Nebraska Rural Health and Safety Coalition
Most
adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. People who are
well rested feel alert and do not have the urge to nap.
- Not
allowing enough time for sleep
- Anything
that causes insomnia or poor quality sleep
- Sleep
disorders
- Excessive
worry, depression
- Repeated
awakenings from noise
- Working
at night, travel across time zones
- Medical
illness causing pain, difficulty breathing, etc.
Obstructive
sleep apnea: A very common disorder where there is obstruction
of the nose and/or throat by enlarged tonsils, a deviated nasal
septum etc. which results in pauses in breathing during sleep.
Symptoms include snoring, morning headache and daytime fatigue.
Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to heart failure and is a risk
factor for heart attacks and strokes.
Nocturnal
myoclonus: Jerking of legs during sleep which causes brief
awakenings. This causes insomnia and daytime sleepiness.
Narcolepsy:
A relatively rare sleep disorder of dream sleep. The main
symptom is uncontrollable sleepiness during the day.
- Motor
vehicle accidents and work accidents
- Decreased
productivity
If this
becomes a chronic problem, sleep deprivation can cause difficulties
with social relationships because of irritability; as well
as some significant medical problems.
In
the early to mid afternoon and in the very early morning hours.
These are the times when everyone is least alert.
- Medical
illnesses: heart disease, breathing disorders and a
variety of other problems can cause fatigue and sleepiness.
- Mental
illness: depression is an important cause of insomnia
troubles during the day.
Getting
enough sleep at night or adding naps in the afternoon when needed
can help prevent serious accidents due to sleepiness. If a person
has signs of a sleep disorder or has their sleep disrupted by
symptoms of a medical illness or depression, they should see
their physician.
In
contrast to just feeling tired, how likely are you to doze off
or fall asleep in the following situations? (Even if you have
not done some of these things recently, try to work out how
they would have affected you.) Use the following scale to choose
the most appropriate number for each situation.
- 0
= Would never doze
- 1
= Slight chance of dozing
- 2
= Moderate chance of dozing
- 3
= High chance of dozing
Situation |
Chance
of Dozing |
Sitting
and Reading |
|
Watching
TV |
|
Sitting
inactive in a public place (i.e. theatre) |
|
As
a car passenger for an hour without a break |
|
Lying
down to rest in the afternoon |
|
Sitting
and talking to someone |
|
Sitting
quietly after lunch without alcohol |
|
In
a car, while stopping for a few minutes in traffic |
|
A score
of greater than 10 is a definite cause for concern as it indicates
significant excessive daytime sleepiness.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
document was produced by the Nebraska Rural Health and Safety
Coalition. Funded in part by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation.
Nebraska Rural Health and Safety Coalition, University of
Nebraska Medical Center, 600 South 42nd Street, Omaha, Nebraska
68198-5300. Phone: (402) 559-7397. FAX: (402) 559-8210.
|