If counting sheep is not working for you, here are some facts you may want to sleep on-chronic sleep deprivation can do more than make you tired. It can considerably impact your health, security, performance, and lifestyle.
Many people are shocked to find out that sleeping less than 6 or 7 hours a night can increase their death run the risk of more than smoking cigarettes, hypertension or heart problem.
Losing as little as one and a half hours of sleep for just one night might lead to a decrease of daytime awareness by as much as 32 percent.
This loss can impair memory and the capability to believe and process details successfully.
Decreased awareness can also impact your life by restricting your participation in activities that need continual attention, such as reading a book or viewing your favorite TELEVISION show. And the risk of getting an occupational injury more than doubles when a person is sleepy.
Cars and truck mishaps are another problem. The National Highway Traffic Security Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobiles crashed, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 casualties.
As numerous as 70 million Americans have sleep disturbances-which include taking a long period of time to get to sleep, sleeping less and waking up regularly.
Sleep disruptions might in fact be a sign of a much larger problem, especially if they are associated with irritation and mood swings. Psychological tension, racing ideas and restlessness can be signs of something more major, such as bipolar disorder.
” If somebody is experiencing uneasyness and irritation, together with unhappiness or emotional ups and downs for more than 2 weeks,” said Dr. Ellen Frank, teacher of psychiatry and psychology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Center, “they must look for medical attention from an expert who is trained to detect or maybe simply eliminate anxiety or bipolar affective disorder.
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The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) has launched a new Web site, which provides educational resources that supply screening for insomnia, details on when to see a doctor and a questionnaire to figure out when insomnia might be symptomatic of a more major disease. The Web site is also readily available in Spanish.