Jun 24, 2009

The Best RV Sleep Deprivation Story of Week

When you’re thinking of recreational vehicles (if you think of recreational vehicles in the first place), we bet you don’t think of sleep deprivation. After all, RVs are one of the few vehicle types that contain one or more beds, so sleep deprivation involving them is counterintuitive. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a possibly deadly connection.

With 12.1 percent of the U.S. population at age 65 or older, one issue gaining attention as a public safety challenge is the sleeping pattern of senior citizens. More than half of seniors aged 65 years or older, reports Senior Journal, have chronic sleep disturbances -- many of them no doubt caused by a guilty conscience over things they did when they were younger. While for most, sleep deprivation may be an inconvenience, for seniors driving a motor home, it can pose serious risks.

The effects of sleep deprivation mimic those of driving under the influence of alcohol. Driving reactions are delayed, judgment becomes impaired, and you often sleep with people that you regret sleeping with later. Not to mention the potential deadly consequences of falling asleep at the wheel. As people age, their lens thickens and their pupils shrink, allowing less light to enter, says the Senior Journal. This lack of light can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, causing interruptions to a night’s rest that can lead to drowsiness the next day -- a big risk since driving an RV, or any vehicle, requires you to be fully alert … or at the very least, alive.

According to the sleep experts at Pedata RV, the Lighting Research Center has been studying disrupted sleep rhythms and found that blue light directed to the eye for a set amount of time could help improve sleep patterns. It has developed a goggle-like device that allows seniors to administer the light themselves without use of prescription drugs. This new development might allow senior drivers to pilot RVs more safely -- or at least save money on drugs.