NASA Develops Sleep Deprivation Test!

Night after night, we all deserve to sink into the irresistible comfort of a supportive mattress and get a good sleep. However, some of us will experience the effects of sleep deprivation much more than others.

Whether its down to work, school, or demanding social lives, our day-to-day schedules often get in the way of sleep. With this in mind, it’s not surprising to hear that a number of people are getting less sleep than is needed for the body and mind to function at its best.

The benefits of a great night’s sleep cannot be underestimated, not only is it critical for recovery but it is essential for maintaining cognitive skills such as communication, creativity and adaptability in thought.

Sleep Deprivation Test

With this in mind, large organisations are now taking into consideration that a decent night’s sleep is imperative to their workforce performance. NASA has even developed a range of eye movement tests that can identify acute sleep loss.

“By looking at a wide variety of components of human eye movements, we could not only detect sleepiness but also distinguish it from other factors, such as alcohol use or brain injury, that we have previously shown cause subtly different deficits in eye movements,” said study senior author Lee Stone from NASA Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, California.

This simple test in time could be used to warn you that you are too tired to drive or work, even if you feel fine. Luckily most of us don’t suffer from a high level of sleep loss. All the same, the effects of sleep deprivation can be avoided with the recommended level of sleep each night – six to eight hours.

Do you often feel tired? You’ll be surprised by how simple it is to make subtle changes to your daily routine to overcome symptoms of fatigue. Everyone is different, but we would recommend that you stick to regular bed times and make an effort to relax and unwind in the evenings. Go one step further by avoiding heavy meals, caffeine and alcohol too late at night.

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