Sleep Deprivation
Sleepdeprivation is a form of torture when it continues.
People who are light sleepers know exactly what this means.
When you consider that the majority of drivers in the USA are sleep deprived and that counts heavily in over 80% of the motor vehicle accidents here, you might realize that we have an epidemic on our hands.
Fatigue is also involved in far too many work-related accidents, as well as countless accidental injuries in the home.
There are numerous causes of sleep deprivation, some not as obvious as others.
The noise factor is the most obvious one, from sleeping next to a mate who snores so loudly and violently that the other person has a startle response several times throughout the night, to noisy neighbors that stay up all night.
Lack of sleep also comes from one's schedule not fitting into a normal sleep cycle, such as with students, who are forced into an adult schedule.
Studies have shown that the adolescent sleep cycle doesn't start until much later than the adult cycle, yet adolescents must be at school so early in the morning that they are getting less than seven hours sleep a night.
Since it has been well established that humans required at least eight hours of sleep, getting 6.
8 hours over a long time such as a semester leaves the student sleep deprived.
Throw in some cram sessions pre-exam and some wild parties and the sleep deprivation becomes unmanageable.
Chronic lack of sleep has been shown to result in numerous mental and physical side effects.
Type II Diabetes, heart disease and immune problems top the list of the physical problems.
The most common mental problem is bi-polar disease, followed up with psychosis if the sleep deprivation continues.
The mental effects come into play due to the neurotransmitter receptors in the brain being denied rest.
They become less sensitive to the chemical neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, nor-epinephrine and serotonin.
Since we now have huge numbers of the population on SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)-which have huge side effects and are responsible for many deaths-and we know, through studies, that a lot of the problems can be alleviated by proper rest...
why aren't doctors telling their patients this? Handing out a prescription for an SSRI medication without first helping the patient understand the importance of proper rest is not only ridiculous, it should be considered malpractice.
It's time the epidemic of sleep deprivation be stopped.
Each person needs to take a look at the environment around them and determine what might be causing their lack of sleep.
If your mate snores and you are a light sleeper, either sleep in another bedroom or get earplugs so you are not disturbed all night (but some of us have brains that tune up our hearing so we hear even through the earplugs).
If your sleep cycle is in disagreement with work, find another job.
Yes, really - no excuses-figure out what will work.
Turn off the TV earlier or altogether and the computer as well.
Take a power nap whenever possible and learn to meditate.
It is your responsibility to take care of yourself; do it.
People who are light sleepers know exactly what this means.
When you consider that the majority of drivers in the USA are sleep deprived and that counts heavily in over 80% of the motor vehicle accidents here, you might realize that we have an epidemic on our hands.
Fatigue is also involved in far too many work-related accidents, as well as countless accidental injuries in the home.
There are numerous causes of sleep deprivation, some not as obvious as others.
The noise factor is the most obvious one, from sleeping next to a mate who snores so loudly and violently that the other person has a startle response several times throughout the night, to noisy neighbors that stay up all night.
Lack of sleep also comes from one's schedule not fitting into a normal sleep cycle, such as with students, who are forced into an adult schedule.
Studies have shown that the adolescent sleep cycle doesn't start until much later than the adult cycle, yet adolescents must be at school so early in the morning that they are getting less than seven hours sleep a night.
Since it has been well established that humans required at least eight hours of sleep, getting 6.
8 hours over a long time such as a semester leaves the student sleep deprived.
Throw in some cram sessions pre-exam and some wild parties and the sleep deprivation becomes unmanageable.
Chronic lack of sleep has been shown to result in numerous mental and physical side effects.
Type II Diabetes, heart disease and immune problems top the list of the physical problems.
The most common mental problem is bi-polar disease, followed up with psychosis if the sleep deprivation continues.
The mental effects come into play due to the neurotransmitter receptors in the brain being denied rest.
They become less sensitive to the chemical neurotransmitters dopamine, epinephrine, nor-epinephrine and serotonin.
Since we now have huge numbers of the population on SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors)-which have huge side effects and are responsible for many deaths-and we know, through studies, that a lot of the problems can be alleviated by proper rest...
why aren't doctors telling their patients this? Handing out a prescription for an SSRI medication without first helping the patient understand the importance of proper rest is not only ridiculous, it should be considered malpractice.
It's time the epidemic of sleep deprivation be stopped.
Each person needs to take a look at the environment around them and determine what might be causing their lack of sleep.
If your mate snores and you are a light sleeper, either sleep in another bedroom or get earplugs so you are not disturbed all night (but some of us have brains that tune up our hearing so we hear even through the earplugs).
If your sleep cycle is in disagreement with work, find another job.
Yes, really - no excuses-figure out what will work.
Turn off the TV earlier or altogether and the computer as well.
Take a power nap whenever possible and learn to meditate.
It is your responsibility to take care of yourself; do it.
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