In a previous column, I reported that sleep researchers tell us ten hours of sleep is required for optimal performance. Few of us get that amount, and many of us are chronically sleep deprived. Are you among those in sleep debt?
You could go to a sleep lab to find out. You would be hooked up to a machine that tells researchers whether you are awake or asleep by recording brain waves, muscle tone, respiration and eye movement. Beginning at 8 a.m., for a 20 minute period you are put in a quiet, dark, cool bedroom and challenged to go to sleep as quickly as you can. If you do, you are awakened immediately. This test is repeated every two hours throughout the day until the evening.
If you stay awake for all the tests, you're rated fully alert. Children (not teens) usually get enough sleep and rarely fall asleep. But high school, college students, and people with sleep disorders often fall asleep within minutes. Seniors are often at least moderately sleep deprived and will fall asleep after five to fifteen minutes in one or more of the twenty-minute test periods, especially in the afternoon hours.
But you don't have to go to a sleep lab to know if you are sleep deprived. Try reading these descriptions. If three or more describe you, you may need more sleep.
- I need an alarm clock to wake up at an appropriate time.
- I often need a nap to get through my day.
- I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings.
- I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.
- I often feel drowsy while driving.
- I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting in bed.
- I often fall asleep after heavy meals or after a low amount of alcohol.
- I often fall asleep watching TV.
- I often fall asleep in boring meetings or in warm rooms.
- I have dark circles under my eyes.
- I feel slow in my thinking, problem solving, or creativity.
- I have trouble remembering.
- I feel tired, irritable, and stressed out during the week.
- I struggle to get out of bed in the morning.
- I nod off for brief periods of sleep, lasting only a few seconds at a time.
- I'm often too tired to want to socialize or attend functions.
- I often consume beverages or foods high in sugar or caffeine for a boost.
- I often feel chilled when I stay up late.
- I seem to catch every cold and flu that comes around.
Sometimes we think we're fully rested when we really aren't. If we are preoccupied with something stimulating, we may not notice our sleepiness. Then when we are drowsy, we blame it on boredom. But boredom alone doesn't produce sleepiness, it just produces boredom!
Fore more on sleep please read All About insomnia, Is Your Sleep Renewing You?, Guidelines for Getting Good Sleep, and Advice on Sleeping Pills and Naps
Dr. Moore is a licensed psychologist and Founder and Director of Fall Creek Associates. She is President of the Sacramento Psychological Association, adjunct faculty member in the School of Psychology at the Fielding Graduate Institute, teaches classes through The Learning Exchange, and frequently appear as a guest on public service programs having to do with psychology and emotional wellness. She has also written a newspaper column called Senior Wellness, which focuses on general psychology topics as well as those of special interest to senior readers. In addition to working with private clients, she welcomes the opportunity to disseminate information on psychology and mental health issues to the general public through her PsychPages website.
