Sleep debt
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Sleep debt is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. A large sleep debt, for example, would suggest that a person is mentally and physically fatigued due to insufficient sleep. There is debate in the scientific community over the specifics of sleep debt.
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[edit] Scientific acceptance of sleep debt
There is debate among researchers as to whether there is such a thing as sleep debt. The Sept 2004 issue of the journal Sleep (not available on-line) contained dueling editorials from two of the world's leading sleep researchers: David F. Dinges and Jim Horne. The popular understanding that sleep debt can be accumulated indefinitely has been disproven and is no longer considered plausible. However, some believe[citation needed] that there is a sleep debt that can amount to under 20 hours.
[edit] Evaluating sleep debt
Sleep debt can be tested through the use of a sleep latency test. This test measures how easily someone can fall asleep. When this test is done several times during the day, it is called a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).
However, one need not go to a sleep clinic; a home process exists: it involves relaxing quietly, alone for a short amount of time--if the feeling of sleep comes fairly easily, one is considered to have sleep debt. It is also worth noting that some suggest that the quality of sleep can have an effect on the level of one's sleep debt.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is also used to measure potential sleep debt along with a variety of other evaluations. Specifically, the ESS, created by an Australian researcher, is a simple eight item questionnaire with scores ranging from 0-24.
[edit] Society-wide sleep debt
Some believe[citation needed] that the demands of work, social activities, and the availability of 24-hour home entertainment and Internet access have caused people to sleep less now than in premodern times. Some call for the creation of education campaigns to draw attention to sleep debt.
However, Jim Horne of Loughborough University, one of the world's leading sleep researchers, questions such claims. In a 2004 editorial in the journal Sleep, he notes that available data suggests that the average number of hours per sleep in a 24-hour period has not changed significantly in recent decades. Furthermore, there is a range of normal sleep times required by healthy adults, and many indicators used to suggest chronic sleepiness among the population as a whole do not stand up to scientific scrutiny.
[edit] Trivia
- In 1964 Randy Gardner broke the record for consecutive sleeplessness. He stayed awake for 11 days without sleeping and made it into the Guinness Book of Records.
- The concept of sleep debt is used in the film Insomnia, and mentioned prominently in the special features for the DVD release of the film.
[edit] External links
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