Silvia Naishtat
07/25/2021 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 07/25/2021 6:00 AM
Poor sleep usually results in that walking at half machine, in the loss of reflexes and in bad decisions.
Incomplete rest is considered
a public health problem by rich countries.
And that type of fatigue affects those in Argentina who have
night, rotating or extended shifts.
This is the case of doctors and nurses with 24-hour guards, operators of oil and mining wells, drivers and even software developers.
According to the latest survey by the UCA Social Observatory,
20% of those consulted at the AMBA said they had sleep problems
.
Before the pandemic it was 15%.
Not resting causes loss of life, in addition to its impact on the economy. They say it's like having the equivalent of
0.5% alcohol in your blood
. "The degree of alcohol can be measured with a pipette and avoid greater risks, but there is still no pipette to measure lack of sleep", say in duet the researchers Giannina Bellone and Malena Mul Fedele who work in the Chronophysiology Laboratory, an initiative of BIOMED, the UCA and CONICET. It works at the University of Quilmes.
There they analyze the impacts and regulations faced by various countries.
Bellone, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and Mul Fedele, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, point to
solutions for a world that does not rest,
something that was accentuated in the pandemic.
Both in work at home, where the limits were diluted and those faced by face-to-face activity, with a higher workload.
Illustration Mariano Vior
They focused on preventing accidents through
early detection of fatigue.
And they are developing monitoring and control with a method of continuous improvement to avoid sleep disorders.
"We must face the problem that
affects productivity and increases accidents in organizations,
" say the researchers.
A public health problem in the US
In the US, lack of sleep was declared a public health problem by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
There it was concluded that
30% of adults
do not get enough rest, a problem suffered by other countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Canada.
Australia
adopted smart regulations and managed to reduce road and work accidents.
These experts mention multiple factors as causes of fatigue: stress, poor diet, lack of physical activity and excessive exposure to screens. One of the most dramatic aspects is the relationship between fatigue or sleep and fatal traffic accidents. In 2011 there was a study on bus drivers with recommendations:
little and nothing was done.
Bellone and Mul Fedele emphasize biological rhythms and their disturbances when people work night and rotating work shifts.
“The organism
has the ideal wakefulness to work during the day
.
And if you do it at night, the environment must be well lit and allow for breaks.
Lack of sleep also has long-term consequences such as cancer, diabetes, heart disorders and psychological disorders ”, they affirm.
The companies began to apply measures
The good news is that many companies
began to implement measures,
including long-distance transportation and oil companies such as YPF.
Logistics leader Andreani decided not to circulate at night except for emergencies.
While looking for a tool to detect fatigue early, they try tests that give warning signs. One is based
on response time.
”When it takes time to react, it is because concentration decreases and decision-making is slow, irritability increases and reasoning fails. All these symptoms are measured ”, say the researchers. On one of the walls of the laboratory it reads:
"Rest to be able to live
."
