Show Sleep Loss How it Effects Performance on Daily Basis Connie Dillin C. Health Center IS it hard to sleep at night Is the new quarter parking work or life in general cutting down on restful sleep In a recent Berkeley Wellness Letter they say it is not unusual to lose sleep the night before an important important important im im- event an exam at school school a presentation at work or a ar r crucial ra race e. e Most people may worry that this loss of sleep will impair performances and this worry may in turn make it even harder to sleep As research has accumulated in recent years it has become increasingly increasingly increasingly apparent that the effects of sleep deprivation depend not only on the amount of sleep lost and the theand type and length of upcoming activities activities activities but also on ages personalities and time of day It may help to know that under most circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances a night or two of poor sleep will have little or no d disadvantage disadvantage sad sad- vantage f for r moderate phy physical iCal per per- But the loss of sleep may impair some types of mental activity Athletic Pe Performance Most studies have found that simple physical exertion is not significantly significantly significantly sig sig- sig- sig impaired by lack of sleep or poor sleep for a night or two Many sleep-deprived sleep subjects subjects subjects sub sub- perceived that their exertion and fatigue were greater than after a period of normal sleep However However However How How- ever their actual performance usually usually usually ally suffered little or not at all Most studies pf pC sleep deprivation tion have focused on repetitive exercise exercise exercise ex ex- ex- ex such as running cycling or swimming so there still are ques ques- Lions about sports that require vigilance vigilance lance cognitive skills and high degree degree degree de de- de- de gree of coordination such as baseball baseball baseball base base- ball tennis or fencing which are more likely to be affected by sleep deprivation The rush of competitive competitive competitive com com- activity and d the cheering of ofa a crowd can more than compensate for any possible effects of sleep loss In any case for recreation exercise exercise exercise exer exer- cise or the p physical demands of an average work day moderate sleep loss should not be be-a be a problem Mental Performance The most important benefit of sleep may be that it restores us mentally and studies bear out the fact that that- the loss of even one nights night's sleep is s likely to result in fatigue irritability inability to concentrate concentrate concentrate con con- and mood shifts Long repetitive repetitive repetitive re re- re- re tasks are more likely to be lie affected by sleep loss than short in interesting interesting interesting in- in ones Most research has focused on pilots industrial workers radar operators operators operators op op- op- op resident phys physicians and other people whose sleep habits may increase the risk of accidents and has found that the longer people peo peo- pie are deprived of sleep the greater the possibility of accidents Thus the federal government regulates regulates regulates regu regu- lates how long pilots can fly without without without with with- out sleep and the states regulate how long resident physicians can work without sleep Other findings say creativity may suffer Work by the English researcher JA IA Home Horne has suggested suggested suggested sug- sug that loss of a nights night's sleep undermines creative thinking thinking thinking think think- ing characterized by spontaneity ity flexibility and originality and the ability to deal with unfamiliar unfamiliar unfamiliar un un- un- un familiar situations Yet the loss of ones one's nights night's sleep had little effect on less creative endeavors ors such as solving familiar problems using well-established well skills In any case if you find that the out-of-the-ordinary sleep loss is taking its toll remember that all it takes to regain mental acuity is one or at att most two good goodnights goodnight's goodnights goodnight's goodnights goodnight's nights night's sleep |