|
Eight hours of sleep each night is what sleep experts recommend. But a poll by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) found that most of us average only about seven hours of sleep. And many get less than that.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says drowsy drivers cause 100,000 accidents each year. These cause 71,000 injuries, 1,500 deaths and $12.5 billion in losses.
The poll found that one third of Americans get the gold standard for sleep (eight hours), but another third sleep only 6.5 hours or less during the workweek. Shift workers fared worse. Nearly half of them average less than 6.5 hours of sleep per day during the week, the survey says.
Sleep deprivation is a serious health issue for young and old adults and can lead to accidents on the road and in the workplace, sleep experts say. Shift workers, who routinely get little sleep because of their varying hours, may live 10 years less than regular workers.
Decreased productivity, work errors and absenteeism by sleep-deprived workers cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars each year, the NSF says.
Good "sleep hygiene"
According to the NSF poll, nearly two thirds of Americans have trouble sleeping a few nights each week. If you're one of those people, here are some tips from sleep experts that may help you get a good night's sleep:
- Avoid late-afternoon or evening naps. They can make it hard for you to fall asleep at night. However, sleep experts say an early afternoon nap of no more than 30 minutes can improve your mood and alertness.
- Minimize noise, light and room temperatures extremes. Activities such as watching TV, reading, eating or working in the bedroom will stimulate wakefulness and should be done elsewhere. If you cannot fall asleep in 15 or 20 minutes, get out of bed and do a relaxing activity, such as reading in another room, until you feel sleepy.
- Go to bed at about the same time each night. The NSF poll found that 43 percent of Americans stay up later than they should because they're watching late-night TV or surfing the Internet.
- Limit your intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that can disrupt sleep. Avoid caffeine after lunch and reduce your total daily intake. Alcohol may help some people feel relaxed, but it can actually disrupt sleep later in the night.
- Before bedtime, try eating a light snack instead of a heavy meal that may make lying down feel uncomfortable.
- Exercising in the late afternoon can help deepen sleep. But a vigorous workout three or four hours before bed may interfere with sleep.
- If you're a shift worker, try to have a predictable schedule of night shifts. During your night shift, keep the lights bright to trigger wakefulness. For daytime sleeping, eliminate as much noise and light as possible. Talk to your doctor if you cannot get enough sleep during the day.
More snooze news
The NSF survey also found that:
- Almost half of those surveyed said sleepiness interferes with their daytime activities a few days a month.
- Nearly one of every five people (19 percent) makes occasional or frequent mistakes at work because of sleepiness. Also, 27 percent are sleepy at work two or more days a week.
- Nearly one fourth of adults ages 18 to 29 are occasionally or frequently late for work because of sleepiness. This compares with 11 percent of 30- to 64-year-olds and 5 percent of workers older than 65.
- Nearly one fourth of adults ages 18 to 29 have fallen asleep while driving in the past year. Research shows that accidents caused by sleeping drivers are most common among young motorists, the NSF says.
|
Related Articles
|
|
External Sources
 |
National Center for Sleep Disorders Research of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
|
|
National Sleep Foundation
|
|
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
|
|
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
Return to the previous page
|
