Research presented at the SLEEP 2010 Meeting compared 2 high schools with similar racial and income demographics - one school started at 7:20 a.m. and the other at 8:40 a.m. Using DMV data, researchers found that the car crash rate for 16- to 18-year-olds was 41% higher in the city whose school started 80 minutes earlier. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found teen car crashes decreased 16.5% after a school district started school 1 hour later. This isn't proof that sleep deprivation affects teen crashes, but it's information schools and parents should "sleep on".
Work shifts affect sleep patterns. Researchers at Washington State University used mathematical models to study start times of 8-hour shifts. Workers get the most sleep if their jobs start between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and they get the least sleep if their jobs start between 8 p.m. and midnight. Workers whose jobs start at 11 p.m. get the very least sleep. That's the start time that will leave them most fatigued - more fatigued than if they started work after midnight. Maybe that's why "workday" is in the dictionary, but "worknight" isn't.
Whatever the cause, difficulty sleeping has been linked to weight gain. In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, Finnish researchers followed 7,332 40- to 60-year olds for 7 years. Those having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least 14 nights in the previous month were classified as having frequent sleep problems. One-third of the women with frequent sleep problems gained at least 11 pounds during the study versus one-fifth of the women without sleep problems. However, sleep-related weight gain affected only middle-aged and older women - not men - which might make more women lose sleep.
The Travelodge hotels in the U.K. are doing their part to deal with sleep deprivation by making it easier for their guests to sleep. Each hotel has specially trained staff, who monitor nighttime noise levels in hallways and public areas. "Sleep Wardens" issue warnings to noisy guests. If the noise doesn't stop, the Sleep Wardens can tell the offending guests to check out. Because Travelodge hotels don't offer upscale services, the company considers itself a "retailer of sleep". According to their survey of 6,000 adults, money worries, work-related stress and noise are the major causes of sleep deprivation. Their Sleep Wardens are peace - and quiet - officers.
Work shifts affect sleep patterns. Researchers at Washington State University used mathematical models to study start times of 8-hour shifts. Workers get the most sleep if their jobs start between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and they get the least sleep if their jobs start between 8 p.m. and midnight. Workers whose jobs start at 11 p.m. get the very least sleep. That's the start time that will leave them most fatigued - more fatigued than if they started work after midnight. Maybe that's why "workday" is in the dictionary, but "worknight" isn't.
Whatever the cause, difficulty sleeping has been linked to weight gain. In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, Finnish researchers followed 7,332 40- to 60-year olds for 7 years. Those having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep at least 14 nights in the previous month were classified as having frequent sleep problems. One-third of the women with frequent sleep problems gained at least 11 pounds during the study versus one-fifth of the women without sleep problems. However, sleep-related weight gain affected only middle-aged and older women - not men - which might make more women lose sleep.
The Travelodge hotels in the U.K. are doing their part to deal with sleep deprivation by making it easier for their guests to sleep. Each hotel has specially trained staff, who monitor nighttime noise levels in hallways and public areas. "Sleep Wardens" issue warnings to noisy guests. If the noise doesn't stop, the Sleep Wardens can tell the offending guests to check out. Because Travelodge hotels don't offer upscale services, the company considers itself a "retailer of sleep". According to their survey of 6,000 adults, money worries, work-related stress and noise are the major causes of sleep deprivation. Their Sleep Wardens are peace - and quiet - officers.
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