New blood test to check if drivers are drowsy
Researchers hope detecting whether motorists are sleep deprived could help prevent road accidents
A new blood test that can detect if a person is sleep deprived may help cut the thousands of road crashes caused by drowsy drivers each year, according to experts.
Previous studies have shown that “drivers who get just one to two hours less than the recommended daily allowance in a 24-hour period nearly double their risk for a car crash”, says the EurekAlert! science news site.
In a bid to combat that threat through blood testing, researchers from the University of Surrey conducted a study to find out if peoples’ genes change when they are sleep deprived.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dr Emma Laing, who worked on the study, said: “We all know that insufficient sleep poses a significant risk to our physical and mental health, particularly over a period of time. However, it is difficult to independently assess how much sleep a person has had, making it difficult for the police to know if drivers were fit to drive, or for employers to know if staff are fit for work.”
The research team, led by Derk-Jan Dijk at the university’s Sleep Research Centre, “took blood samples from 36 participants before and after skipping one night of sleep”, reports the Daily Mirror.
During this 40-hour period of sleep deprivation, blood samples were taken for gene analysis. Using a machine-learning algorithm, the scientists identified a subset of 68 genes linked to sleep-deprivation.
Results revealed that the algorithm could detect whether a sample was from a well-rested or sleep-deprived individual with 92% accuracy.
Study co-author Professor Simon Archer said: “Identifying these biomarkers is the first step to developing a test which can accurately calculate how much sleep an individual has had. The very existence of such biomarkers in the blood after only a period of 24-hour wakefulness shows the physiological impact a lack of sleep can have on our body."
Dijk added: “This is a test for acute total sleep loss - the next step is to identify biomarkers for chronic insufficient sleep, which we know to be associated with adverse health outcomes.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
8 movie musicals that prove the screen can share the stage
The Week Recommends The singing and dancing, bigger than life itself
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
The Master and Margarita: the new adaptation causing consternation at the Kremlin
Why Everyone's Talking About Pro-Putin groups have called for the film's director to be charged as a terrorist
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
The new 'boom' in Latin American fiction
Why everyone's talking about Almost a quarter of International Booker Prize longlist comes from South America, a region in turmoil
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Poonam Pandey: the Indian model who faked her own death
Why Everyone's Talking About The Bollywood star has a reputation for outlandish stunts
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Unsung heroes of the year 2023
Under the radar The Week salutes those whose remarkable achievements deserve greater recognition
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Miss Universe 2023: win for inclusion or nothing to celebrate?
Talking Point Beauty pageant included mothers, plus-sized models and trans women – but fails to distract from global conflict
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Bad Bunny joins in criticism of AI music
Speed Read Concern growing in music industry over generative learning, unauthorised impersonations and copyright issues
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
A reckoning over looted art
The Explainer Thousands of artifacts in U.S. and European collections were stolen from their countries of origin. Should they be sent back?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Fernando Botero obituary: artist of 'whimsical rotundity'
Obituary Colombian painter and sculptor was known for his 'exuberant style'
By The Week Staff Published