Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Parrish Medical Center - (Page 7)

Signs You Need to Stop and Rest In the past year, 60 percent of Americans drove while feeling sleepy, and 37 percent admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep in America poll. Many people, however, cannot tell whether or when they are about to fall asleep. And if sleepiness comes while driving, many people think, I can handle this, I’ll be fine. Yet they’re putting themselves and others in danger. What they really need is a nap or a good night’s sleep. These signs should tell a driver to stop and rest: • Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking or heavy eyelids • Daydreaming; wandering/disconnected thoughts • Trouble remembering the last few miles driven; missing exits or traffic signs • Yawning repeatedly or rubbing your eyes • Trouble keeping your head up • Drifting from your lane, tailgating, or hitting a shoulder • Feeling restless and irritable Go online to drowsydriving.org, supported by the National Sleep Foundation, and read more memorial stories and testimonies from people whose lives were changed forever because of drowsy driving. IN The FAST lANe Our society functions at a 24/7 pace. We’re sleeping less and less because we’re all too busy. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine suggests that people tend to overestimate their sleep time by an hour, on average. In addition to the demand we place on ourselves to function on minimal sleep, many people must do shift work. This disrupts their normal internal body clocks and makes it difficult for them to stay awake during awkwardly timed shifts (such as air traffic controllers). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conservatively estimates that each year 100,000 policereported crashes are the direct result of driver fatigue. But this may just be the tip of the iceberg. It is difficult to attribute crashes to sleepiness. Just like drugs or alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness and impairs judgment. Just like drugs or alcohol, it can be fatal when driving. Sleep Studies and Support Groups Parrish Sleep Disorders Center of Port St. John is a four-bed sleep center where studies are done seven days/nights a week. Diagnostic testing is done for sleep apnea, narcolepsy, REM behavior disorder, maintenance of wakefulness, and nocturnal seizures. Shift-work sleep studies are done during the day. Continuous follow-up care for sleep apnea is also done for patients with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines. The A.W.A.K.E. sleep support group meets the first Monday of every month at 6 p.m. Please call 321268-6408 to register or get more information about the sleep center. Parrish Sleep Disorders Center is at 5005 Port St. John Parkway. Where To GeT help Parrish Medical Center’s Sleep Disorders Center deals primarily with undiagnosed or untreated sleep disorders and is ready to help you be your best when you’re “on the road again.” Get the proper amount of rest every day, so when you get behind the wheel to drive, you can do so under the best possible circumstances. If you find that you’re not getting enough sleep, or enough “good sleep,” you could have an undiagnosed sleep disorder. Contact the Sleep Disorders Center to schedule an overnight sleep study. You don’t want to be a statistic, do you? By Kristina St. Peter-Weaver, Registered Sleep Technologist and Supervisor of the Parrish Sleep Disorders Center Vim & Vigor • FAl l 2011 ToolS Discover Your Sleep Quality in Minutes November is Drowsy Driving Awareness Month. Get your sleep score by taking the free SleepAware health risk assessment at parrishmed.com/score. It might save a life! 7 http://www.drowsydriving.org http://www.parrishmed.com/score

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Parrish Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Parrish
Contents
Tasty Tips
Opening Thoughts
Community Calendar
Don't Be a Drowsy Driver
The Art of Nursing
Healthy Hues
The New Survivors
First (Aid) Things First
Find Your Groove
A Healthy Tune
Stay in Circulation
'X' Marks the Spot
Pregnancy Predictors
Play It Safe
What's New?
A Walking, Talking Fitness Billboard
Community Health
Special Foundation Focus
Ask the Expert

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2011 - Parrish Medical Center