Author Topic: Sleep deprivation is nonsense! Wake up and live! (Read 3270 times)

El Tejon · « **on:** March 24, 2006, 11:18:58 AM »

For years I have be shouting about the nonsense spouted on television about the impact of proper sleep (it's 5.5 to 6 hours for men, not 8 or 9) and the dangers of oversleeping that I see in the people I deal with (leads to sloth, obesity and stupidity and shorter lives). Looks like there is now medical research to confirm my ranting.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060323/sc_space/sleepdeprivationthegreatamericanmyth

Azrael256 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2006, 11:47:19 AM »

I was taught to get 7-8 hours as a child in school, but that sleep requirements decrease as you age. Once you hit physical adulthood, which can be anywhere from ~17 to ~30 (usually 18-25), it drops to 6-ish.

I can unequivocally state that I am sleep deprived on a regular basis, but I'm a college student, so it's no surprise. 4 hours a night 5 days a week is kinda hard on the ol' brain. When I'm on vacation, however, I do this novel thing called sleeping when I'm tired, and being active when I'm not. I usually end up sleeping 6 hours a night, on the dot, by just listening to what my brain is telling me.

jefnvk · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2006, 11:56:19 AM »

I sleep until I wake up, if given the chance. Which is usually into double digits.

6-7.5 is what I try for.

Fly320s · « **Reply #3 on:** March 24, 2006, 12:25:49 PM »

That's funny, El T, I remember reading an article recently that said the exact opposite info is true.

I'll try to find it. It may have been in one of my wife's Prevention magazines.

Guest · « **Reply #4 on:** March 24, 2006, 12:38:48 PM »

Quote

People who get only 6 to 7 hours a night have a lower death rate than those who get 8 hours of sleep. From a six-year study of more than a million adults

I really hate yahoo news because they take what is obviously an elaborate study with equally elaborate results and dumb it down into something that doesnt even make sense. Death rate? What kinds of illness, over what amount of time, how does it break down to age group and gender? There is so much information missing from this that its hard to arrive at any conclusions. Over a long enough period of time the death rate for evryone is %100, the statement doesnt suggest that people who sleep less live longer or are more productive, just that fewer of them died than people who got more sleep. That could mean damn near anything. Maybe people who slept more had more active lifestyles which resulted in more fatal accidents. Maybe the low-sleepers spent their whole say starting at a blank screen because they were too tired to do anything else. This is one of those things that can be interpreted to mean anything you want it to.

And then there is this little gem

Quote

"There is really no evidence that the average 8-hour sleeper functions better than the average 6- or 7-hour sleeper," Kripke says, on the basis of his ongoing psychiatric practice with patients along with research, including the large study of a million adults (called the Cancer Prevention Study II).

And he suspects that people who sleep less than average make more money and are more successful.

This guy is supposed to be a researcher and in one fell swoop he uses an absence of evidence as evidence and goes on to relay a suspicion, a suspician that should have been *easily* established by the research he conducted, and yet apparently wanst established enough that he can actually make a claim about it. Which leads one to conclude that his "research" fell pretty far short of comprehensive.

Standing Wolf · « **Reply #5 on:** March 24, 2006, 03:59:28 PM »

If everything you know about science came from "news" sources, you're a scientific illiterate.

yesterdaysyouth · « **Reply #6 on:** March 24, 2006, 04:17:06 PM »

it's getting to where i can't go over 6-7.... even after a 36 hour friday...

Sylvilagus Aquaticus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2006, 04:52:41 PM »

I sleep about 3 hours a night...usually from 0300 to 0600. Been doing that for years, probably close to 15 now. My grandfather was the same way. Never seemed to affect him adversly. One of his party tricks was to multiply a four digit number by another four digit number ..in his head.

No flies on that old man...well, there might be now.

Regards,
Rabbit.

Phantom Warrior · « **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2006, 03:51:46 AM »

I read most of the article and got the general impression it was more about heavy use of sleeping pills being bad for you than too much sleep per se being bad for you. I'll admit I did skim it though.

...has left the building. · « **Reply #9 on:** March 25, 2006, 07:32:03 AM »

I'm normally get 6 hours and I'm much more spry than anyone else in my office. Anything over 8 hours is best reserved for commies and hormonally-challenged teenagers.

O.F.Fascist · « **Reply #10 on:** March 25, 2006, 10:24:19 AM »

When I was in middle school and high school I would often be fine on 4 or 6 hours of sleep.

These days if I dont get 7 or 8 though I'm usually way sleepy in the morning, and at night I get sleepy earlier.

Justin · « **Reply #11 on:** March 25, 2006, 12:47:21 PM »

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

gunsmith · « **Reply #12 on:** March 25, 2006, 01:51:36 PM »

oh oh, I have not been able to get out of bed. I have a constant battle with late nights and long sleeps plus I've been pretty depressed lately

brimic · « **Reply #13 on:** March 25, 2006, 08:30:19 PM »

With the recent discovery that I have sleep apnea, I'm betting that its more widespread than people realize. I used to need a minimum of 8 hrs of sleep just to fuction, and even then I was tired 1/2 through the day. Now that I'm having the problem treated, 6 hours is plenty.

Spec ops Grunt · « **Reply #14 on:** March 25, 2006, 08:36:33 PM »

I need help. I went to sleep at one last night and got up at one. My alarm was set to 6:30 and I slept through it, my little brother yelled at me to get up and opened the mini blinds and I still couldnt get up. Help!

gunsmith · « **Reply #15 on:** March 25, 2006, 09:45:42 PM »

brimic. what are the symptoms of sleep apnea? is it snoring?
I've woken my self up by my loud snoring and my last
girlfriend would kick me at 3 am for it.

I do not have med insurance right now so I can't have myself checked.

am I a typical gun nut or what? I have an AR15 with all the bells and whistles that set me back over
two grand, an M1A that cost me close to two grand with some of the bells and whistles
a stack on filled with ammo and other guns...but no medical insurance. and only next months rent in the bank

zahc · « **Reply #16 on:** March 25, 2006, 10:44:39 PM »

Funny, I'm reading a thread on sleep deprivation at 3:42am.

brimic · « **Reply #17 on:** March 25, 2006, 11:31:51 PM »

Quote

brimic. what are the symptoms of sleep apnea? is it snoring?
I've woken my self up by my loud snoring and my last
girlfriend would kick me at 3 am for it.

http://armedpolitesociety.com/viewtopic.php?id=1137
If you do a search, there is a huge thread on APS about sleep apnea.

Basicly it amounts to a person's breathing stopping many times per hour due to blockage of the airway. Snoring is a symptom, being tired or lacking energy during the waking hours is a symptom, and having a partner noticing you stopping breathing or gasping for air while sleeping is a major tip off.

K Frame · « **Reply #18 on:** March 26, 2006, 03:24:49 AM »

Screw it, I'm going back to bed...

BozemanMT · « **Reply #19 on:** March 26, 2006, 03:43:34 AM »

I'm a salaried employee. I do not ever set my alarm clock, I get up when I'm ready. And yet, it's always within 20/30 minutes of 6:00am. stupid internal alarm clock.
My wife needs a lot of sleep, I tend to get up and surt on weekends for a couple hours before she gets up. (when she's happy, i'm happy). which explains what I'm doing here at 6am on a sunday. :-)

Guest · « **Reply #20 on:** March 26, 2006, 05:13:37 AM »

If I get less than 7 or 8 hours, I'm all fuzzy-headed and sleepy. The problem is that I tend to wake up at about 4:30 am every morning. Last night, I was up from 2-5 am.

SalukiFan · « **Reply #21 on:** March 26, 2006, 03:37:53 PM »

Interesting article but I tend to agree with c_yeager - with a journal boiling down a complex study into a short article, you are bound to be left wondering what factors were controlled for, sampling, etc.

I'm also a little confused by one of the lines in the article:

Sleep problems are commonly reported in the elderly, but the increase in spending on sleeping pills was highest in this period for 10-19 year olds, possibly due to an association with medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

So what association would that be? Anyone want to fill me in?

- SalukiFan

Azrael256 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 26, 2006, 03:56:57 PM »

ADHD meds are uppers.

Guest · « **Reply #23 on:** March 26, 2006, 05:54:15 PM »

Quote

Sleep problems are commonly reported in the elderly, but the increase in spending on sleeping pills was highest in this period for 10-19 year olds, possibly due to an association with medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Im going way out on a limb here but there is a paradoxal (sp) effect with Ritalin, and other ADHD treatments. For kids with ADHD they can have a mellowing/focusing effect, for teens and adults this can result in the opposite, which would perhaps cause them to start taking sleeping pills. Personally, I am of the opinion that if ADHD medication is having such an effect on a person then that person should not be on the medication, but today's medical community is still in the habit of "stacking" medications, rather than reevaluating them.

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Author Topic: Sleep deprivation is nonsense! Wake up and live! (Read 3270 times)

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