Is your health suffering from lack of sleep for the World Cup?

Impending health problems due to lack of sleep at the World Cup

06/13/2014

The FIFA World Cup matches in Brazil will be broadcast late in the night, despite FIFA's efforts to achieve reasonably bearable transmission times for Europeans. Especially for children and adolescents, staying up late could be a burden on the body.

Due to the time difference of up to six hours between the Brazilian local time and the Central European summer time, the transmission of isolated World Cup matches will start at midnight. The games of the German team are usually transferred earlier, but on reaching the round of 16 would be the kick-off, for example, until 22 clock. If extra time and penalties are required, the game could go on until just before one o'clock. For the young football fans, who have to go to school the next morning, the result would be a considerable sleep deficit, which may be accompanied by fatigue, irritability and decreased capacity.

Young people need enough sleep
Especially for young people is sufficient sleep for the metabolism, the immune system and growth of particular importance, reports the news portal „World Online“. Sleep research has shown that lack of sleep in children and adolescents, which weakens the body's defense system, promotes inflammation and stress and inhibits growth. In animal experiments wound healing in laboratory rats was significantly reduced by sleep deprivation and the animals were more susceptible to infections. The hormone prolactin, which is released in deep sleep, helps the organism to develop a better memory for pathogens. In addition, researchers at Harvard University have found that sleep has an essential meaning for memory. In the deep sleep phases, what has been learned is solidified and the unimportant sorted out, reports „World Online“. Long waking associated with getting up early is therefore highly critical from a medical point of view.

Late World Cup games for students a problem
The sleeping requirement of children is generally much higher than in later life. On average, for example, five-year-olds would sleep eleven hours a day, while ten-year-olds' sleeping needs have already dropped to just under ten hours, according to the news portal. However, even the ten hours in some World Cup games are difficult to keep. Because at school start at eight o'clock the alarm clock would ring at 7.30 clock at the latest, so that the young football fans would have to be in bed the evening before at 21.30. Theoretically, the school leaders in six federal states (Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony and Thuringia) have, however, the opportunity to let their students sleep a little longer, reports „World Online“. For example, at Schickhardt High School in Stuttgart for the older students a shift in the classroom provided. The first hours are canceled and will be made up later. For the fifth to seventh classes, however, this rule does not apply, since they should not sit in front of the TV so long anyway in the opinion of the school management.

With puberty, the sleep behavior changes
In adolescents from the age of puberty, the situation is slightly different, according to the news portal. Because after puberty, the sleep behavior changes. Due to the changed release of the sleep hormone melatonin, they would later become tired and sleep longer in the morning. Long staying up would theoretically counter their natural biorhythm if they did not have to go to school the next morning. However, a one-time sleep deficit can be compensated in the next few days, reports „World Online“ citing the findings of a study by the US research team led by David Dinges of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia „Each additional hour of sleep after a period of chronic sleep deprivation promotes the recovery of mental alertness. "If the missed sleep can be made up at the weekend, then watching for individual World Cup matches would be quite acceptable for children as well Take a nap to prevent the looming sleep deficit.

Increased risk of acute heart problems
Particularly critical to the lack of sleep for the World Cup, adult football fans may be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which British researchers at the University of Warwick have documented in a comprehensive study more than two years ago. Because the heart is burdened by the exciting football matches during a World Cup anyway. According to the German Heart Foundation, this is reflected in significantly increased acute heart problems, including heart attacks. A study World Cup in Germany in 2006 showed that on the game days of the national team more than twice as often an acute heart emergency has occurred, reports the German Heart Foundation. Thus, the cardiovascular system of football fans in this regard at the World Cup in Brazil is exposed to multiple loads. (Fp)