Too Little Sleep has Consequences
PHILADELPHIA (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Many people have busy lives and that can often lead to less sleep. A new study shows getting less than six hours of sleep can have serious consequences.
How much sleep you need in a night has been debated for years. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia recently conducted a study to determine if four, six or eight hours of sleep a night have an impact on a person's ability to function.
The study included 48 healthy adults between ages 21 and 38. The adults were divided into four groups. The groups consisted of those who were allowed to sleep eight, six or four hours each night during a 24-hour period for two weeks and those who were deprived of sleep for three consecutive 24-hour periods. The experiment was conducted in a lab where the individuals were monitored. While awake, the participants were not allowed to have caffeine, alcohol, tobacco or medications.
Researchers report those individuals who slept four to six hours a night for two weeks showed significant deficits in their cognitive performance. In fact, the study shows their performance was equivalent to going without sleep for up to three days in a row. However, these participants reported only feeling slightly sleepy and did not realize how impaired they were. The impairments included an inability to pay attention and react quickly. Patricia Grady, Ph.D., R.N., from the National Institute of Nursing Research, says, "These findings show that while young adults may believe they can adapt to less than a full night's sleep over time, chronic sleep deprivation may seriously affect their performance while they are awake, and they may not even realize it."
Authors of the study say in order to prevent neurobehavioral defects, a person needs 8.16 hours of sleep during a 24-hour period.
SOURCE: Sleep, 2003;2:117-126
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