2008 Woodie Awards
Sleepless nights contribute to more than just tired mornings
Alexander Tingey
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Health
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According to a recent survey, Americans sleep two hours less on average than they did 40 years ago. In addition, the quality of sleep received today is less fulfilling according to researchers. With sleep deprivation comes more than just an extra slap on the 'snooze,' according to a Chicago University study individuals who are in a continual state of sleep deprivation were more susceptible to a myriad of ailments.
In the past two years alone we have seen the rise of brand name sleep aids, such as Lunesta and Ambien. The national average is around seven hours a night, with many people getting less than half that amount. Lawrence Epstein, M.D., the regional medical director for Sleep Health Centers in Boston, Massachusetts, and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that individuals need between eight and nine hours of sleep per day to be fully functional, as reported by CNN.
A simple way to determine whether or not you are receiving an ample amount of sleep can be judged by how quickly you fall asleep when you do go to bed. On average, people fall asleep in 15 minutes, though some will take less time and some will take more. Epstein notes that if you are falling asleep within one or two minutes of going to bed that you are indeed sleep deprived. Another way to monitor your sleep is to keep track of daytime drowsiness. Chronic daytime sleepiness is not normal, says Michael Twery, Ph.D., acting director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.
Aside from a bad case of bed head and some expected crankiness, researchers have found that sleep deprivation can lead to abrupt changes in appetite, weight gain, diabetes risk, the strength of your immune system, and even your chance of developing depression.
A 2004 Chicago University research team discovered that restricting a night's sleep to four hours had dramatic effects upon leptin and ghrelin, two brain chemicals which regulate eating patterns and hunger. Researchers concluded that receiving less than seven hours of sleep per night puts individuals at a much greater risk for obesity (which is good news for all you late Sunday sleepers).
In the past two years alone we have seen the rise of brand name sleep aids, such as Lunesta and Ambien. The national average is around seven hours a night, with many people getting less than half that amount. Lawrence Epstein, M.D., the regional medical director for Sleep Health Centers in Boston, Massachusetts, and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that individuals need between eight and nine hours of sleep per day to be fully functional, as reported by CNN.
A simple way to determine whether or not you are receiving an ample amount of sleep can be judged by how quickly you fall asleep when you do go to bed. On average, people fall asleep in 15 minutes, though some will take less time and some will take more. Epstein notes that if you are falling asleep within one or two minutes of going to bed that you are indeed sleep deprived. Another way to monitor your sleep is to keep track of daytime drowsiness. Chronic daytime sleepiness is not normal, says Michael Twery, Ph.D., acting director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.
Aside from a bad case of bed head and some expected crankiness, researchers have found that sleep deprivation can lead to abrupt changes in appetite, weight gain, diabetes risk, the strength of your immune system, and even your chance of developing depression.
A 2004 Chicago University research team discovered that restricting a night's sleep to four hours had dramatic effects upon leptin and ghrelin, two brain chemicals which regulate eating patterns and hunger. Researchers concluded that receiving less than seven hours of sleep per night puts individuals at a much greater risk for obesity (which is good news for all you late Sunday sleepers).
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