The Story
Bond Speaks on Sleep
As about fifteen alert College students sat in attendance while thousands of their possibly bleary-eyed peers were otherwise occupied, Dr. Thompson Bond, the director of the Sleep Disorders Center for Adults and Children at Williamsburg Neurology, gave a lecture Thursday on healthy sleep.
After informing the audience that insomnia, not snoring, which is a symptom, is the most common sleep disorder in the United States, Bond began with the topic of sleep deprivation, referring specifically to its relevance to the collegiate lifestyle.
"I can remember living in a dorm," said Bond. "Terrible sleep. Dorms are not meant for sleep. I dont know why they call them a dorm."
According to Bond, such hallmarks of college living as sleeping in on weekends and waking up with the help of an alarm are signs of sleep deprivation during the week.
"If youre getting enough sleep, youll naturally awaken," said Bond. "If youre using an alarm, youre not getting enough sleep."
Insomnia, according to Bond, is often a product of spending too much time in bed, depression and anxiety and the influence of caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
"Most sleeping pills work at GABA receptors," said Bond. "Alcohol works at the same receptor. The problem is that it has a short half life. You could drink a six pack and fall asleep, but youd wake up three hours later. Alcohol would work great if [you could have] a buddy give you an IV and have it drip throughout the night."
Working during the night also inhibits sleep, throwing off the normal, daily cycle of bodily functioning. Bond pointed to experiments showing that, regardless of bedtime, the bodys temperature peaks at around 5:00 p.m. and reaches its low point at 4:00 a.m. According to Bond, no one really "adapts" to sleep deprivation.
"Youre just a day worker forcing yourself to work nights," said Bond.
Bond also noted the effects of sleep deprivation on the everyday lives of students, explaining that a lack of sleep impairs ones ability to perform complex tasks and remember information. He did not hesitate to poke fun at one student who raised her hand and then promptly forgot her question.
Deficient sleep is not the only cause of sleepiness, however, as it could result from more serious disorders. Apnea, for example, disrupts sleep by closing off the upper airway, halting breathing as many as over one hundred times per hour.
Treatment for this potentially fatal disorder ranges from attempts to prevent the sufferer from lying on his or her back to weight-loss, which eases the pressure imposed by a bulky neck. Surgery, such as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, a mouthful in both senses of the word, is also available for more extreme cases.
Most commonly, people use a Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine to prop open their airways with a stream of humidified oxygen.
The lecture was part of the Health Outreach Peer Educators programming for the National Sleep Awareness Week. More information on HOPE can be found on their website .