Wake up to the dangers of sleep deprivation
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep-deprivation/MY01716
- With Mayo Clinic oncologist
Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
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Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Edward Creagan, M.D.
"The magic of the electronic village is transforming health information. The mouse and keyboard have extended the stethoscope to the 500 million people now online." — Dr. Edward Creagan
The power of the medium inspires Dr. Edward Creagan as he searches for ways to share Mayo Clinic's vast resources with the general public.
Dr. Creagan, a Newark, N.J., native, is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hospice medicine and palliative care. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1973 and in 1999 was president of the staff of Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, was honored in 1995 with the John and Roma Rouse Professor of Humanism in Medicine Award and in 1992 with the Distinguished Mayo Clinician Award, Mayo's highest recognition. He has been recognized with the American Cancer Society Professorship of Clinical Oncology.
He describes his areas of special interest as "wellness as a bio-psycho-social-spiritual-financial model" and fitness, mind-body connection, aging and burnout.
Dr. Creagan has been an associate medical editor with Mayo Clinic's health information websites and has edited publications and CD-ROMs and reviewed articles.
"We the team of (the website) provide reliable, easy-to-understand health and wellness information so that each of us can have productive, meaningful lives," he says.
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Stress blog
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March 23, 2011
Wake up to the dangers of sleep deprivation
By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.
Little children are often asked, "What did you learn in school today?" Picking up on that theme, let me share something I learned from an airline pilot and a banquet manager about the risks of sleep deprivation.
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A friend who is a pilot shared with me that new federal regulations require that pilots get, at a minimum, 8 to 10 hours of sleep between their itineraries. Many times the rest period evaporated while the pilots were caught in traffic or stranded on the runway. This is no longer acceptable, especially in view of some tragic crashes in which pilot fatigue played a role.
Another acquaintance is a convention and banquet manager at a prominent resort. After working nine consecutive days and averaging five hours of sleep a night, he had a complete meltdown and was temporarily relieved of his duties.
No matter what your job entails, sleep deprivation can be a catastrophe. Spiritual thinkers and philosophers from Eastern and Western traditions underscore the importance of rest and time away to clear the mind.
With today's fast-paced world, you must be proactive and preemptive to take care of yourself, or risk squandering your gifts and skills. It's not rocket science or brain surgery, just common sense — which isn't after all so common.
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