It seems that this issue should be something that public health officials should be concerned about. Something definitely needs to be done about this alarming pattern in our country. A large-scale prevention and information program could be launched by the CDC, or a similar organization. Public health officials need to help people realize how dangerous this problem is, and convince them that something needs to be done soon.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Dangers of Lack of Sleep
The Chart, a health blog on CNN.com, published this article on a CDC report on the lack of sleep that adults in United States are getting. The report found that 1 in 3 adults in the US get less than 7 hours of sleep. The article recognizes that the amount of sleep needed for proper daily function differs from person to person, estimating that most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night. The effects of a lack of sleep are dangerous. The most common impacts are a decrease in concentration, attention, and memory during the day. The CDC reported that 38% of people surveyed has fallen asleep unintentionally during the day, and 5% had fallen asleep while driving. Falling asleep while driving leads to a extremely high risk of traffic accidents and fatalities, an already large problem in the field of public health. In addition to these issues, the number of people not getting proper sleep has increased dramatically over the last 25 years, from 23% to 38%.
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What I don't understand about this is that sleep deficiency problems have been around for years and years without change. Every year I seem to see a new report on how teenagers and young adults don't get nearly enough sleep and the dangers it leads to. But what changes? Nothing.
ReplyDeleteSchools still operate based on the agrarian society schedules first installed with the founding of our education system. The US no longer runs off of crop harvest and planting schedules. Many private schools have looked into reassessing the school day: lengthening it, shortening it, extending the school year into summer, and other untraditional hours. But despite the wide recognition of the sleep defect problem there seems to have been little reaction.
The economic market has definitely tapped into this need: soda, coffee, energy drinks, energy shots, caffeine pills, black market sale of attention/hyperactive deficit disorder medications, etc. I think it's about time policy caught up.
Great article, Pietro!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kelsi. How much data do we need before we decide sleep deprivation is a major health concern? I would add that Behavioral Scientists need to play a role in improving sleeping conditions throughout the nation. The data relating to negative effects of sleep deprivation (HPA axis overdrive, immune system weakening, heart pathology, overeating. . . etc) are not enough to enact change.
If I am learning anything from my behavior change project it is that there is a huge mountain to climb between knowing what I should do and doing what I should do. If behavioral scientists work with policymakers to see how we might nudge people to sleep their way to overall well-being, then I think things may change.
This is a very interesting problem. I wonder what obscure factors in our daily lives are causing such a sleep deficit in the United States. The education structure has been listed as a possible factor, which I'm sure we can all see as reasonable as we hit the midpoint of midterms week. Are people not able to fall asleep or stay asleep? Or is there simply not enough time in the day for people to feel that they can afford to get 7-9 hours of sleep per night as suggested? As a society, we are pretty impressively overstimulated whether it is by electronics, the previously mentioned chemical stimulants, the societal push to climb the career ladder or even things like Taco Bell's "fourth meal" advertising campaign. Are any of these factors playing a role in the United States' lack of sleep?
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