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Here's an excellent article I found today via Aeon.co:

Here's a particularly shocking quote:

Moreover, we often fail to take sleep deprivation as seriously as alcohol intoxication, even though both immediately impair our behavior and cognition. According to Matthew Walker, "After 20 hours of being awake, you are as impaired cognitively as you would be if you were legally drunk." Driving after 24 straight hours awake gives similar levels of sleep impairment as driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1, higher than what is considered drunk driving in many jurisdictions.

Recently, Walker went on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to share his perspective on sleep as a neuroscientist and promote his new book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. During their conversation, Walker and Rogan discuss what is perhaps the most appalling irony of ironies: that medical doctors - the very people who are supposed to be caring for our health - are often complacent in creating today's sleep deprived culture.

New medical residents serve 30 hour shifts, and this sleep deprivation affects not only medical residents, but also their patients. Indeed, Walker states that "Residents working a 30 hour shift are 460 percent more likely to make diagnostic errors in the intensive care unit relative to when they're working 16 hours." Doctors' lack of sleep may literally be killing patients.

End of quote.

30 hour shifts?!?!!!!!!! I think even 16 hours seems quite excessive, given that a "normal" 9-to-5 workday is "only" 8 hours.

I wonder what shift length would be ideal to reduce errors.

But shift length is definitely not the only relevant factor to take into consideration. Some people function best at night, while others function best in the day, or for part of the day and part of the night. And Non-24 people continually vary.

So, maybe it would be best if doctors (and others) were assigned shifts that match their own circadian rhythms - or no specific hours at all, if they have Non-24.

I don't know if there are any doctors who have (or are aware they have) Non-24.

But if there were, I'm guessing they might function best if they were allowed to flexibly come to work, or not, anytime they feel well-rested enough to do a good job - and allowed to leave work anytime they wanted or needed to.

Actually, perhaps that's the way it should be even for people without Non-24.

With more freedom and flexibility in the hours they work, doctors (or anyone) would probably be much better-rested, happier, and would probably make far fewer mistakes.

Which could save lives. And maybe also reduce malpractice lawsuits.

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Bras might reduce melatonin and increase the risk of breast cancer

Sunday, July 29th, 2018 19:49:36 GMT

Here's a link which probably every woman should read:

Quotes:

"There's evidence of a relationship between bras and breast cancer"

[...]

"BRAS AND GIRDLES CAN REDUCE MELATONIN LEVELS

Japanese researchers found they can lower melatonin by 60%. Melatonin has anti-cancer properties. And Spanish researchers wrote about the use of melatonin in breast cancer prevention and treatment. (Mercola.com)

End of quotes.

Melatonin has a lot to do with sleep and circadian rhythms.

So, I wonder if that up to 60% reduction in melatonin might possibly cause some havoc with many women's circadian rhythms?

Unfortunately, occasionally going constantly braless definitely wasn't a cure for my possible Non-24.

However, I think maybe I really do sleep better when I sleep without a bra.

And I definitely think usually wearing a loose bra, rather than a tighter and more aesthetically pleasing bra, feels much better and is probably better for my health.

A "properly-fitting", nice-looking bra actually makes my boobs ache, especially when I finally take it off.

My loose bra is so loose I can easily take it off or put it on without even unlatching it.

Perhaps I'd be better off (health-wise) without even that, but, I'm just hoping it's harmless enough, since I find totally doing without a bra impractical, awkward, and worrying in a variety of ways.

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