Psychology for Living
Gwen Randall-Young October 17, 2004
Scientists now tell us that fatigue can create
as much impairment as alcohol. Fatigue seems
to be a side effect of busy lifestyles. In earlier
times, people rose with the sun, and slept when
it got dark. Sure they had candles and lanterns,
but there was just not that much to do after dark.
Biologically we are not that different from our
ancestors, but our environment has changed drastically.
With television and computers, we can find entertainment
twenty-four hours of the day. All of this stimulation
distracts us from our biological instincts.
Students have extracurricular activities and homework
to keep them stimulated right up until bedtime.
Many adults, and children I suppose, have television
sets in the bedroom which are turned on until its
time to turn out the lights. The mind is activated
right up until sleep time.
This is quite different from the days when the time
after supper was spent quietly reading, or doing
a craft—the family together slowing down, perhaps
reflecting on the day. This time allowed the mind
to slow down, and the body to relax, all in preparation
for a restful sleep.
What happens in the hours before bedtime does affect
the quality of sleep. A busy, stressed mind will
not allow for the deep restoring sleep our bodies
require. Fatigue can result from insufficient sleep,
or from poor quality sleep. Fatigue then affects
the quality of our waking lives in ways which may
create further stress, and so the cycle continues.
We would not go to school or work in an inebriated
state, yet fatigue makes us just as dysfunctional.
Wisdom, then, would dictate that we place greater
importance on the amount and quality of sleep we
are getting. A good night’s sleep makes almost everything
go better.
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Gwen Randall-Young is a psychologist and
author. Her new book, Growing Into Soul: The Next
Step in Human Evolution, is available on her website
at www.gwen.ca or you can contact her directly at
gwendall@shaw.ca
Gwen Randall-Young Chartered Psychologist
www.gwen.ca
