Getting enough sleep? Study shows North Carolina among most 'sleepless' in nation

Aug. 19--HIGH POINT -- Tired?

You're not the only one.

A national poll of 2,500 American workers by Mattress Clarity reports 25.7 percent of North Carolinians are "surviving" on five hours or less of sleep every night during the work week.

In today's increasingly busy digital world, more than a third of American adults say they are not getting the seven or eight hours of sleep per 24-hour period that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends for the best health and well-being.

"We need sleep in order to perform well in our everyday lives," said Courtney Bradley, assistant professor and applied laboratory coordinator in the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy at High Point University. "Lack of sleep can make us not perform as well in our careers at work and also at school for our students. Sleep also is needed for your body to perform its normal everyday functions -- sometimes if we get an inadequate amount of sleep our body isn't able to metabolize as well, so that can lead to overweight and obesity."

The study shows in Nevada, 43.8 percent report five hours or less of sleep per night, the highest in the nation. In Wyoming, on the other hand, the percentage is 9.2 percent, the lowest in the country.

Not getting enough sleep is linked with many chronic diseases and conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and depression. Not getting enough sleep can lead to workplace mistakes and motor vehicle crashes, which cause a lot of injury and disability each year.

On the other hand, adequate sleep helps the body fight infections, Bradley said.

Feeling drowsy, less attentive and having lower concentration levels are among the side effects people experience when they don't get enough sleep. Some people also report feeling more agitated and irritated if they don't get enough sleep.

"In some careers, you have to be very attentive, safe and look at the details, so lack of sleep can really interfere with that," Bradley said. "Our careers are contributing to our lack of sleep, and then potentially our lack of sleep is not allowing us to perform as effectively in our jobs, but I think a lot of people are having additional stress that doesn't stop at 5 p.m. or whenever your shift ends."

More than half of survey respondents said work stress affects their sleep. The study attributed sleep deprivation to employment stresses, such as people working longer hours, holding more than one job or taking less vacation. All these long hours are taking their toll on the quality, and the length, of our sleep. There has been a rise in Americans having more than one job, in order to make ends meet. The Labor Department recently reported that 7.6 million workers held multiple jobs, up 2 percent from 7.4 million in July 2016.

Respondents also noted not being able to "switch off." Mattress Clarity's survey found 42 percent, almost half of Americans, check their work email before going to bed at night. If something has gone wrong, it's likely to keep you awake longer.

"In the digital age, we take our work home," Bradley said. "I'm guilty as well. I check my email before I go to bed many nights a week. As a society, we really expect that instant response. Technology has made our lives a lot easier in many ways, but I think we're starting to encounter other problems because of it."

Because of the ongoing work-related stress due to technology, Bradley suggests a need to educate not only employees but employers.

"To say maybe you need to put a bigger emphasis on leaving work at work or maybe work less hours, whatever might be right for that company," she said.

Alcohol and sleep

One in 10 survey respondents said they sometimes drink alcohol in order to sleep better.

"With alcohol, what we actually see is that people are able to fall asleep but it causes them to wake up multiple times throughout the night more often," Bradley said. "So you're correcting one type of sleep disorder but actually causing another."

The primary type of sleep disorder people complain about is having difficulty falling asleep, she said. Another common kind is waking up multiple times in the middle of the night and not getting a consistent amount of sleep. A third disorder is waking too early in the morning.

"You go through four different stages of sleep, and it cycles over and over during your seven to eight hours in the night," Bradley said. "One of the later parts of sleep is REM, rapid eye movement sleep. It's during that time that you're getting really good quality sleep and it helps with memory, learning and forming neural connections in your brain. If you're not getting to that level of sleep, then you might be sleeping through your seven or eight hours on the clock but not getting good quality sleep."

Health care providers recommend only one alcoholic beverage per day for females and two for men, with criteria for amounts of each type of alcohol. "Liquor, wine and beer have certain ounces we consider a 'standard drink' so we always caution our patients to keep that in mind," Bradley said. "Alcohol might make people feel like they're getting sleep, but what they don't realize is they're waking up at all times throughout the night."

People who use over-the-counter medications to sleep often experience side effects of daytime drowsiness or sedation the next day.

"We always have to counsel our patients that you don't want to take that unless you can plan on getting a full eight hours of sleep," Bradley said. "Even then, everyone reacts differently to the medicine, so you don't want to be planning a travel day or getting behind the wheel in a car at 8 a.m. the next day without knowing how your body is going to react to it. The other thing about over-the-counter is just making sure it's for a short-term basis. We don't want people taking them chronically without talking with their health care provider about other things they can do to help sleep."

Talking with health care providers about lack of sleep can help Americans develop better habits.

"When you go into your doctor's office or to a health-care provider, we measure things like your blood pressure, heart rate and your weight, but oftentimes we don't ask how are you sleeping or how many hours are you getting?" Bradley said. "That may be an important discussion to have with our health care providers that we're just treating on our own."

cingram@hpenews.com -- 336-888-3534 -- @HPEcinde

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Want to know more?

--Go to mattressclarity.com/blog/sleep-survival for an interactive map showing where Americans are getting the least sleep.

--One-fourth of North Carolina workers "survive" on less than five hours sleep each night, the study reveals.

--More than half of respondents said work stress affects sleep.

--One in 10 say they use alcohol to help them sleep.

Habits for better sleep hygiene

--Establish a regular bedtime routine, which may be to wash your face, brush your teeth and read a little while or practice prayer/meditation before bed.

--Make sure your sleeping environment is comfortable, usually a dark, quiet, cool room.

--Avoid distractions in the bedroom, such as TV or other electronics.

--Finish eating and exercising two to three hours before bedtime.

--Avoid substances in the evening that make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep, such as caffeine, nicotine and drinking large amounts of liquid.</blockquote>

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