Comments on: The Science Of Sleep

Lesley Stahl Explores The Latest Findings In Sleep Research

[zootallures2]

I could have sworn this has already been unraveled. It is to optimise and store memory. Like defragmenting memory or disk storage on a computer. The mixed up stuff in dreams is the memories being moved and sorted.

[kandis111]

I found the segment sleep very interesting, my question is: Has the sleep research facilities ever studied the affects of meditation? I know of people that only sleep 4 hours a day but meditate for 1 - 2 hrs. It would be interesting to see their overall function testing.

Also I would like to see a follow up on what can be recommended for children (and adults for that matter) that don''t sleep well. Other than the drug melatonin (which I would not give a child), is there something safe to help fall asleep?

[lizdesign-2009]

I found the story on sleep fascinating, albeit personally disconcerting. I was diagnosed with adult ADD a couple of years ago and often wonder if much of my symptoms have been brought on by a consistent lack of sleep.

I%u2019ve been a night owl since my teens and while I pride myself on my ability to get by on very little sleep -- even pulling all-nighters on occasion -- I pay for it the next day. The resulting side affects discussed in your piece ring so true!

What%u2019s more, I%u2019ve often feared my poor eating habits and genetics would predispose me to diabetes. I would have never considered my lack of sleep to be a factor.

More than a good psychiatrist and a supply of Adderall, what I''ve probably needed more than anything else is a good 8 hours of sleep. Thanks for the story, Lesley!

[lebeau94109]

Dear Leslie,

First President Sarkozy and now those fruit flies...you''re obsessed with ***. However, you didn''t ask the question whether the emergence and popularity of erectile disfunction drugs such as Viagra are partly the result of the lack of sleep.

[jdoffice1]

Very interesting program on sleep deprivation. Please do a follow-on story about sleep apnea, which I believe causes sleep deprivation and all the associated pathologies.

[lebeau94109]

Dear Leslie,

First President Sarkozy and now those fruit flies...you''re obsessed with ***. However, you didn''t ask the question whether the emergence and popularity of erectile disfunction drugs such as Viagra are partly the result of the lack of sleep.

[shellspivey]

Dear Lesley: Loved your story about sleep. I did not hear if it was a problem getting too much sleep. Is there any problem/benefit in getting 9 to 10 hours a day or more? Thanks,Shell

[tanderson330]

Thank You Lesley,
Your report helped me understand what has happened to myself and a friend of mine. We have both been suffering from a lack of sleep, or at least good sleep, and have also gained weight and had trouble with controlling blood sugar levels. Now we understand that the problems may be related and will be taking up the matter with our physicians. The memory section, learning and then getting a good night''s sleep, I had thought might be true since college as I did better on exams that I did not pull all nighters on. Once again Thank You.

[dbcipro]

Anyone consider that some insomniacs are that way because of an adverse drug reaction? Since I had several adverse side effects from taking Cipro, I haven''t slept more than 2 hours a night for 19 months. Let them study that !

[questionnews]

SCIENCE?? LOL, NOTHING NEW AND A BUNCH OF SPECULATIVE BS!

TOO BAD SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS DON''''T KNOW REAL STATISTICAL POWER. THEY ARE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF ''''SCREW-THE-POOCH'''' DO-NOTHINGS.

Posted by dikmegood56 at 02:24 PM : Mar 17, 2008


Sounds like someone just got thier first prostate exam. I hated Doctors for awhile after my first one too. Don''t worry, the horrific memory of the experience will pass in time.

[sarahp53]

After decades of worsening mood swings, depression and fatigue, and 14 YEARS of trying literally scores of ultimately worthless antidepressants, I was finally diagnosed with a sleep disorder related to a birth defect. My boss at my longtime job ridiculed me. I quit. Should have sued. Now I''m using a CPAP and am finally beginning to feel human again. Thanks, "60 Minutes," for showing viewers the real medical consequences of no or poor-quality sleep.

[sarahp53]

After decades of worsening mood swings, depression and fatigue, and 14 YEARS of trying literally scores of ultimately worthless antidepressants, I was finally diagnosed with a sleep disorder related to a birth defect. My boss at my longtime job ridiculed me. I quit. Should have sued. Now I''m using a CPAP and am finally beginning to feel human again. Thanks, "60 Minutes," for showing viewers the real medical consequences of no or poor-quality sleep.

[sarahp53]

After decades of worsening mood swings, depression and fatigue, and 14 YEARS of trying literally scores of ultimately worthless antidepressants, I was finally diagnosed with a sleep disorder related to a birth defect. My boss at my longtime job ridiculed me. I quit. Should have sued. Now I''m using a CPAP and am finally beginning to feel human again. Thanks, "60 Minutes," for showing viewers the real medical consequences of no or poor-quality sleep.

[sstrube9]

Dear Leslie Stahl,
I am sure the majority of your viewers, including me learned a little more about sleep deprivation last night, although most of the issues dicussed were quite self evident. What struck me about the program was the fact that the university medical school chose their own undergrads and imposed sleep deprivation upon them to get their results. Personally, all they had to do is just test several of their very own medical residents post call, who are routinely and chronically sleep deprived while making life and death decisions. Check and report on their accuracy, let alone the adverse health effects to patients AND Physicians. Now that''s a story!

[kennergirl]

I can''t believe that scientists all over the country are actually studying why we sleep! Don''t they have better things to do with their time like find a cure for cancer or heck even the common cold?

[dikmegood56]

SCIENCE?? LOL, NOTHING NEW AND A BUNCH OF SPECULATIVE BS!

TOO BAD SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS DON''T KNOW REAL STATISTICAL POWER. THEY ARE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF ''SCREW-THE-POOCH'' DO-NOTHINGS.

[shudawg1]

If you want the best nights sleep check out my web page for the only sleep system ever to have the stamp on it from the national chiropratic assoctation! Sleep tight and don''t let the bugs bite. Ray

[shinfu-2009]

If deep sleep declines dramatically with age and maybe associated with the ageing process, i wonder if there is anything a 53 year old like myself might do to enhance/preserve/ maintian deep sleep beyond good sleep habits.

[ed748]

Better research the sleep deprivation effects on medical personnel. Typical medical personnel schedules are 12 hours shifts and even 24 hours shifts. Their sleep deprivation can be seen on the lower and/or lesser quality of care to patients. The families of medical personnel suffer the grumpiness and short fuses.

Even bicyclists suffer death due to sleep deprived police officers on patrol.

Do we have to read about the head-on collision of a celebrity or a politician, to wake us up on the detrimental consequences of sleep deprived medical and law enforcement personnel?

Wake up, you legislators. Someone needs to update the law on these unhealthy schedules.

Total Quality Management mandates continuous improvement. When will the medical profession and the law enforcers be proactive instead of being reactive?

Thank you.

[deemsnyd]

"Whatever the function of sleep, or the functions of sleep are, they seem to be so important that evolution is willing to put us in that place of potential danger by losing consciousness. It would be the biggest evolutionary mistake if sleep does not serve some critical function," Walker says.


Looks like even if sleep does "serve some critical function", evolution would have thought of a way to serve the function, so to speak, without making us unconscious and defenseless. Wonder if maybe evolution is not how we got here?