Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Final Thoughts
This is the end of the blog "catching Z's-Easier Said Then Done". Lets recap. Sleep loss can create lots of problems. For example it can cause memory loss, impaired judgement and thinking, and can shorten a person's life span. Also sleep medication can be useful but also harmful. It can be addicting and if not can cause a dependency problem in the people who are taking it. Another thing car accidents on roads can be a result of losing sleep.
Driving While Being Drowsy
Losing sleep and driving do not mix. Driving while you're sleepy is an accident waiting to happen. This is visible especially in teen drivers and in those who have to drive to work.
According to healthcentral.com,an astonishing number of Americans are not getting enough sleep. Some push their bodies to the limits and beyond because they?re holding down two or three jobs. Others stay up late to do email, surf the Web or watch TV. New research suggests that lack of sleep can be just as dangerous as too much alcohol. A recent study of interns and residents underscores the impact of sleep on performance. Because of this people drive thinking that their up to the task of driving. As result car accendents occur on roads. The people who are likely to have these sorts of accedents are teen drivers, because teens are most likely to stay up during the night doing homework, watching TV, working late, or talking on the phone. Some tips that can prevent this are going to sleep earlier, tie up any lose ends at the end of the day, or be prepared to do everything you need to do before its due.
According to healthcentral.com,an astonishing number of Americans are not getting enough sleep. Some push their bodies to the limits and beyond because they?re holding down two or three jobs. Others stay up late to do email, surf the Web or watch TV. New research suggests that lack of sleep can be just as dangerous as too much alcohol. A recent study of interns and residents underscores the impact of sleep on performance. Because of this people drive thinking that their up to the task of driving. As result car accendents occur on roads. The people who are likely to have these sorts of accedents are teen drivers, because teens are most likely to stay up during the night doing homework, watching TV, working late, or talking on the phone. Some tips that can prevent this are going to sleep earlier, tie up any lose ends at the end of the day, or be prepared to do everything you need to do before its due.
Behavior Problems in Children
Children with persistent sleep problems are more likely to have also a behavioral problem. Furthermore, children with poor sleep habits do not do as well academically in school.Sleep behaviors are among the most common concerns that parents of young children bring to their physicians. A child who goes to bed unwillingly or wakes frequently during the night can be highly disruptive to a family. Sleep disorders in children, if confirmed by reproducible findings in a sleep laboratory, are not appreciably different from those occurring in adults.
Finding disordered sleep behavior is difficult because of differences in sleep patterns that occur at different stages. Thus, it is not considered abnormal when a two-month-old babies wakes frequently in the night, but it is considered abnormal in a two-year-old child. To make the definition of sleep problems even more difficult, families vary greatly in their tolerance of their children's sleeping habits; what one family finds problematic, another family takes as a matter of course.
Finding disordered sleep behavior is difficult because of differences in sleep patterns that occur at different stages. Thus, it is not considered abnormal when a two-month-old babies wakes frequently in the night, but it is considered abnormal in a two-year-old child. To make the definition of sleep problems even more difficult, families vary greatly in their tolerance of their children's sleeping habits; what one family finds problematic, another family takes as a matter of course.
Sleep Medication
For most problems there are always answers,but some of those answers just create more problems. What I'm talking about are sleep disorders and sleep medication. The sleep disorders are the problem, and the medication is the so called answer. Even though its helpful, sleep medication can be addicting, and if not they can cause a dependency problem.
You may have to take more and more of the sleep aid for it to work, which can lead to more side effects. You may come to rely on the medication to sleep, and will be unable to sleep or have even worse sleep without it. If you stop the medication abruptly, you may have withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating and shaking.
There are several side effects to sleep medications, such as drowsiness the next day, confusion, forgetfulness and dry mouth. These side effects can be severe.
If you are taking other medications, sleeping medications can interact with them. Thi
s can worsen side effects and be dangerous with medications like prescription painkillers and other sedatives.If you need to stop the medication, sometimes the insomni
a can become even worse than before. There may be an underlying medical or mental disorder, or even a sleep disorder, that if treated would provide more relief from insomnia.
You may have to take more and more of the sleep aid for it to work, which can lead to more side effects. You may come to rely on the medication to sleep, and will be unable to sleep or have even worse sleep without it. If you stop the medication abruptly, you may have withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating and shaking.
There are several side effects to sleep medications, such as drowsiness the next day, confusion, forgetfulness and dry mouth. These side effects can be severe.
If you are taking other medications, sleeping medications can interact with them. Thi
s can worsen side effects and be dangerous with medications like prescription painkillers and other sedatives.If you need to stop the medication, sometimes the insomni
a can become even worse than before. There may be an underlying medical or mental disorder, or even a sleep disorder, that if treated would provide more relief from insomnia. 5 Stages of Sleep
Sleep is divided into five individual stages. The first stage is the lightest stage of sleep(light sleep). Stage one is the drifting stage (as I like to call), which is the part of sleeping in which you would feel yourself falling out of conciseness. This stage lasts for about five to ten minutes.
According to my research stage two is still light sleep. In this stage brain activity starts to slow down, and the heart rate and breathing starts to become slower and more steady. Also body temperature starts to decrease a little as you start relaxing and preparing to go into a deeper sleep.
Stage three is the start of deep sleep or slow wave sleep. During stage 3, brain waves are slow waves(also known as delta waves), although there may still be short bursts of faster waves of brain activity (also known as beta-waves). If a person is woken up while in this stage they are likely to feel confused and would find it hard to focus. This is also similar in stage four.
Stage four is the deepest and there are no more beta or fast brain activity,only slow brain activity or delta waves. In this stage it is hard to be woken up and lasts for about an hour. It is during this stage that the body starts to repair itself, for example fixing worn out muscles. I call this stage the healing process.
Stage five is the dreaming stage. This stage is the only REM sleep we get in the entire sleeping process. Blood flow, breathing and brain activity increases in this stage. Another aspect of REM sleep, is that the muscles in your arms a
nd legs will go through periods of paralysis.The first period of REM sleep of the night usually begins around 90 minutes after you start drifting off, and lasts for about 10 minutes. As the night passes, the periods of REM sleep become longer, with the final episode lasting an hour or so.
According to my research stage two is still light sleep. In this stage brain activity starts to slow down, and the heart rate and breathing starts to become slower and more steady. Also body temperature starts to decrease a little as you start relaxing and preparing to go into a deeper sleep.
Stage three is the start of deep sleep or slow wave sleep. During stage 3, brain waves are slow waves(also known as delta waves), although there may still be short bursts of faster waves of brain activity (also known as beta-waves). If a person is woken up while in this stage they are likely to feel confused and would find it hard to focus. This is also similar in stage four.
Stage four is the deepest and there are no more beta or fast brain activity,only slow brain activity or delta waves. In this stage it is hard to be woken up and lasts for about an hour. It is during this stage that the body starts to repair itself, for example fixing worn out muscles. I call this stage the healing process.
Stage five is the dreaming stage. This stage is the only REM sleep we get in the entire sleeping process. Blood flow, breathing and brain activity increases in this stage. Another aspect of REM sleep, is that the muscles in your arms a
nd legs will go through periods of paralysis.The first period of REM sleep of the night usually begins around 90 minutes after you start drifting off, and lasts for about 10 minutes. As the night passes, the periods of REM sleep become longer, with the final episode lasting an hour or so.Soldiers
The U.S. military is the force that protects our country. But what happens when the soldiers who are responsible for our nation's safety aren't getting enough sleep. In a 2007 edition of the Stars and Stripes, it talks about how the troops who were helping to carry out the new Baghdad security plan were finding sleep even harder to come by. The reason for this was that there were more patrols being conducted and when they returned from patrol they had to guard their outpost as well. By time they were done with their guard duty the soldiers did not have time to sleep, because they had other things to do such as conducting vehicle maintenance, getting their laundry, showering and e-mailing their families.
In order to carry out their duties without being too tired to work, U.S. soldiers are taking modafinil, a stimulant that allows them to work 40 hours straight without suffering from any side effects .This is good and bad. It is good that U.S. soldiers are taking modafinil because they will be less tired and more focused on what they are doing and are less likely to make mistakes. Also U.S. military studies found that soldiers can stay awake for 40 hours, get eight hours of sleep, and then stay awake for 40 more hours, all without the impaired judgment of old-fashion uppers.
It is bad that these soldiers are taking modafinil because the soldiers may be dependent on the drug so that they can stay awake for no reason. This will make soldiers reduce the amount of sleep they will get because they will replace sleep with pills. Modafinil was originally used to treat people with narcolepsy and multiple sclerosis, and now
it is used to keep soldiers awake. We are one step away from creating machine like soldiers who do nothing but work and fight. 
In order to carry out their duties without being too tired to work, U.S. soldiers are taking modafinil, a stimulant that allows them to work 40 hours straight without suffering from any side effects .This is good and bad. It is good that U.S. soldiers are taking modafinil because they will be less tired and more focused on what they are doing and are less likely to make mistakes. Also U.S. military studies found that soldiers can stay awake for 40 hours, get eight hours of sleep, and then stay awake for 40 more hours, all without the impaired judgment of old-fashion uppers.
It is bad that these soldiers are taking modafinil because the soldiers may be dependent on the drug so that they can stay awake for no reason. This will make soldiers reduce the amount of sleep they will get because they will replace sleep with pills. Modafinil was originally used to treat people with narcolepsy and multiple sclerosis, and now
it is used to keep soldiers awake. We are one step away from creating machine like soldiers who do nothing but work and fight. 
Stress
Stress is a feeling we all get when we react to certain situations. An example would be final exams. If a student were to decide to study for his/her math final on the same day of the exam, then most likely they will feel stressed because they will have to worry about studying and passing their math final. There is a healthy amount of stress and an unhealthy amount of stress that can be accumulated over time.
Healthy stress is what is needed when a though situation arises because it helps us think about what steps are needed to take care of said situation. Like sleep, stress is also necessary for us to function efficiently and effectively. Healthy stress is can be brought on when someone studies for an exam a few nights before the day of the exam, when someone is working under a deadline, or when playing a sport that deals with a person reacting quickly in the game. Healthy stress also lengthens life.
Unhealthy stress is the kind of stress that people are more inclined to be under. The things that create stress in people are called "stressors". Some stressors can be fear, depression, work, friends, family,or school. Unhealthy stress is the type of stress that affects sleep. When a person is stressed about something like whether or not they passed or failed their exam, they are going to have trouble sleeping because the worry is overpowering the need to sleep.
Healthy stress is what is needed when a though situation arises because it helps us think about what steps are needed to take care of said situation. Like sleep, stress is also necessary for us to function efficiently and effectively. Healthy stress is can be brought on when someone studies for an exam a few nights before the day of the exam, when someone is working under a deadline, or when playing a sport that deals with a person reacting quickly in the game. Healthy stress also lengthens life.
Unhealthy stress is the kind of stress that people are more inclined to be under. The things that create stress in people are called "stressors". Some stressors can be fear, depression, work, friends, family,or school. Unhealthy stress is the type of stress that affects sleep. When a person is stressed about something like whether or not they passed or failed their exam, they are going to have trouble sleeping because the worry is overpowering the need to sleep.
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