Sleep expert James Maas: Get some shuteye, zombies!
Cornell professor speaks at High Point Market
David Perry -- Furniture Today, October 18, 2010
Sleep expert James Maas, center, with Jamie Diamonstein, left, and Richard Fleck, right, both of Paramount.
AT THE MARKET - There's no need to read novels about zombies - real examples are everywhere, creatures of sleep deprivation. But help for those zombies is within reach, a sleep expert says.
James Maas, one of the nation's leading authorities on sleep and the problems caused by lack of sleep, raised the zombie image in a talk here sponsored by Paramount, a Norfolk, Va.-based bedding producer aiming to stand out in the mattress category.
Maas, a professor at Cornell University and co-author of the new book "Sleep for Success! Everything you must know about sleep but are too tired to ask," said that high school and college students "are walking zombies" due to lack of sleep.
And adults are not much better off, he said: Most people are moderately to severely sleep deprived; 71% don't get the recommended eight hours of sleep each night. And 75% of people experience sleep problems each week.
Maas is a popular figure on the lecture circuit, speaking to companies around the country. And he's a popular figure at Cornell, where he teaches an introductory psychology class to more than 1,000 students each fall in what is believed to be the world's largest single lecture class. In almost 50 years at Cornell he's taught Psychology 101 to 65,000 students.
He wasn't giving quizzes to any of those who heard him here, but he was talking about the life-changing benefits that stem from getting a good night of sleep each night.
"Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury," Maas said. "Sleep determines our waking success: Mood, alertness, energy, thinking performance, productivity, safety, general health and longevity."
Maas reviewed recent research on sleep. The sleeping brain, he said, is "highly active." It regulates immune, hormone and endocrine functions essential for general health.
The sleeping brain also replenishes brain neurotransmitters that organize new information and ideas into long-term physical storage. And that is essential for memory, learning, performance, problem solving, creativity and even athletic excellence, Maas said.
He also talked about the consequences of sleep deprivation. "Drowsiness is a red alert," he said. "Driving drowsy is the same as driving drunk. No loud radio, air conditioning, coffee or food will prevent falling asleep at the wheel."
Maas also presented a long list of the consequences of shortened sleep, including increased heart disease, diabetes and obesity and increased irritability, anxiety, depression, a reduced ability to process, concentrate and remember and a reduced ability to communicate.
He offered several "golden rules for peak performance." Establish a regular sleep schedule, Maas said, and if you are up late, don't sleep in. And it is important, he said, to get "continuous sleep." Caffeine, chocolate, nicotine and alcohol can cause "fragmented sleep."
People who are sleep deprived should go to bed earlier or consider restorative naps, according to Maas.
To set the stage for a good night of sleep, Maas recommends establishing a relaxing atmosphere in the bedroom and limiting TV watching. A hot bath and easy stretching can also help. Meditation and soothing music can also be helpful, he said.
Paramount offers one other thought on how to sleep well: Get a good mattress. The producer is showing a number of its new bedding brands here.
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