Page 11 - April 2022 Track N Times

OPERATIONS UPDATES

SLEEP

By Robert Maddox, Assistant Manager, Specialized Maintenance

In the United States, someone dies in a traffic accident every hour due
to fatigue-related error. In our modern society, constant fatigue has be-
come a fact of life for many. 38% of workers in the US report being fa-
tigued. As a society, we’ve been taught to “suck it up” or ”push through”
without any education on sleep. The fact is that without sufficient quality
sleep, your risk of premature death increases significantly.
Poor sleep has been found to have risk-factors associated with condi-
tions such as Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer,
low-testosterone, excess weight gain, depression, suppressed immune system, high blood pressure, and long-term
mood disorders. Your risk of fatigue related accidents will increase with every hour you deprive yourself. From
smashed fingers caused by a lack of coordination to a misstep in LOTO resulting in electrocution, fatigue is usually
the culprit.
Heading back to the first paragraph, you’ll see the figure of 38% of US workers report fatigue. Well, 3 in 4 Ameri-
cans begin work between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. For those of us who work alternating and over-night
shifts (“shiftwork”), the number is much higher. Up to 90% of shift-workers report regular fatigue and sleepiness at
the workplace.
How Sleep Works

Your brain operates on a 24-hour circadian-rhythm, signaled by light in
the morning and darkness in the evening. Throughout the day a chemi-
cal called adenosine builds up in the brain, slowly increasing the desire
to sleep. Then, melatonin production begins a few hours after the sun
goes down. When you fall asleep, your brain starts working to clear
out the adenosine. When morning comes back around, the light signals
your brain to stop producing melatonin and become alert.
Benefits of Sleep

Sleep is the closest thing to a “cure-all” that
we, as humans, have found. While you
sleep, the brain activates repair activities in
every organ and artery, boosts your im-
mune system, and consolidates memories
for learning and retention. Proper sleep
keeps all of these functions up to date so
that they don’t affect alertness. (Fun fact:
the brain continues working on learning
tasks long after the initial learning period has
ended.)

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