Are you getting enough sleep?

Sleep Deprivation Effects

  • Memory problems
  • Depression
  • Decreased immune system
  • Increased perception of pain
  • High blood pressure
  • Adverse effect on cognition and performance
  • 24 hours without sleep impairs you to the extent of or greater than if you are legally drunk (0.08% alcohol)

Facts

  • Adults need an average 8.2 hours per 24 hours (infants 16, teenagers 9)
  • Impairment occurs with as little as 2 hours of sleep lost
  • Sleep debt occurs if get only 5 hours and as this accumulates your awareness of sleepiness declines
  • Circadian timing of when you sleep is crucial
  • sleep deprived individuals may not “feel” sleepy

Clinical Signs of Sleep Deprivation

  • Irritability, moodiness, disinhibition
  • Frontal lobe signs: apathy, impoverished speech,flat affect, impaired memory, inflexable thinking
  • Intrusive sleepiness: microsleeps of 5-10 seconds, nodding off, hallucinations

56,000 motor vehicle accidents and 1,500 deaths per year are due to sleep deprived drivers.

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