Sleepy?

How many of us actually get a good night's rest every night? I bet less than half of us do, especially being college students. The National Sleep Foundation conducted a recent survey that the average American adult gets 6.9 hours of sleep every night. Many experts say that adults should sleep at least seven to nine hours per night. Sleep deprivation hurts us more than we know. It decreases the quality of life, lowers productivity on the job, increases the risk of auto accidents, and can be the cause of a less vibrant sex life. Also, three out of four adults polled said they have a problem, including difficulty falling asleep, waking a lot during the night, waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep, waking up feeling unrefreshed, snoring, unpleasant feelings in the legs or pauses in breathing. The senior scientist at the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Center in Detroit and co-chairman of the 2005 poll task force, Chris Drake, said, "In an increasing 24-hour society, people are staying up much later...They can go to a 24-hour pharmacy or supermarket. They can do anything at any time of the night and day." And he's right. Nowadays, it's no big deal to pull an all-nighter. Being a college student (and even a few times in high school) I've pulled my fair share of over-nighters. I get about 6 hours of sleep per night, which is definitely not enough for me to function properly. I need at least 11 or 12 to be fully alert. Over the past few years, my short-term memory has decreased quite a bit due to sleep deprivation. I love sleeping more than almost anything else; but plenty homework, my job, poor time-management skills, and the appeal of the night life make it impossible for me to sleep as much a I want. I'm sure most people get caught in this same slump, as the following statistics prove:

"Six in 10 adult motorists said they have driven while drowsy in the past year; 4 percent reported that they have had an accident or near-accident because they were too tired or actually fell asleep while driving."

"Three-fourths said their partner has a sleep problem, and the most common is snoring."

"Roughly one-fourth of respondents who have partners report that their sexual relationship has been hurt because they have been too sleepy. They had sex less often or lost interest in having sex because they were too tired."

The National Sleep Foundation and many sleep experts recommend avoiding alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime. They also recommend that adults pay attention to how much sleep they get and the quality of that sleep, and seek help if needed. So get some rest!

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