Sleep. It's like money. You don't really think about it until you don't have enough of it.
I have been thinking about it quite a bit this last week. A few months ago, Marti and I thought it would be a "good idea" for me to work a few ER shifts the first two weeks of the month. I received my schedule from the agency I was working with and felt like I could "handle" it, despite the need to be back in Newberry to help pack our belongings. Well, through a scheduling mistake, I ended having to work more than I planned. I ended up averaging only 5 hours of sleep last week. I am still paying the price. I am tired. And my sleep is not as sound as it usually is. And the resultant "fatigue" decreases my exercise and "increases" my eating unhealthily. I know, that is no "excuse".
I am reminded of the number of patients I have taken care of the past several years who have had multiple health problems related to sleep deprivation. Most people underestimate their need for sleep. I always got a kick out of patients who had complaints of fatigue or depression or anxiety or restlessness or decreased productivity who would answer, "Oh, I only need 6 hours of sleep" when asked about their sleep patterns. But in fact, most adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Take a look at these other FACTS about Sleep (courtesy of the The National Sleep Foundation website).
Before Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb, people slept an average of 10 hours a night; today Americans average 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights and 7.5 hours per night on weekends (NSF’s 2002 Sleep in America poll).Approximately 70 million people in the United States are affected by a sleep problem. About 40 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorders, and an additional 20-30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. However, an overwhelming majority of sleep disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated (National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, 1992).
Sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are estimated to cost Americans over $100 billion annually in lost productivity, medical expenses, sick leave, and property and environmental damage (National Sleep Foundation).
According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2001 Sleep in America poll, nearly seven out of 10 Americans said they experience frequent sleep problems, although most have not been diagnosed.
More than two-thirds of all children (69%) experience one or more sleep problems at least a few nights a week (2004 Sleep in America poll).
