June 24, 2004
Lack of Sleep
Interesting article that explains some things i've experienced lately:
Sleep deprivation
Sleep is as important to the human body as food and water, but most of us don't get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep or disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle (such as those that occur with shift work or travelling to a different time zone) cause the physiological state known as fatigue. A fatigued person is accident prone, judgement impaired and more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions. Staying awake for 24 hours leads to a reduced hand-to-eye coordination that is similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1. This is why sleep deprivation contributes to road accidents and work injuries. Lack of sleep can also affect a child's school performance, and could be linked to increased risk of emotional problems such as depression.
Symptoms of sleep deprivation in adults
Symptoms of sleep deprivation in adults include:
Constant yawning
The tendency to doze off when not active for a while; for example, when watching television
Grogginess when waking in the morning
Sleepy grogginess experienced all day long (sleep inertia)
Poor concentration and mood changes (more irritable).
Lack of sleep impairs performance
Let's say that a person who needs eight hours of sleep per night only gets six. This two-hour sleep loss can have a major impact including:
Reduced alertness
Shortened attention span
Slower than normal reaction time
Poorer judgement
Reduced awareness of the environment and situation
Reduced decision-making skills
Poorer memory
Reduced concentration
Increased likelihood of mentally 'stalling' or fixating on one thought
Increased likelihood of moodiness and bad temper
Reduced work efficiency
Loss of motivation
Errors of omission (making a mistake by forgetting to do something)
Errors of commission (making a mistake by doing something, but choosing the wrong option)
Microsleep (brief periods of involuntary sleeping that range from a few seconds to a few minutes in duration).
Some more links about sleep deprivation:
Sleep Deprivation 1
Sleep Deprivation 2
Sleep Deprivation 3
