The holidays are over…there are no more late night parties. As the New Year unfolds we need to approach our jobs and our lives with alert readiness. But we can’t if we’re exhausted. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night; anything less will impact your body’s nightly renewal and its subsequent daytime capacity to handle your activities. So if you plan to get up at or before 7AM and your preparations for bed include flossing, brushing and moisturizing (my estimate is 15 minutes) you might want to forgo the 11 o’clock evening news. Moreover, the depiction of local murder, mayhem, infidelities and recession that you would view at this hour could impact your ability to fall asleep.
Approximately 29% of adults report sleeping less than 7 hours a night and 50 to 70 million have chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders. (I have to admit that I am a nervous driver and even a more nervous backseat driver…as I remember those 70 million sleepy motorists.) Indeed, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that fatigue plays a role in over 100,000 car accidents a year. In addition to accident mortality and morbidity (a medical word meaning illness and in this case, injuries) sleep deprivation is associated with insulin resistance, weight gain, depression, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease and ultimately a shortened life span!
The CDC just reported on a new survey that was conducted to ascertain the number of individuals who were “sleepless in the USA”. The survey also examined whether gender, ethnicity, locality, work and socioeconomic status were factors. A state-based, random- digit telephone survey of individuals over 18 was conducted by state health departments in collaboration with the CDC. (I can just imagine my response if someone randomly dialed my phone number and asked me how I was sleeping, but never mind; 403,981 responsible individuals did respond to this survey.)
The survey takers asked “During the past 30 days, for about how many days have you felt you did not get enough rest or sleep?” They then broke the number of days down to zero days (or blissful sleep), 1-13 days, 14-29 days and all 30 days.
Overall 11.1% of the respondents reported that they had insufficient sleep for the entire preceding 30 days whereas 30.7% reported no days of insufficient rest or sleep. Those in between may have had fewer than 30 days of poor sleep or simply refused to acknowledge that they weren’t getting enough and were tired.( I call this sleep denial….or that oft heard expression….”I don’t need much sleep”.)
Women were more likely to self report insufficient rest or sleep for 30 days than men (12.4% versus 9.9%). Non-Hispanic blacks (13.3%) were more likely to be sleep and rest deprived for that period than other ethnic groups. As individuals got older they seemed to get more rest and sleep…the cutoff age was 45. Finally retired persons (43.8%) slept better than individuals who were employed. Those with less than a high school diploma were also more likely to report 30 days of sleep and rest (33.8%) than those with a higher education (28.0%). Persons who were unemployed (13.9%) and those unable to work (25.8%) were more likely to report 30 days of insufficient rest or sleep than those who were employed (9.9%), retired (9.5%) or a student or homemaker (11.1%) The highest prevalence of insufficient rest or sleep was concentrated in the southeast United States. Interesting, this is also the area in which obesity, depression, hypertension, heart disease and stroke is concentrated!
What does all this mean? My first conclusion is that we are less sleepless in California (at least compared to the southeast). The survey indicates that lifestyle, occupation, family and economic stress (which apply to women and the under-employed) are factors that decrease sleep and sense of rest. The CDC editor also felt that preoccupation with technology (i.e. computers and the internet) was a factor. So, I hope you are not reading this on line after 11pm!
If you fit into this “not enough sleep or rest” scenario, please make sure you tell your physician (me, if you are my patient). All healthcare professionals will start by advising you to keep a regular sleep schedule (in other words go to bed 8 or 9 hours before you have to get up), avoid stimulating activities within 2 hours of bedtime (this usually means exercise, not sex), avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol in the evening; sleep in a dark, quiet, well ventilated space (my husband calls it a tomb, but hey I have science to back this up) and finally avoid going to bed hungry. (But don’t eat just before you plan to sleep.) If all this doesn’t help then we can talk about referrals for sleep labs, apnea tests and appropriate sleep specialists. And if necessary, consider pharmacologic interventions.
Sleep tight! (Actually, I never understood what that phrase meant so instead I’ll advise you to get your 8 hours.)