Are you Tired?
Lack of Sleep is Hazardous to your Health
By Michael Esposito, MD
www.mikeespositomd.com
Nearly forty percent of Americans don't get enough sleep every night and they're paying the price. Recent studies show adults need eight hours of sleep a night and children about nine to eleven depending on their age. A large percentage of adults are sleeping less than six hours a night. The lack of sleep leads to decreased job performance, poor interpersonal relationships and above all, poor overall health.
The health risks associated with lack of sleep are both immediate and chronic. The most important acute problem faced by the sleep deprived is motor vehicle collision. The government estimates one hundred thousand accidents and one thousand, five hundred deaths are caused annually by people falling asleep behind the wheel. The most common offenders are young people in their late teens and early twenties.
The chronic health problems faced by the sleepy affect both the mind and body. Chronically depriving the brain of sleep can be compared to chronic vitamin deficiency or chronic malnutrition for the body. The brain will have decreased functioning or will fail to grow to its potential. The body suffers and chronic sleep depravation has been associated with sleep apnea, diabetes, heart disease, depression and many other chronic conditions. Studies suggest the relationship is bidirectional with these ailments. For example, lack of sleep leads to sleep apnea and depression as well as the reverse. The mechanisms are not completely understood currently.
The role of sleep is not completely understood but much is known. While sleeping, the brain processes information and stores memories, muscles and organs regenerate and the body's regulatory hormones are released. Sleep is necessary for normal homeostasis. Animals deprived of sleep will die and people who have less than six hours of sleep have death rates two times higher than the regular population.
There are many reasons why Americans are sleep deprived. Many of these reasons are under our control and can be adjusted for with lifestyle changes. These changes include not doing choirs right before bed, not working up until bed time and not watching television in bed. The specific sleep disorders such as insomnia and their treatments are too detailed for this article. Anyone interested can find information online including the National Sleep Foundation which is a non-profit organization created to treat sleep disorders. Your doctor can help or can refer you to a local sleep study center for treatment.
My suggestion is to take a different approach to your life. Set aside eight and a half hours for sleep every night. The extra half hour is needed for a well rested person about fifteen minutes to fall asleep. If you are falling right to sleep then you are probably sleep deprived. After setting aside this time for sleeping, you have about fifteen and a half hours to do everything else. Trim those other things so you can preserve your sleep. You will feel better and be healthier. You wouldn't starve your body of food then why deprive your brain of sleep?
Mike Esposito graduated with BS from University of Florida. Mike continued his Graduate Education in Nuclear engineering. He then entered Medical school at the University of South Florida. He then completed a four year radiology residency at USF and a subsequent fellowship in Neuroradiology at Duke University. Mike now is in private practice radiology in the Tampa area. He is married to wife, Kay with whom he has four children. For more information please visit
www.mikeespositomd.com
. Listen to Mike's radio show RadioMD at
www.webtalkradio.com
. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.
