2008-08-06 10:06:46
Robin Lloyd
LiveScience Senior Editor
LiveScience.comSun Aug 3, 9:16 PM ET
You're tired. You could put your head down on a desk right now and fall asleep
immediately. You went to bed late last night, had trouble falling asleep and
woke up too early. And let's not kid ourselves: Tonight will be the same unless
... well, read on.
This is the classic not-so-shut-eye experience of many Americans who think they
are sleep-deprived and possibly need pills or other treatment to fix their
insomnia, teeth grinding, jet lag, restless or jerky legs, snoring,
sleepwalking and so forth.
Reality is quite different.
For instance, insomnia is said to be the most common sleep disorder, but these
dissatisfying sleep experiences only get in the way of daily activities for 10
percent of us, according to the National Institutes of Health. And in almost
half of those cases, the real underlying problem is illness (often mental) or
the effects of a substance, like coffee or medication.
Here are five recent findings that might help you rest easier:
1. We sleep better than we think we do
For most of us, sleep deprivation is a myth. We're not zombies. The non-profit
National Sleep Foundation (which takes money from the sleep-aid industry,
including drug companies that make sleeping pills) says the average U.S.
resident gets 7 hours a night and that's not enough, but a University of
Maryland study earlier this year shows we typically get 8 hours and are doing
fine. In fact, Americans get just as much sleep nowadays as they did 40 years
ago, the study found.
2. We need less sleep as we age
We'll die without sleep. The details are sketchy, but research suggests it's a
time when we restore vital biological processes and also sort and cement
memories. Last year, the World Health Organization determined that nightshift
work, which can lead to sleep troubles, is a probable human carcinogen. On the
upside, the latest research suggests we need less of it as we get older.
3. You can sleep like a baby (or Thomas Edison)
Multiple, shorter sleep sessions nightly, rather than one long one, are an
option. So-called polyphasic sleep is seen in babies, the elderly and other
animals (and Thomas Edison reportedly slept this way). For the rest of us, it
is more realistic and healthy to sleep at night as best we can and then take
naps as needed. EEGs show that we are biphasic sleepers with two alertness dips
- one at night time and one mid-day. So talk to HR about setting up a nap room,
like they have for NASA's Phoenix mission team members.
4. Animals exhibit a range of sleep habits
The three-toed sloth sleeps 9.6 hours nightly. But newborn dolphins and killer
whales can forgo sleeping for their entire first month. However, the latter
extreme is not recommended for humans. We grow irritable and lose our ability
to focus and make decisions after even one night of missed sleep, and that can
lead to serious accidents driving and using other machinery.
5. Get used to being tired, hit the desk
The bottom line is that a good night's sleep is within the reach of most of us
if we follow common-sense guidelines for sleep hygiene:
Go to bed at the same time nightly. Set aside enough time to hit that golden 7
hours of sleep. Refrain from caffeine, heavy or spicy foods, and alcohol and
other optional medications that might keep you awake, four to six hours before
bed-time. Have a pre-sleep routine so you wind down before you hop in. Block
out distracting lights and noises. Only engage in sleep and sex in bed (no
TV-watching, reading or eating). Exercise regularly but not right before bed.
But you already know all this and you don't do it. So your realistic plan might
be to surrender to the mid-day desk nap.