According to investigators, sleep deprivation played a role in the Three Mile Island accident, the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, the grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker and the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.
Whilst poor or constantly interrupted sleep might not have the same effect on you, it can dramatically alter your quality of life.
According to Philippa Logan, owner of SnoreMeds, one of the largest suppliers of anti-snoring devices, a lack of sleep can compromise your mental ability and emotional health as well as your safety. Snoring, she says, is one of the main problems – either because your partner is prodding or pushing you during the night or because you are suffering from a condition known as sleep apnea where pauses in breathing interrupt sleep.
Snoring results from a partial obstruction of the upper airway behind the tongue during sleep. The muscles around the upper airway relax, narrowing it. Air rushing through this smaller opening causes the soft tissue to vibrate, producing the familiar snoring sound.
Lack of sleep can make you irritable and increase anxiety and depression. Even small spells without sleep can accumulate to the point where two hours of lost sleep over a week and a half will see you performing like you’ve been awake for the past 24 hours! This also increases safety risks, especially when driving.
According to the American Institute of Medicine, drowsy driving causes 20 percent of all accidents.
Studies in the US and Europe have also shown that 24 hours of continuous wakefulness is equivalent to driving at a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent – way above our legal limit!
The Arrive Alive campaign warns that tired drivers are responsible for one in five deaths. The problem is that a sleeping driver doesn’t break or swerve to avoid a crash, making the resulting accidents far worse. That’s why traffic officials at roadblocks were told to stop fatigued drivers from driving.
But prevention is better than cure and the SnoreMeds anti-snoring mouthpiece has helped up to 85 percent of snorers. It gently moves the lower jaw forward, opening the throat and keeping the airway unobstructed to prevent the snoring “vibrations”. Made from, BPA-free, hyper-allergenic plastic, it comes in two sizes and molds to the mouth, allowing the wearer to swallow and breathe normally whilst enjoying a good night’s sleep. SnoreMeds anti-snoring devices come in two sizes, a small fit snore mouthpiece for women and an original fit for men is available to be purchased online with global delivery.