Sleep

Wifey B: You feel yourself getting sleepier, closing your eyes, thinking of rest, soon you'll be under my spell. No, that's not what I mean with the title "Sleep." No hypnosis here.

I'm one of the strongest opponents of drinking and driving and drinking and boat operation you'll find, but that's not the only high risk operation and today's is sleep deprivation. No, it doesn't mean no sleep. It means six hours sleep is a lot worse than you think. Less than five hours is like being drunk when it comes to risks. More is being learned about sleep each day. For those of you who think you're safe and fine sleeping less, you're sadly mistaken just like the drunk who thinks they're fine. Perhaps you get by, but you're not at your normal capacity.

So, a study by AAA I just saw, one of many studies, but this one specific to auto accidents.


Getting only 6 hours of sleep can double risk of car crash: AAA study | CTV News

And if you don't get enough sleep in spite of trying, get a sleep study. You'll be amazed how much better you'll feel once you get help and more sleep.

I sleep a lot longer when I get drunk.

I have a puppy. Nuff said! LOL!

+1 It´s the ONLY time I get more than 5 hours of sleep + it´s a killer excuse for knocking down a few - ha!

BandB said:

Wifey B: For those of you who think you're safe and fine sleeping less, you're sadly mistaken just like the drunk who thinks they're fine. Perhaps you get by, but you're not at your normal capacity.

So, a study by AAA I just saw, one of many studies, but this one specific to auto accidents.

Drivers who had:

six to seven hours of sleep had a crash risk 1.3 times higher than normal;

five to six hours of sleep had a 1.9 times higher than normal;

four to five hours of sleep had a crash risk 4.3 times higher than normal;

and those with less than four hours of sleep had a crash risk 11.5 times higher than normal.​

Getting only 6 hours of sleep can double risk of car crash: AAA study | CTV News

And if you don't get enough sleep in spite of trying, get a sleep study. You'll be amazed how much better you'll feel once you get help and more sleep.

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Crap like this drives me nuts! Total BS! I think in research they refer to this as outcome based research (determine the outcome, and then do the research to support it). Anybody who has ever done research of this kind will tell you there would be a bell curve for the optimal amount of sleep for each individual for an average day.

I tend to function best with 6 to 7 hours of sleep. 8 hours for 2 or 3 days in a row causes me to wake up repeatedly during the night and be groggy the next day.

Ted

O C Diver said:

I tend to function best with 6 to 7 hours of sleep.

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Make it 5-6 hours. But I do like to nap for an hour or so in the afternoon.

O C Diver said:

Crap like this drives me nuts! Total BS! I think in research they refer to this as outcome based research (determine the outcome, and then do the research to support it). Anybody who has ever done research of this kind will tell you there would be a bell curve for the optimal amount of sleep for each individual for an average day.

I tend to function best with 6 to 7 hours of sleep. 8 hours for 2 or 3 days in a row causes me to wake up repeatedly during the night and be groggy the next day.

Ted

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One would have to test you specifically to know how it impacts you. However, the groggy with 8 hours may be habit and with 6 hours you may be suffering a significant drop off in function around 2 to 3 pm.

With age, people may require less. There are many variables. However, one thing that is proven over and over is the impact of lack of sleep in schools and in the workplace. The numbers above were based on sizable groups as most studies are. Obviously individuals are affected differently. However, sleep is a significant issue not addressed enough. There are a lot of people trying to function on too little sleep, many on 4 to 5 hours. The numbers my wife posted aren't crap even if you don't fit the pattern. The fact is, whatever the specifics, there are a lot of boaters, a lot of drivers, and a lot of workers operating on too little sleep to function their bests.

I once functioned for a year or two on 5 to 6 hours and thought I was fine, then 3 to 4 hours for about a year, and thought I was doing great with all that extra time available. Felt like superman. Then 1 1/2 to 2 hours and I knew that was getting to me. That's when I went for a sleep study. Unlike many who go, I don't have sleep apnea. Simply, and not scientifically descriptive, my brain decides it's time to start up again and be active and wakes me. It requires a hypnotic medication to keep me asleep for a reasonable time. At 7 to 8 hours I function my best. There are other factors too like regular sleep schedules.

Donsan said:

Make it 5-6 hours. But I do like to nap for an hour or so in the afternoon.

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Wifey B: So, you're the support for 7-8 hours as at 5-6 you need a nap.

BandB said:

Wifey B: So, you're the support for 7-8 hours as at 5-6 you need a nap.

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See what scientists do. You changed "like" to "need."

menzies said:

See what scientists do. You changed "like" to "need."

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Wifey B: Ah, he called me a scientist.

BandB said:

Wifey B: So, you're the support for 7-8 hours as at 5-6 you need a nap.

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Don't need a nap but "like" to nap, specially if I have nothing else to do. This is retirement living ya know!

Donsan said:

Don't need a nap but "like" to nap, specially if I have nothing else to do. This is retirement living ya know!

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Wifey B: I don't nap. Well, sometimes....oh, we might...in the afternoon....like....go to...but it's not to nap. We might lay down in the afternoon, perhaps that's the better way to put it, but no sleeping. But then we got 7-8 hours sleep so have lot's of energy.

I never sleep, it would be wasting hours of drinking

So how does using a cell phone compare to drunk driving or loss of sleep?

The other day my wife and I watched several people walking across busy streets and parking lots with their eyes glued to their phones.

Apparently, you really can't fix stupid!

What is the % of chance of a drinking captain, talking on the cell phone watching his chartplotter to have an accident if he did not sleep his full 9h?

Because of my safety related job.....we knew back in the late 90s that most drunk driving incidents were really fatigue related, but the info was buried to satisfy the surge of anti drinking.

Not saying that intoxication isn't an issue...statistically is isn't what many organizations want to push.I brought up the fatigue issue years ago in alcohol threads and was laughed off. We will ultimately see what really causes accidents....but it may take decades.

If fatigued...the funny thing is the best the US military, NASA, and sleep experts could come up wit, was chew gum.

O C Diver said:

Crap like this drives me nuts! Total BS! I think in research they refer to this as outcome based research (determine the outcome, and then do the research to support it). Anybody who has ever done research of this kind will tell you there would be a bell curve for the optimal amount of sleep for each individual for an average day.

I tend to function best with 6 to 7 hours of sleep. 8 hours for 2 or 3 days in a row causes me to wake up repeatedly during the night and be groggy the next day.

Ted

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There will be variables of course. The same holds true for anything from calorie intake, alcohol consumption, exercise, medication dosages, etc... there are individual variables. However, the research is valid.

When was the last time you had a doctor tell you; "I really have no idea how much of this medication to give you and we won't know until we do a long research trial on you using all available dosages." No they don't. They, (and I) dose based on research. We know how most folks respond. The same holds for sleep. Research shows how most folks will perform with varying amounts of sleep. Can you be different? Sure, but that doesn't mean the research is BS.

It is not just based on what you got the night before, it is also variables leading to the ultimate fatigue factor of the second night.

Sure people are all a bit different, just like the ability to text and drive and drink and drive.

No single factor means anything...I am guessing someone is finally just dragging in another large factor in accidents into the arena. It took AAA to get anyone's attention...let's see where it winds up.

dhays said:

Research shows how most folks will perform with varying amounts of sleep. Can you be different? Sure, but that doesn't mean the research is BS.

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The results (anything less than 7 hours has a significantly greater risk [1.3 times]) are presented as an absolute. The implied assumption is that it's universally true, which it isn't. Good research would show a relationship of increased risk as a percentage of the sample group. The research might show that 10% of the group were 4 times more likely to have an accident with less than 7 hours sleep and 90% were unaffected. That affected 10% would raise the group average to 1.3 times. Quite a different picture. It all depends on how you want to manipulate the numbers for outcome based research.

Ted

psneeld said:

It is not just based on what you got the night before, it is also variables leading to the ultimate fatigue factor of the second night.

Sure people are all a bit different, just like the ability to text and drive and drink and drive.

No single factor means anything...I am guessing someone is finally just dragging in another large factor in accidents into the arena. It took AAA to get anyone's attention...let's see where it winds up.

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Wifey B: This AAA report is nothing new in terms of what it reports, just a new report. I have always agreed with your comments on fatigue, although don't agree with you on the alcohol side. I think just because one thing is bad, doesn't make another better. Alcohol, sleep, attention, and skill are just four of many factors. I just felt that reminding people of sleep and the seriousness of fatigue was appropriate. I thought of your posts as I did so as well, so I obviously had listened to your comments.

I was in the commercial trucking industry, and driving tired is sometimes just as, if not more dangerous than driving drunk. Fortunately I learned how to gauge when to take a break early in my career. Like anything else in life( if you remember the movie Cool Hand Luke) "A man's (or woman) got to know his limitations"

Gurryman said:

I was in the commercial trucking industry, and driving tired is sometimes just as, if not more dangerous than driving drunk. Fortunately I learned how to gauge when to take a break early in my career. Like anything else in life( if you remember the movie Cool Hand Luke) "A man's (or woman) got to know his limitations"

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I once pulled into a motel less than 30 miles from my destination, but I just wasn't comfortable driving any further. Another time, driving in snow, I pulled into a hotel at 12:30 AM and left at 4:30 AM. I was about 100 miles from my destination that time.

I think with any sort of impairment, alcohol, drugs, legal medicine and lack of sleep, once we are impaired, it is very difficult for us (at least some of us) to determine our own degree of impairment and take appropriate action.


For many, there's a false sense of pride in saying "I drive better with a few drinks than sober." or "I can drive sixteen hours straight, no problem."

I am bad about getting sleepy on long road trips. Always been a problem.

I found that if I keep a jar of pickled jalapenos in the car, if I get sleepy I grab one and munch it down.

Never in human history has anyone died from falling asleep at the wheel with a half eaten jalapeno in their mouth.

Ski in NC said:

I am bad about getting sleepy on long road trips. Always been a problem.

I found that if I keep a jar of pickled jalapenos in the car, if I get sleepy I grab one and munch it down.

Never in human history has anyone died from falling asleep at the wheel with a half eaten jalapeno in their mouth.

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looks like you did your research

New business opportunity - Jalapeno chewing gum..Yeaaahhh!