Sleep Deprivation
“…Now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed” [Romans 13:11]
Did you know that one hour of sleep deprivation increases the number of highway accidents by 8 percent and an hour of extra sleep decreases them by 8 percent? It’s true, and studies have shown that it happens every year during the daylight saving time changes.
Getting a good night’s rest is nothing to snore at. Your efficiency driving after you have been awake for 18 hours is the same as driving after you have had two alcoholic drinks. When you have been awake for 24 hours your driving efficiency is equivalent to driving under the influence of 4-6 drinks!
Are Americans sleeping less than their great-grandparents? Yes. An estimated 60 million Americans have trouble sleeping. Today, because of artificial lights, TV, the Internet, and the caffeine craze, people are sleeping about one hour less than their great-grandparents did. This figure might not be startling in itself – but considering that proper sleep is one of the most important elements in the process of healing, America is also in for a disease-ridden wake up call.
So, what’s wrong with a little caffeine to keep you awake? The hormone adenosine induces relaxation to help us sleep, but caffeine blocks the communication between adenosine and the brain, keeping you “awake” and shutting off the body’s defense against exhaustion-related injury. Alcohol also robs the body of deep sleep. Tobacco users miss out on deeper sleep due to nicotine withdrawal during the night. And antidepressants (even sleeping pills) can also decrease levels of REM sleep, a type of sleep that keeps your mind healthy.
Optimum performance comes with nine hours of sleep each night. Sending your kids to bed early is no longer a “because I said so” event. According to one study, school-age children who had less than nine hours of sleep had dramatically higher rates of obesity and increased temperament issues. And those going to bed after 9 p.m. were the most at risk for developing these complications.
Getting enough sleep is important when it comes to performance, but Jesus said there is a time to stay awake at any cost. Paul explains, “Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness” (Romans 13:13,14). When we properly get our rest, physically and spiritually in Christ, we will be able to function with clear minds.
