TV 1, health 0 as late-night football fans hit own goals
RACHEL BROWNE
June 20, 2010

WORLD Cup fever has taken hold - but not necessarily in a good way. Health experts warn that fans are sacrificing more than just sleep to watch the three nightly matches, which kick off as late as 4.30am.

''[Fans] will feel tired, obviously, but there will be changes to how they respond to things,'' said Woolcock Institute of Medical Research sleep physician Dr Keith Wong. ''They may feel more easily provoked. There will be an effect on how quickly they react, how quickly they make decisions or judgments.

''This can be dangerous for people at work and on the roads. People driving home from the pub after watching a match will be at especially high risk.

''And people who have jobs where they need high levels of concentration will also need to take greater precautions.''

Monash University sleep expert Dr John M. Reid said tired workers were less productive. ''If you have had inadequate sleep, it's likely that the next day you will feel irritable and perhaps suffer poor concentration.''

Australian Federation of Employers and Industries chief executive Gary Brack said the timing of Australian games had been fortunate.

''[The first] fell on a public holiday and the game against Ghana is on a weekend. But there is no doubt there are hard-core fans staying up to watch every game live in the middle of the night. Those people will certainly not be performing at their peak when they go into work.'' The Roads and Traffic Authority is warning World Cup fans to stay off the road if they haven't slept. Driver fatigue is responsible for 20 per cent of the NSW annual road toll.

'The RTA's Centre for Road Safety advises motorists to limit driving between 10pm and 6am as much as possible because this is when the body's natural rhythms are telling it to sleep,'' a spokesman said.

''Driving while fatigued, especially late at night and at dawn, increases the risk of having a 'microsleep' and losing control of a vehicle.''

Australian Drug Foundation national policy manager Geoff Munro said fans would also be drinking for longer than usual. ''Some people will start drinking early in the night and keep going until the game finishes in the early hours of the morning.

''There is a connection between late-night drinking and violence near licensed venues as well as drink driving. [Alcohol and lack of sleep] is a dangerous combination if you are driving because it affects judgment and response times and puts pedestrians at higher risks of accidents.''

http://www.smh.com.au/world-cup-2010/world-cup-news/tv-1-health-0-as-latenight-football-fans-hit-own-goals-20100619-ynw0.html

They may feel more easily provoked. There will be an effect on how quickly they react, how quickly they make decisions or judgments.

On a similar theme... I find it amusing that SBS are running the "don't rely on anyone" campaign to promote the Tour de France next month, as if MORE people are going to be having late nights to watch the cycling than are currently doing so for the football...

On a similar theme... I find it amusing that SBS are running the "don't rely on anyone" campaign to promote the Tour de France next month, as if MORE people are going to be having late nights to watch the cycling than are currently doing so for the football...