Sleep Deprivation: effects, consequences and ways to solve it

There are multiple theories to answer the question as of why do we sleep. Some people say it is due to behavioral adaptation, meaning many animals do it since it is an opportunity for meeting vital needs. There are also people who say sleep has a restorative function, meaning we gain energy back and restoring properties in our body that could not be restored while being awake. Other people say that sleep is a product of the brain and needed by the brain, since it can clear itself from toxins more easily during sleep. Finally, there s also people is used for memory consolidation. In other words, there are multiple research that indicate multiple reasons for our need to sleep, but in conclusion sleep is crucial for every human body.

The research The Sleep of Long-Haul Truck Drivers addresses the amount of sleep truck drivers get during long trips, together with the effects of sleep deprivation and fatigue while driving. To study this four groups of male truck drivers were taken (total sample of 20 males). With the use of electrophysiology and performance monitoring it was possible to know the amount of sleep they got, the amount of naps, rolling eye movements and electroencephalographic alpha activity. While drivers had previously stated an ideal amount of sleep of 7.1 per day the results showed that drivers were getting an average of 4.78 hours, which is close to 2 hours less than their average ideal sleep.

The results of The Sleep of Long-Haul Truck Drivers also showed how the electroencephalograms indicated stage 1 sleep during the times 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m “suggesting a circadian influence”. (Mitler, 1997) In a research done in 1963 (1963, Kleitman) a human was isolated from environmental cues and his sleeping cycle was recorded. It was found that adult humans have an endogenous period of 24.2 hours, in which on average 8 hours were used to sleep. Since our day only consists of 24 hours the human body assimilates outside cues through a process called entrainment to allows us to know when we should be awake or asleep. This internal clock that tells us when to sleep and when to wake up is called the circadian rhythm. Together with circadian rhythms is our homeostasis control which will indicate our body when we need sleep after being awake for too long. The combination of this two is what make us fall asleep at night and wake up in the mornings.  This is why drivers were more likely to enter phase 1 of sleep during 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

Furthermore, there has been multiple research done to know which part of the brain is in charge of entrainments and helps the circadian rhythm function the way it does. It has been found that “suprachiasmatic nucleus determines circadian period”. (Ralph, 1990) The research Melanopsin, a Canonical Light Receptor, Mediates Thermal Activation of Clock Genes has found that Melanopsin (OPN4) cells “play a role in synchronizing the central circadian pacemaker to the astronomical day”. (Morales, 2017) These cells are characteristic of the retina of mammals. The cell communicates the information of the environment gathered and sends it to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus. Throughout the research mouse were exposed to different heat stimulus and the reaction on their circadian rhythm was studied. The results suggest that melanopsin is necessary to perceive the temperature and used to regulate the circadian clock in mice.  

Throughout the talk Gail Baura  spoke about multiple ways to solve the problem of sleppy drivers. With today’s technology, it is possible to detect multiple different signs that would lead to the conclusion of a drowsy driver. There is technology that would allow to indicate lane departure. The problem with this aspect is that it does not take into consideration rain or snow. It was also suggested self driving cars, but it has been proven that accident is still probable with this solution. It could also be possible to use EEGs in the steering wheel of the truck to sense heart rate. It has also been tested mechanisms to detect the eyelid movement of drivers. Unfortunately, eyelids and heart rate are not reliable enough to get accurate conclusions. The most reliable solution proposed was the one of EMG sensors which can pick up signals that indicate a drowsy driver. The problem with this option is that the EMG does not pick up enough signals to make the results reliable.

Since we know that entrainment plays a big role in the circadian cycle, and therefore it plays a big role in the need to sleep, would it be possible to block all those signals. More specifically, would it be possible to inhibit cells, such as melanopsin, to trick the circadian clock and to allow drivers to more safely. Or, would it be possible to create a small apparatus that is able to detect when melanopsin is sending signals to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus?

Lack of sleep and fatigue has been proved to have a significant effect in any task performance. Sleep deprivation not only can cause accident with truck drivers, but also with doctors for example. It is proven that more than double of on the job attentional failures occur at night shift. The importance of sleep is many times underestimated. Sleep is something that is essential to our body and that we need to take seriously.  The amount of accident that occur due to the lack of sleep is unreasonable and unacceptable. I truly liked The Sleep of Long-Haul Truck Drivers not only because it provided insightful information but also because it addressed a problem that many consider unimportant. It is necessary to find a way to detect drowsiness in drives=rs and to prevent the many accident that constantly happen.

Resources

   Kleitman N. 1963. Sleep and wakefulness. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.

   Mitler, Merrill M. et al. “THE SLEEP OF LONG-HAUL TRUCK DRIVERS.” The New England journal of medicine 337.11 (1997): 755–761. Print.

   Moraes, Maria Nathália et al. “Melanopsin, a Canonical Light Receptor, Mediates Thermal Activation of Clock Genes.” Scientific Reports 7 (2017): 13977. PMC. Web. 13 Dec. 2017.

   Ralph MR, Foster RG, Davis FC, Menaker M. Transplanted suprachiasmatic nucleus determines circadian period. Science (1990) 247:975–8.10.1126/science.2305266