Fatigued? Wake Up And Smell The Coffee

For The Sleep-Deprived (And You Know Who You Are), Here Are Hints On Caffeine And The Power Of Naps

(CBS)  And now Rosekind is helping to bring naps to the nearby V.A. Hospital in Palo Alto, where he's been working with Dr. Steven Howard, an anesthesiologist.

"I work in the operating room. And it's something that I have seen in my experience of 20 years, not infrequently, where people are in a situation where they're standing up and their eyes are starting to close. They're falling asleep while working. That's not safe."

In one experiment in a simulated operating room, Dr. Howard found sleep-deprived doctors and nurses clearly nodding off.

So he did something about it: setting up rooms for naps during long shifts.

Researchers have found, though, that there's a science to naps.

20 to 40 minutes is enough to revitalize you. But after forty minutes, you fall into a deeper sleep. Waking up during that period could actually leave you feeling MORE groggy.

A two-hour nap will allow you to doze through a complete sleep cycle - so that you feel REALLY refreshed.

Students at East Jessamine High School in Nicholasville, Ky., are getting an education in the benefits of more sleep. They go to one of a handful of schools across the country that now start later.

The first bell goes off at 8:40. Lu Young is the superintendent.

"Everything we read, across the board, was that the majority of teenagers needed more sleep than they were getting," Young said.

In fact, it turns out that teenagers' body clocks naturally turn them into night-owls, making it difficult for them to get out of bed early.

Small wonder that a recent study found that about a quarter of high school students doze off at least once a week.

So here's the perfect test. It's first-period English. The subject is "The Scarlet Letter." Will these juniors commit the sin of sleep?

A few found it tough …

"It's difficult to stay awake in this class anyway," one boy said.

… but the students generally did seem alert, and found a lot to like about their late start.

"I get to sleep in till like 8:15," Amanda said. "'Cause I live, like, two seconds from the school. So, it's pretty nice."

Darius said his have gotten better.

"During the day I'm happier, I'm not grumpy," said Allison. "And I probably have more friends because of that!"

"We've seen a decrease in tardies at the high school level, an increase in attendance, especially during the first period of the day, which of course, was the one that - you know, sleepy children simply just wouldn't come into first period," Young said.

"We have seen across the board improvements in the student grades. And our test scores over the years have improved."

But for those of us who still have to drag ourselves into school or work early, for those of us who have tried all the tricks, we had one more critical question for Mark Rosekind: Can you just get by on less sleep?

'Fraid not.

"If you don't meet that sleep need, you will pay," Rosenkind said. "And there is no trick to sleeping less. Can you make it? Sleep less and make it through the day? And do okay? Sure. But you will pay. You can't keep foolin' Mother Nature and not have a cost to pay."

[michellem99-2009]

Hate coffee. I watch TV But end up falling to sleep while it is on. I sleep less as I am older.

[lewiston14]

jdmoran2
I had sleep apnea after a sleep study of a single night found I was only breathing 30 percent of the time. They removed most of my throat and I had to learn to drink liquids all over again. I also became diabetic. What a painful journey that was. Not even water for 6 weeks fed by tube

[jdmoran2]

Be sure you don''t have sleep apnea. I went several years thinking I had some sort of food allergy. Now I
have diabetes and coronary artery disease. DON''T take a chance.

[callun2jesus]

He can help you in your life to balance it!

[itamas]

Yes, in an older age good to sleep 8 hour or more, but in the younger age not always necessary. Sleeping & just resting you can give relexation to your mind. Make you feel less tired, lessening of tension.
You should know; sugar (addiction) also digesting problem (constipation) control (very much) your sleep & your rest.
Mr. Tamas Naturalist
P.O.Box 268 Harrisville NY !3648

[self_vs_god]

We want to burn the candle at both ends. When will we learn?