Comments on: The Science Of Sleep

Lesley Stahl Explores The Latest Findings In Sleep Research

[mskdc1]

To the poster who wondered why a longer experimental period was not used: I would assume that the researchers chose a span of only a few days to do their work because of a fear of what health problems could result from lack of sleep over time. And although your experiment is interesting, I don''t think it would be practical for students/workers to get away with napping during the day, even if it proved to be beneficial.

[nursejenz]

Leslie,

I''ve been a nurse for 28 years- It is the only profession I know of that forces a nurse to the bottom of the senority ladder anytime she changes here job to a new hospital or a new department. The night shift is where she must start-whether she has 1 month or 30 years of experience. Or even worse, a nurse is required to ROTATE shifts. Can you imagine having to start over again at 30, 49 50 years of age? It''s no wonder that we have a nursing shortage. Not to mention that most patient deaths occur during the night- when there is the least number of staff per patient and exhausted nurses. As a nurse of 28 years- I will never work in a hospital again at the age of 54-(a seasoned nurse!)
Lack of sleep had a huge negative effect on my life since I COULD NOT SLEEP more than a few hours, even with the windows blacked out and medication.
It''s no wonder that there is a shortage of nurses. This shortage will continue as each group of newer nurses understamd how distructive this profession can be. Falling asleep driving home and poor health plague many nurses who work shifts that their bodies cannot adjust to. Our hospital system is horrible. Patients and their loved ones should be AFRAID. VERY AFRAID!

[freiherrvon]

It seems to me, listening to the researchers speak, that they set up their study to confirm what they believe, not to find the facts. For example, it was a very short test period. Would their findings have been born out if the experiment had run long enough for the subjects to adapt to the shortened sleep periods? While I do agree that 4 hours of sleep between waking periods of 20 hours is insufficient, I would contend that it is the length of the period of wakefulness, not the length of the sleep period that matters. I.e. shorter waking periods are more important than longer sleep periods. To test that theory, when I was in college, back in 1949, several friends and I set up a program by which we slept for 15 minutes every 2 hours. We intended to do this for a month. However, we found that, first, it took us, variously, from 2 weeks to a month to adapt to the schedule. Second, we found that once we got good at dropping off for 15 minutes every 2 hours, we found ourselves so energized feeling so good that none of us wanted to quit. We all stayed on our schedule for the entire summer semester. Most of us had to quit when the fall semester began, due to problems with class and work scedules. However, 2 who were graduate students and could better control their scedules continued the experiment until the following June with great success. If your researchers really want to learn something about sleep, they should set up a similar program.

[MollyClaire]

I watched the "Science of Sleep" and "And The Happiest Place On Earth Is...". One question was unanswered: How much sleep do the Danes get?

[firemandave5]

You should really test a group of full-time Firefighters and Paramedics. The results would very enlightening to the public and myself being a firefighter. Im sure people dont really realize some of the sacrifices made by your public servants out their. I know I come and have to take a nap sometimes after a really busy night.

[MollyClaire]

I watched the "Science of Sleep" and "And The Happiest Place On Earth Is...". One question was unanswered: How much sleep do the Danes get?

[sleepapnea_e]

Thank you for the presentation on sleep deprivation. Sleep apnea is a significant cause of sleep deprivation in adults (5%) and children (2%).

The consequences of the sleep deprivation can not be understated. It is a matter of life and death.

Sleep apnea is easily diagnosed and easily treated... for more information visit www.sleepapnea.org.

[rg2529]

In the summer of 1952 I did Summer School at the U of Illinois Champaign, taking two hard lab courses so that I would be able to finish my BS in Chemistry in 3 years. For 6 weeks I spent all of most nights in a laboratory. I gave myself only one night a week of full sleep. I probably followed my normal practice of relaxing rather than studying before Finals. I got A''s in both courses, and did graduate as planned. I went on to study at MIT where I got a PHD in Chemistry. It was a tough time but I survived it with no long term ill effects. All that being said, I agree that many people do not get enough sleep
Robert B. Garland

[kitsie59]

Hello,

When I was in law school, I learned to study well for exams (but not too late the night before), get a good night''s sleep and then not do any last-minute reviewing before the next day''s exam.

I had been told (don''t ask by whom or what because I don''t remember) that while one sleeps, all learned material (i.e., "learned" or "understood" information, not merely "read") is properly stored into various compartments of the brain. If you get a good sleep, you can easily recall the learned info. If, however, you do last-minute review of this and that, your brain scrambles the stored info, making it difficult to recall. Any basis in fact for this? This was over 30 years ago.

I did find that I did better on exams than I think I''d have done if I''d stayed up most of the night or done last-minute review. And, I do know that classmates, who were flipping pages outside the exam room, did not do as well as they expected to do!

K.

[cgullseeker]

Dear Lesley,
Back in 1989 I was the senior engineering chief on the USS lewis and Clark working 120 hours a week. My engineering Officer Lester Moore Put myself and the M divsion chief in port and starboard watches. Maybe three hours a day of sleep while operating a Nuclear engine room. He did this because he didn''t like Machinist mates and we went on for about six weeks that way. I still have nightmares and have PTSD from the experiance.
Mike Moore
MMCS USN ret.

[dhl102546]

Leslie;
Tim Russert had all the outward signs of SBD (Sleep Breathing Disorder)i.e, Forward head posture, small dental arches, over-closed bite, absence of a defined chin (crico-mental space), neck larger than 17 inches. I wonder how much his possible SBD could have contributed to his enlarged heart and subsequent heart attack?
DHL
Dentist

Physiologically our cells would not make it long (5 days for rats I guess) if they did not have a chance to %u201Cshut down%u201D every 15 hours or so. At our BMR (basal state that exists during sleep) the demand on our cells is minimal giving them the needed chance to recharge. I like how Walker eludes to the fact that it would actually be evolutionarily advantageous for an organism NOT to sleep; not to need much recharge time. Think of the worms an early bird like that could gather! Not to mention 24 hours a day to hold vigil over self and offspring. The creature at the top of the food chain in our future may not sleep much at all.
Aside from needing it physiologically, I like to think of sleep and dreams as a way of accomplishing closure on our day. What is interesting to me is how the quality of sleep changes depending on the particulars of the day or wake time. If I%u2019m working physically hard in the garden all day I don%u2019t dream a bit and it would take a fog horn to wake me up at night. However, after reading or engaging with interesting people all day, sitting on my backside, I tend to dream more that night. I think my dreams are the way my cognitions throughout the day are tied together whereas if I impose physical demand, it%u2019s my muscle cells and the like that need the sleep time attention; differential %u2018closure%u2019 if you will. For more, www.stoneeagle-retreat.com

[not2tired]

To me sleep is very important -- I work from 5:30AM to 11 AM and then come home to a 5 and 6 year old. By 8 PM I''m exhausted but have difficulty getting to sleep. I have recently started using Quick2sleep strips that I found online and they work. In about 15 minutes they have me fast asleep naturally.

[pjw1956]

The information is supportive of my belief that sleep is an essential! I have many friends and they honestly say they do not need more than a few hours each night, yet they wonder why their brains have a hard time retaining information... It''s sleepy (DUH)
Plus they actually tried to convince me I was a wuss because I will not allow anything, not partying, not gambling, etc, to separate me from my Z''s. I love it when science supports my theory.

[alfano10]

Lesley Stahl: Thank you for - pardon the pun - an eye-opening report.

I had said many of the same things which you brought up - I didn''t need that much sleep, I tried to think I was different. This showed me a lot, and I was amazed that lack of sleep was related to other problems such as diabetes and obesity.

If there would be a follow up on this story or more information, I would appreciate seeing it.

[jkon75]

It''s ironic that you aired the two stories together about the medication mistakes and the importance of sleep. Am I the only one who feels it''s ridiculous for medical professionals to be expected to work 24- to 36-hour shifts without sleep and be expected to not make mistakes? The next time I''m at the hospital, I''ll be asking my doctor to see if he or she had a good nights rest.

[alfano10]

Lesley Stahl: Thank you for - pardon the pun - an eye-opening report.

I had said many of the same things which you brought up - I didn''t need that much sleep, I tried to think I was different. This showed me a lot, and I was amazed that lack of sleep was related to other problems such as diabetes and obesity.

If there would be a follow up on this story or more information, I would appreciate seeing it.

[alfano10]

Lesley Stahl: Thank you for - pardon the pun - an eye-opening report.

I had said many of the same things which you brought up - I didn''t need that much sleep, I tried to think I was different. This showed me a lot, and I was amazed that lack of sleep was related to other problems such as diabetes and obesity.

If there would be a follow up on this story or more information, I would appreciate seeing it.

[amanda4567-2009]

Dear Lesley,
Thank you for the report on sleep! I am a family doctor, and many of my patients have started to talk more about their sleep problems because of awareness on the subject after watching 60 minutes. As you emphasized in your report, poor sleep impacts a variety of medical problems, and now they are more willing to do something about it. I often give my patients this reference to help them sleep better.

http://www.sleepphones.com/hygiene

The link addresses the top 9 things to do to avoid insomnia and goes over some special issues, such as shift-work sleep disorder and mild anxiety problems. Thanks again for bringing attention to this very important third of our lives!

[amanda4567-2009]

Dear Lesley,

Thank you for the report on sleep! I am a family doctor, and many of my patients have started to talk more about their sleep problems because of awareness on the subject after watching 60 minutes. As you emphasized in your report, poor sleep impacts a variety of medical problems, and now they are more willing to do something about it. I often give my patients this reference to help them sleep better.

http://www.sleepphones.com/hygiene

The link addresses the top 9 things to do to avoid insomnia and goes over some special issues, such as shift-work sleep disorder and mild anxiety problems. Thanks again for bringing attention to this very important third of our lives!