Understanding Sleep and Fatigue - Causes of Fatigue

During sleep most bodily functions are carried on at lower rate. Heat production is less and temperature is depressed from 1 degree to 2 degree Fahrenheit. The heart rate is reduced slighty and the blood pressure declines. Urine volume is reduced, but by morning the bladder is usually full. All muscle tone is lessened. Lack of sleep causes diminished appetite, irritability, and, in schoolchildren, an inability to learn. Prolong lack of sleep has serious mental effects.

Here are the required amounts and time to sleep:
Newborn child: 18 to 20 hours.
Growing children: 10 to 12 hours.
Adults: 6 to 9 hours.
Old people: 7 hours.

Children should have plenty of sleep at night and a rest during the day. Little children should be in bed by 6 p.m. Schoolchildren should be in bed before 11 p.m. Adults should be in bed at 11 p.m in order to get 8 hours' sleep. Pregnant women should have a long rest each night. The bedroom should be clean and airy, and the body should be kept warm during sleep.

There are different causes for a feeling of fatigue or tiredness–some are physical and some mental.

Causes of physical fatigue

1. Lack of sleep–habitual late nights, for example, in schoolchildren.
2. Poor circulation, for example heart failure.
3. Insufficient or unsuitable diet.
4. Pregnancy–active foetus–need for good anti-natal care.
5. Poor lighting, poor ventilation, wrong temperature and humidity.
6. Poor posture, for example a bus driver in a wrongly shaped seat, or schoolchildren at unsuitable desks.
7. Noise–in factories.
8. Poor housing or lack of a good space, poor household management–lack of a good working circuit.

Causes of mental and emotional fatigue

1. Uninteresting work, repetition–boredom.
2. Work that is beyond the mental ability of the person can cause a seriouse fatigue.
3. Work that is below the mental capacity of the individual also causes fatigue.
4. Lack of incentive–poor marital relationships.
5. Depression–a form of mental illness.

In industry, fatigue results in:

1. Lowered output of work.
2. Increased accident rate.
3. Excessive complaints and quarrels.

Causes of Fatigue at work

1. Lenght of the working week.
2. Nature of the job–is it satisfactory to the person?
3. The surroundings.
4. Lack of leisure and recreation, or break periods.

Understanding Difficulties and Disturbances in Sleep in Children

The causes may be:
1. Gastro-intestinal disturbances.
2. Disturbance caused by wetness, noise, discomfort, insect bites, or hunger.
3. In older children it may be emotional experiences, like change of scene, fear, or the parents being away. A child normally enjoys going to bed, if it is made pleasant with a bedtime story.