Sleep IQ Test

According to a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, Americans are sleep-deprived workaholics, with only about a third sleeping the recommended eight hours a night, and about 40 percent say they have trouble staying awake on the job. The survey also revealed that Americans are spending more time working and less time having sex than they did five years ago.

The 2001 Sleep in America poll of 1,004 adults found that 63 percent get less than eight hours a night and about 31 percent get less than seven hours. Only about a third get the recommended eight hours of sleep a
night.

Take the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep IQ Test to test your sleep knowledge:

True False 1. During sleep, your brain rests.
True False 2. You cannot learn to function normally with one or two fewer hours of sleep a night than you need.
True False 3. Boredom makes you feel sleepy, even if you have had enough sleep.
True False 4. Resting in bed with your eyes closed cannot satisfy your body's need for sleep.
True False 5. Snoring is not harmful as long as it doesn't disturb others or wake you up.
True False 6. Everyone dreams every night.
True False 7. The older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need.
True False 8. Most people don't know when they are sleepy.
True False 9. Raising the volume of your radio will help you stay awake while driving.
True False 10. Sleep disorders are mainly due to worry or psychological problems.
True False 11. The human body never adjusts to night shift work.
True False 12. Most sleep disorders go away even without treatment.

ANSWERS
1. During sleep, your brain rests.
False. While your body rests, your brain doesn't. An active brain during sleep prepares us for alertness and peak functioning the next day.
2. You cannot learn to function normally with one or two fewer hours of sleep a night than you need.
True. Sleep need is biological. While children need more sleep than adults, how much sleep any individual needs is genetically determined. Most adults need eight hours of sleep to function at their best. How to determine what you need? Sleep until you wake on your own...without an alarm clock. Feel rested? That's your sleep need. You can teach yourself to sleep less, but not to need less sleep.
3. Boredom makes you feel sleepy, even if you have had enough sleep.
False. When people are active, they usually don't feel sleepy. When they take a break from activity, or feel bored, they may notice that they are sleepy. However, what causes sleepiness most is sleep loss: not getting the sleep you need. Adults who don't get enough good sleep feel sleepy when they're bored. Boredom, like a warm or drk room, doesn't cause sleepiness, it merely unmasks it.
4. Resting in bed with your eyes closed cannot satisfy your body's need for sleep.
True. Sleep is as necessary to health as food and water, and rest is no substitute for sleep. As noted above, sleep is an active process needed for health and alertness. When you don't get the sleep you need, your body builds up a sleep debt. Sooner or later, this debt must be paid...with sleep. If you drive when you're sleepy, you place yourself and others at risk because drowsy drivers can fall asleep at the wheel with little or no warning. Sleepiness contributes to driver inattention, which is related to one million crashes each year!
5. Snoring is not harmful as long as it doesn't disturb others or wake you up.
True. Sleep is as necessary to health as food and water, and rest is no substitute for sleep. As noted above, sleep is an active process needed for health and alertness. When you don't get the sleep you need, your body builds up a sleep debt. Sooner or later, this debt must be paid...with sleep. If you drive when you're sleepy, you place yourself and others at risk because drowsy drivers can fall asleep at the wheel with little or no warning. Sleepiness contributes to driver inattention, which is related to one million crashes each year!
6. Everyone dreams every night.
True. Though many people fail to remember their dreams, dreaming does occur for every person, every night. Dreams are most vivid during REM or rapid eye movement sleep.
7. The older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need.
False. Sleep need remains unchanged throughout adulthood. Older people may wake more frequently through the night and may sleep less, but their sleep need is no less than during young adulthood. When older people sleep less at night, they tend to sleep more during the day. Sleep difficulties are not a normal part of aging, although they are all too common. If poor sleep habits, pain or health conditions make sleeping difficult, a physician can help.
8. Most people don't know when they are sleepy.
True. Most people don't know when they're sleepy. Researchers have asked thousands of people over the years if they're sleepy, only to be told no...just before the individuals fell asleep! What does this mean? Many people don't know if they are sleepy, when they are sleepy, or why they are sleepy. When driving, don't think you can tough it out if you're sleepy but only a few miles from your destination. If you're sleepy enough, you can fall asleep...anywhere.
9. Raising the volume of your radio will help you stay awake while driving.
False. If you're having trouble staying awake while driving, the only short-term solution is to pull over at a safe place and take a short nap or have a caffeinated drink. Doing both - for example, drinking coffee, then napping before the caffeine kicks in - may be even better. Howevr, the only long-term solution is prevention...starting out well rested after a good night's sleep. Research shows that loud radios, like chewing gum and open windows, fail to keep sleepy drivers alert.
10. Sleep disorders are mainly due to worry or psychological problems.
False. Stress is the number one reason people report insomnia (difficulty falling or staying asleep). However, stress accounts for only a fraction of the people who suffer either chronic insomnia or difficulty staying alert during the day. Sleep disorders have a variety of causes. Sleep apnea, for example, is caused by an obstruction of the airway during sleep. Narcolepsy, which is characterized by severe daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks, appears to be genetic. No one knows yet what causes restless legs syndrome, in which creepy, crawly feelings arise in the legs and are relieved, momentarily, by motion.
11. The human body never adjusts to night shift work.
True. All living things (people, animals, even plants) have a circadian or about 24-hour rhythm. This affects when we feel sleepy and alert. Light and dark cycles set these circadian rhythms. When you travel across time zones, your circadian rhythm adjusts when the light and dark cycle changes. For shift workers, the light and dark cycle doesn't change. Therefore, a shift worker's circadian rhythm never adjusts. Whether you work the night shift or not, you are most likely to feel sleepy between midnight and six a.m. And no matter how many years one works a night shift, sleeping during the day remains difficult. Shift workers should avoid caffeine during the last half of their workdays, block out noise and light at bedtime, and stay away from alcohol and alerting activities before going to sleep.
12. Most sleep disorders go away even without treatment.
False. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from sleep disorders don't realize that they have a disorder or that it can be treated. But sleep disorders don't disappear without treatment. Treatment may be behavioral (for example, going to sleep and waking at the same time every day, scheduling naps or losing weight), pharmacological (involving medication), surgical or a combination. Untreated sleep disorders may have serious negative effects, worsening quality of life, school and work performance, and relationships. Worse, untreated sleep disorders may lead to accidents and death.

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