A Prescription for Sleep
A recent former US President bragged about how well he performed on a few hours of sleep each night. Noted brain imager and ADHD researcher Dr Daniel Amen says “trying to outsmart sleep is outright stupid.” Unlike the viewpoint of that president, new and old brain imaging and sleep studies back Dr Amen’s view.
I remember hearing about this subject in the 1980s while in high school. To the brain, sleep deprivation is no different than intoxication. AAA did the study then, and AAA did a similar study now. The findings? Not good for those who skip sleep. Their baseline was people who invested the time to get more than 7 hours of sleep nightly.
- Drivers who slept 6 to 7 hours were 30% more likely to be in a car crash than those who got more than 7 hours.
- Drivers who slept for 5 to 6 hours a night were 90% more likely to be involved with a collision.
- At 4 to 5 hours your are 430% more likely to crash.
- And those drivers who got less than 4 hours of shuteye? 1,150% more likely to crash.
- You can read the full report at https://www.ace.aaa.com/automotive/advocacy/drowsy-driving.html
Got a big day tomorrow? An important test? A career-changing interview or presentation? Your brain will perform better on less studying or preparation and more sleep than the other way around.
#adhdtips: Don’t pull an all-nighter
Instead, speed read your notes or homework and then put it down and off to sleep. Let your brain process it overnight. Really, you’ll be more prepared than ignoring your need for sleep.
Chronic sleep deprivation is horribly detrimental to both the mind and body. Sleep is so important that unfriendly people have employed sleep deprivation as a method of torture for millennia. We don’t need someone to torture us today; we do just fine on our own. Post-concussion because you habitually don’t get enough sleep and crashed your car: sleep is even more important.
I’m not a prescriber in the traditional sense of the role. I will strongly suggest activities that can positively impact one’s life. The smart money (and the brain that thinks clearly!) is on getting more than seven hours of sleep each night.
