity is related to neural plasticity (the growth and change of brain cells) which occurs during REM sleep

• REM sleep also allows for children to process the information that they have encountered during the day

• Because the length of the REM cycle increases as the night wears on, a shortened night of sleep means less time spent in REM sleep

• Less time in REM sleep means less time for important brain processing, growth and change

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• If sleep deprivation happens frequently, the important brain development that needs to take place during childhood simply cannot happen

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• Reduced alertness • Shortened attention span • Slower than normal reaction time • Poorer judgement • Reduced awareness of the environment and situation • Reduced decision-making skills • Poorer memory • Reduced concentration • Increased likelihood of mentally ‘stalling’ or fixating on one thought • Increased likelihood of moodiness and bad temper • Reduced work efficiency • Loss of motivation • Errors of omission – making a mistake by forgetting to do

something • Errors of commission – making a mistake by doing something, but

choosing the wrong option

• Sleep Requirements for Children – YouTube

• Sleep & School Performance• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhLMLAtO_ko

USA Study

• When children 10-14 years of age were limited in their sleep to 5 hours/night, the next day both their abstract thinking and creativity (as measured by standardized tests) had decreased temporarily

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Israel Study

• For children 9-12 years old, reducing the child’s sleep by a single hour negatively affected his memory and reaction time on standardized tests

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• Connection also identified between inadequate sleep and hyperactivity

• Loss of sleep often shows up as hyperactivity because children are trying hard to stimulate themselves to stay awake

• Infants with sleep problems in early childhood are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD

Causes of Lack of Sleep

• One main cause of poor sleep is childhood obesity

• 1 out of every 3 children, or 30 % of American children are now regarded as clinically obese causing sleep apnea (condition that causes people to temporarily stop breathing), hyperventilation, sleep disturbances

• Electronic diversions (causes cognitive stimulation and engagement)

• Vigorous exercising before bedtime• Medications – some drugs used to treat disorders such as epilepsy or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can cause insomnia.

• USA Study: survey of children 5-7 yrs old showed a high correlation between children who snored or had other sleep disturbances and those who had mild ADHD

• Once sleep disturbances were eliminated, these children had noticeable increases in academic achievement

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• Parents typically don’t recognize lack of sleep as a serious health issue

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TEENS

• Canada Study (2003): 75 % of teens sleep fewer than 8.5 hrs/night

• Italy Study (2001): direct connection identified between risk of injury and children sleeping less than 10 hrs/night

• Today’s teens are thought to be the most sleep deprived among children because their sleep need is approximately 9 hours/night, but they rarely get that much