Highlight HEALTH

A good night’s sleep is increasingly loosing out to late night television, the internet, video games and other modern day distractions, and our health is taking the toll. An estimated 50 to 70 million people suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders, and loss of sleep is associated with a variety of health problems, including obesity and depression [1]. According to a recent four state study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70% of adults report not getting enough rest or sleep at least once over the past month; 10% report insufficient rest or sleep every day [2].

The CDC analyzed 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from four states, Delaware, Hawaii, New York and Rhode Island. The study, one of the first to present state-level information on any sleep-related measure, found that the prevalence of insufficient sleep was greater in young adults. Of those ages 18 — 34, 13.3% reported insufficient rest or sleep every day over the past month. Of those aged of 35 — 54, only 10% reported insufficient rest or sleep every day over the past month. The percentage was smallest (7.3%) for those aged ≥ 55 years. Similar trends were observed for shorter periods of time. Interestingly however, for people reporting only 1 — 6 days of insufficient rest or sleep during the preceding 30 days, young adults had the lowest percentage (27.8%), while adults aged 35 — 44 had the highest percentage (38.2%), followed by adults aged 45 — 54 (36%) and people aged ≥ 55 years (31.7%).

Persons unable to work were significantly more likely to report insufficient rest or sleep everyday than people employed, students or homemakers, people unemployed or people retired. With increasing education, respondents were less likely to report no days of insufficient rest or sleep.

The study is subject to a number of limitations. Chief among them is that it uses the results of a survey. The principle limitations of a survey are the validity and reliability of responses. Poor recall, intentional deception and misunderstanding can all contribute to inaccuracies in the data. The survey method is also descriptive and cannot offer insights into cause-and-effect relationships. Lastly, the data only reflects sleep trends in four states and may not be representative of the entire United States. Nevertheless, it is consistent with another CDC study using data from the National Health Interview Study, which found that the percentage of adults at all ages reporting six hours or less of sleep per night increased from 1985 to 2006 [3].

According to the National Sleep Foundation, most healthy adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night [4]. Children and adolescents need even more sleep than adults. Children aged 3 — 5 years require 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night, children aged 5 — 12 require 9 to 11 hours and adolescents require 8.5 to 9.5 hours [4].

Here’s some tips to get a good night’s sleep:

• Keep your room quiet and dark
• Make sure your bed is comfortable
• Avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
• Don’t smoke
• Eat dinner at least 2 — 3 hours before bedtime
• Relax prior to bedtime
• Don’t exercise right before bedtime
• Establish regular bedtime and waketime schedule

Additional information on sleep and sleep disorders can be found at The National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Education.com and The Insomnia blog.

The results of this study should come as no surprise, especially to many of you who are undoubtedly reading this late in the evening. How about you? Do you get enough sleep every night?

References

1. Institute of Medicine. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. By the Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research. Edited by Harvey R. Colten and Bruce M. Altevogt. 404 pp. Washington, DC, National Academies Press, 2006.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Perceived insufficient rest or sleep–four states, 2006. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008 Feb 29;57(8):200-3.
   View abstract
3. QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged >18 Years Who Reported an Average of <6 Hours of Sleep per 24-Hour Period, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 1985 and 2006. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2008 Feb 29;57(8):209.
4. How Much Sleep is Enough? National Sleep Foundation. Accessed 2008 May 6.

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With crude oil hitting a record high this week, gas prices here in the U.S. are soaring. According to CNN.com, the $100 fill-up has arrived in the United States.

Want to reduce your stress level, spend less money at the pump and do your part to help save the planet? Here’s one of the most simple yet effective tips that will accomplish all three: Slow Down.

Improve Your Financial Health: Use Less Gas

At highway speeds, wind resistance increases exponentially and fuel economy is reduced by approximately 4 miles per gallon for every 10 mile per hour increase [1]. Thus, the faster you drive, the more it will cost you. Consider this [1].

In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon. That figure will be even higher for less fuel-efficient vehicles that go fewer miles on a gallon to start with.

That’s based on a $3.25 price per gallon, which is less than the current price of gas. So we’re talking more than 54 cents a gallon.

Additionally, if you do the math, speeding doesn’t save you anywhere near the time you might think it does. An average 30 mile commute traveling at 65 miles/hour takes 28 minutes, while that same trip at 80 miles/hour takes 23 minutes. You save a whole 5 minutes by driving 15 MPH faster.

How much money is that 5 minutes worth?

Reduce Stress and Stay Safe

Moderate levels of stress from a variety of sources, including other motorists, traffic congestion and roadway conditions, are common in everyday driving. However, driver stress has been shown to also be influenced by a combination of situational and personal factors, including factors external to the driving context [2].

Not surprisingly, studies have found that life stress is associated with higher rates of accidents and disease [3]. It’s been estimated that drivers who have experienced a recent stressful event are five times more likely to cause fatal accidents than unstressed drivers [4].

If you’re running late, remember that no matter how fast you drive, you’re still going to be late. If you’re under a great deal of personal stress, it’s probably best to avoid driving altogether.

Statistically, people who drive too fast cause or contribute to almost one-third of all fatal crashes. In 2006,13,543 lives were lost in speeding-related crashes [5]. Excessive speed does a number of things:

• it increases the distance a vehicle travels when a driver reacts to a dangerous situation
• it reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around objects in the road
• it extends the distance necessary to stop

Want to reduce your stress level, spend less money on gas and do your part to help save the planet?

      Just Slow Down!

David over at The Good Human has some additional tips on saving money, saving fuel and saving the environment.

References

1. Slow down a little, save a lot of gas. Issue #1: America’s Money. CNN Money. 2008 Mar 27.
2. Hennessy et al. The Influence of Traffic Congestion, Daily Hassles, and Trait Stress Susceptibility on State Driver Stress: An Interactive Perspective. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research 5(2);162–179
   doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9861.2000.tb00072.x
3. Stuart and Brown. The relationship of stress and coping ability to incidence of diseases and accidents. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 25(4), 255-260. 1981.
   View abstract
4. Brenner and Selzer. Risk of causing a fatal accident associated with alcoholism, psychopathology, and stress: further analysis of previous data. Behav Sci. 1969 Nov;14(6):490-5.
   View abstract
5. Traffic Safety Facts 2006 Data. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Center for Statistics and Analysis. 2006.

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