Warning: Work, Commute, and Autumn May Disrupt Your Sleep

[September, 2007] Labor Day marks the end of the US summer holiday season. It is also when resumption of frenzied work and home routines can cost precious sleep time.

New information related to sleep may help those with sleep issues to sleep better and become more well rested and productive.

Too Much to Do

Even if people manage to get to bed at a decent hour, they may lie awake thinking about all they have to do the next day, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Do not take your mental "to do" list with you when you go to bed, advises Dr. Ralph Downey, chief of sleep medicine at the Sleep Disorders Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California.

"If you are a 'to do' list maker, one thing to do is leave your list in a drawer in your desk. Make your 'to do' list early in the evening. Put your completed list in a drawer and close it. This gives you a sense of closure - the 'to do' list is done," Dr. Downey says.

New Study Shows More Work and Greater Commute Decreases Sleep

Adding to the sleep deprivation that may be plaguing you at this busy time of year, a new study finds that the more hours adults work and the more hours they spend commuting, the less time they spend sleeping.

The researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that adults who sleep four-and-a-half hours per night or fewer worked an average of 93 minutes more on weekdays and 118 minutes more on weekends than the average sleeper.

People sleeping 11-and-a-half hours per night or more worked an average of 143 minutes less on weekdays and 71 minutes less on weekends, the researchers say.

Experts recommend that adults sleep between seven and eight hours each night.

"These cross-sectional results in a nationally representative sample suggest that compensated work time is the most potent determinant of sleep time, in which case work time should be considered an important factor when evaluating the relationship between sleep time and morbidity [illness] and mortality [death]," lead researcher Dr. Mathias Basner says.

Study Investigates Over 47,000 People

In their study, published in the medical journal Sleep, the researchers gathered data from 47,731 respondents to the American Time Use Survey conducted in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

A 15-minute telephone survey asked people how they spent their time between 4 a.m. the previous day and 4 a.m. on the day of the interview, including where they were and who they were with.

Results showed that the more daytime activities a person reported, the less hours he or she would spend sleeping. Time at work had the greatest effect on hours of sleep, the team reported.

The researchers say that the impact of travel time on sleep was unexpected and requires further research to understand how people manage their commute and sleep time.

Also, other kinds of travel time for errands, socializing, worship, and other leisure activities must be considered as factors.

People who slept less were spending more time in education, household activities, and, for people with very little sleep, TV watching.

For most people, the researchers report that increased TV time correlated with increased sleep time. All other activities decreased in time as sleep time increased.

On weekends, people with less sleep time also spent less time watching TV than average sleepers, while people with long sleep times spent less time socializing, relaxing, and participating in leisure activities.

Age also affects sleep time, the researchers say, who noted longer average sleep times at both the older and the younger ends of the age spectrum. People between 45 and 54 years old were most likely to be working more and sleeping less.

How to Improve Sleep

If you find your mind consumed with things that need to be done, take steps to calm it.

"Just like clear eyesight is 20/20, we can help to clear our mind by using the 20/20 method for sleep," Dr. Downey says.

He adds, "The method is simple: If you lie in bed for about 20 minutes, but haven't fallen asleep yet, get out of bed. Create a 'safe room.' Your safe room should be a comfortable haven. It should have dim lighting and not have any distractions like a computer, internet, or TV."

"You give your brain a time-out from the tension of trying to relax into sleep. Once about 20 minutes has passed, go back to bed and try to fall back asleep. Repeat as necessary. I don't recommend more than two to three times per night, because it becomes exhausting."

Simply lying in bed trying to force yourself to sleep does not work, Dr. Downey says.

If sleep is a problem for you, there is help available.

Always consult your physician for more information.