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Hazards of sleep loss not fully realized
By Ruthanne Johnson
rjohn180@mscd.edu

Recently the National Sleep Foundation celebrated National Sleep Awareness Week, which focused on educating the public about the detriments of sleep deprivation.

According to a poll conducted by the NSF in 2002, Americans sleep an average of 6.9 hours on weeknights and 7.5 on weekends, down significantly from an average of 10 hours per night in 1879 – when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.

“Only half of adults say they get a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep per night,” the NSF website states. Eight hours is the standard amount of sleep recommended by experts for good health, safety and optimum performance.

According to recent studies by the Institute of Medicine, sleep deprivation has been linked to impaired concentration and memory retrieval, frequent illness and depression, obesity and diabetes, heart problems and hypertension, and even – in the case of prolonged deprivation – death.

“Sleep deprivation can break down a person’s natural defenses,” said Metro psychology professor Karen Crawford. “It can be a powerful tool because when you destroy a person’s ability to go into REM, they are likely to experience psychoticism and hallucinations.”

It is during the REM, or rapid eye movement, phase of sleep that dreams occur and the brain processes information. While breathing and heart rate increase and become irregular, the muscles relax and the eyes move back and forth under the eyelids. During sleep the body alternates between REM and non-REM – a deeper sleep state – in 90-minute cycles. Experts say both cycles are important in mental and physical health maintenance.

“It takes a certain amount of sleep to consolidate what has been learned during the day,” said Crawford, who recommended her students get at least six to seven hours of sleep per night. “During sleep, the brain integrates information,” she said, adding that an adequate amount of sleep is important in successful test-taking.

Because of the demands of higher education, college students are at greater risk for sleep deprivation, especially on a commuter campus such as Auraria.

Undeclared sophomore and full-time student Lisa Bottinelli said she only sleeps an average of six hours per night.

“I work full-time, go to school and cheer for the Denver Nuggets, so it’s hard for me to find the time to sleep, especially when I add studying to my schedule,” she said.

Metro history major Charlie Smith echoed Bottinelli’s sentiment.

“For the last three years I was averaging four to six hours per night,” he said, adding that he changed his sleeping habits in order to study more. “But it had the opposite effect, and I noticed my problem-solving skills decreased dramatically … and then my grades dropped. I was edgy and irritable. So this semester I made a commitment to get an average of seven hours of sleep per night, which has been working much better.”

Lack of sleep also increases the risk of vehicle accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates drowsy drivers cause 100,000 accidents each year that result in 1,500 fatalities.

“It was a surprise to me that sleepy people are as much of a risk on the road as alcohol-impaired drivers,” Crawford said.

The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Sciences stated in a recent article that sleep is undervalued because many of its functions are not yet well understood. The article said the fact that prolonged sleep deprivation can cause death should indicate the critical role it plays in health maintenance.

“It is well known that people working swing shift are less healthy than others because they don’t sleep well,” Crawford said. “But I think it is our Western mentality, the go, go, go attitude of optimal production that is partially to blame.”