Sleep deprivation is a serious health problem
By BONNIE ERBE
Scripps Howard News Service

      I woke up at three o'clock this morning and tossed and turned until four. Apparently I am not alone. Sleep deprivation is a big problem for Americans. We're certainly not at the point where the sleep-deprived can say "move over" to victims of truly serious human ailments _cancer, heart disease and the like. However, if you keep your eyes open long enough to peruse data offered by the National Sleep Foundation (I didn't even know there was such an organization until I stumbled across its Web site) you may agree we're getting closer.

     According to the Foundation, at least 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, at substantial cost to society. There are the relatively minor issues, such as struggling to stay alert in school, on the job and so on. And then there are the more serious ones. The Foundation claims fatigue contributes to more than 100,000 highway crashes each year, 71,000 injuries and 15,000 deaths.

     Americans are not the only ones yawning. The British Medical Association reported not too long ago that sleep deprivation can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. And a survey by Australian researchers revealed that staying awake for 17 to 19 hours straight has essentially the same effect on people as does drinking enough to produce a level of .05 blood alcohol, the legal limit for drunk driving in most European countries.

     That study also noted that as many as 60 percent of all road accidents involve sleep-deprived driving.

     Now come the mega-problems caused by lack of sleep. According to the Web site Policy.com, many major environmental and technological disasters have been blamed in part on people who lacked sleep. "Investigations into the Challenger, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill all indicated that employees had been working long hours with little sleep, and that this condition may have played some role in each."

     What's a person to do with this information? The first step is the simple realization that sleep deprivation can be broken down into two categories: voluntary and involuntary. Students cramming for exams and workaholics (this writer included) in 80-hour-per-week jobs may believe they're helping themselves by trying to get by on less sleep. Actually, they're putting their own health at risk and the safety of others as well. Increased public awareness alone may help persuade some people to get the recommended eight hours of sleep per night they need.

     In fact, we're getting less sleep these days, not more. According to a National Sleep Foundation poll, one-third of Americans reported in 2001 they slept fewer hours than five years earlier, and seven in 10 said they experienced frequent sleep problems. That poll also revealed Americans said they would sleep more if they believed it would benefit their overall health, safety, and well-being. More than eight out of l0 said they would sleep more if they knew they could be healthier, perform in a safer way and avoid injuries or improve their memory Oh, what I wouldn't do to improve my memory!

     Now we get to the question of what should be done by those suffering from involuntary sleep deprivation. I know whereof I speak. For several months last year I could not sleep more than 3-4 hours per night. That, after a lifetime of sleeping 8-9 hours per night. More Americans need to realize sleep deprivation is a condition which can be treated successfully, once you figure out why you're having trouble sleeping in the first place. It could be from stress, from an undiagnosed illness, or from depression.

     Doctors have a small arsenal of weapons in the war on sleep deprivation, ranging from techniques collectively called "sleep hygiene" to a variety of medications. But the first step is consulting a doctor, and most importantly, a doctor trained to treat sleep deprivation as a specific syndrome.

     Just a bit more awareness of the importance of sleep could make us a healthier, safer society. What's more, a good night's sleep has become the latest status symbol, according to the May edition of British Vogue. So let's all march off to bed and start counting sheep!

( Bonnie Erbe, host of the PBS program "To the Contrary," writes this column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail bonnieerb
© 1999 Scripps Howard News Service.

All Rights Reserved.