Little Sleep Impairs Mind as Much as No Sleep

[Guest guest]

In the United States, approximately 30% of all adult men, 40% of

adult women and 50% of all people over the age of 65 suffer from

more than occasional insomnia. For suggestions on how to deal with

this troubling condition, please check out my article on Insomnia

under my CrossWind's articles file.

Be Well,

Misty

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Little Sleep Impairs Mind as Much as No Sleep

By Dana Frisch

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many nights of little sleep--fewer than

six hours a night--can impair mental performance as much as not

getting a wink for two nights in a row, new research shows.

 

 

The data contradict a popular notion that our bodies can become

accustomed to functioning on sustained periods of little sleep

without any consequences, said lead author Dr. Hans P.A. Van Dongen,

a research assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania

School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

 

 

The 48 participants in the study were divided into four groups that

slept either four, six or eight hours a night for two weeks, or had

no sleep for three days. The groups were monitored in a laboratory

throughout the two weeks to ensure that they did not nod off or use

caffeine. They were assessed on a battery of mental and

physiological tests periodically every day and were also asked to

evaluate how tired they felt.

 

 

People sleeping less than eight hours a night were slower to react,

less able to think clearly and perform simple memory tasks, the

researchers report in the March issue of the journal Sleep. They

also performed as poorly on certain tasks as the individuals

evaluated after one or two nights of sleeplessness.

 

 

However, getting some sleep made individuals feel less tired than

those who went without sleep despite test results that showed they

were just as impaired.

 

 

As a consequence, Van Dongen told Reuters Health, there should be

countermeasures in place for people who cannot avoid being

chronically sleep-deprived, such as military personnel, trainee

doctors, shift workers and others.

 

 

Van Dongen recommends that these professions limit the number of

hours people are allowed to work, give people the opportunity to nap

at " strategic times " or allow them to use caffeine or other chemical

stimulants to maintain alertness.

 

 

This study is important and " relevant " because it shows what happens

when the body alone must deal with its tiredness in the absence of

chemical stimulants like caffeine or other distractions, said Dr.

Meir Kryger, a professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba

in Winnipeg, Canada, and a sleep researcher.

 

 

Data from the National Sleep Foundation show that Americans sleep an

average seven hours a night during the week, although 31 percent of

all adults regularly get less sleep.

 

 

The study also found that that there were large individual

differences in how much people needed to sleep.

 

 

Kryger said in an interview that everybody needs a different amount

of sleep. Getting sufficient amounts of shut-eye is a " life-style

decision, " he said. " It is one of the important functions of life

and you need to control it. "

 

 

SOURCE: Sleep 2003;26:117-126.