Lack And Lack Of Insufficient Sleep

Morgan Manella in the article “Study: A Third of U.S. Adults Don’t Get Enough Sleep” argues that sleep deprivation can have a negative effect in someone’s health. Manella supports her argument by presenting statistics that shows how adults that don’t enough sleep have chronic conditions. The author’s purpose is to raise awareness so that people will sleep more often and have a better health condition.

Sleep is a vital component to sustaining life in humans. Even though everyone participates in sleeping, many individuals do not understand the true significance of sleeping, and what benefits and consequences come with too much or too little sleep. Sleep comes in different stages throughout the period of rest, with some stages being more important than others. By interrupting various stages, different types of problems can arise from which stage is being affected. In particular, elder adults are affected in larger numbers to a more extensive depth of issues. “However, aging does not mean elders should encounter sleep disorders; it merely increases the possibility that more elders will seek help to manage the problem” (Song, Hollenbeck, Blair, Schatzkin, Chen. 2012. p.316) By understanding possible causes for sleep disorders, what kinds of physiological effects this has on the aged anatomy, and the types of problems that appear in the psychological aspect, it becomes achievable to begin working towards reversing complications and promoting elder sleep health.

Universal to every human from birth to death, sleep is a necessary function to survival, productivity, and happiness. While most fall asleep at night with ease, it is estimated that 50-70 million Americans battle sleep or wakefulness disorders. Although sleep disorders do not immediately present with a threat comparable to other common disorders such as depression, bipolar, or schizophrenia, sleep disorders prove very disruptive to one’s quality of life. Insufficient sleep may result in difficulty concentrating, difficulty with memory, trouble with personal care such as hygiene, driving, or managing finances, and poor performance in the workplace. While there is a wide array of sleep related illnesses that may plague any given individual,

This essay focuses on evaluating three functions of sleep. These functions include mental health (Jackowska et al, 2011), cardiovascular disease (Kronholm et al, 2011) and memory (Hu et al, 2006). The key aspects are explained in detail with regards to studies. The findings from the studies will help justify the function and it’s involvement with sleep. Sleep is important for an individual’s well being, survival, brain development, emotional regulation, cognitive function, memory, and in order to protect mental and cardiovascular health. An individual should sleep for 6-8 hours. A recent suggestion by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommended that an individual should sleep for minimum 7 hours. The quality of sleep is significant to maintain healthy brain functions. Evidence, indicating that good sleep quality is essential for mood and health then duration (Chandola et al, 2010). The researches implied will enable the understanding of the functions of sleep and evaluate the evidence of each of the functions, including advantages and limitations. Furthermore ethical issues are discussed, and an overall summary of the essay is briefed.

Sleep duration and quality participate in normal metabolism, function of immune system, mood, and cognitive functioning [1]. Short duration of sleep and circadian misalignment are hypothesized to contribute to many problems of health including over weight, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiac disease, mood disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and

Despite the critical importance of sleep to general health, there remains a large population afflicted by traits that inhibit them from sleeping, or sleeping well. Again, due to the important role of sleep, one would anticipate a decrease in sleep disorders over the

Based on the latest update on the National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendation, seven to nine hours of sleep for young adults and adults represent the standard amount of sleep for healthy individuals.(Hirshkowitz et al., 2015) To be fair however, it comes as no surprise to most people, as it has, for many years, have been sleeping around those hours before. Be that as it may, it helps to bring into light why in recent years, more and more people are getting less sleep than they used to. As observed previously, it should not, and is not challenging to find evidence of people reportedly lacking sufficient sleep. In reference to a poll made by the National Sleep Foundation, approximately 39% of people living in Great Britain, 53% of Americans, and 66% of Japanese all report sleeping fewer than seven hours on an average work night. This is reason for concern evidently as any sleep times far below of the seven to nine hour time range most typically indicate signs or symptoms of more severe physical health problems. In particular, recent studies have been providing evidence that correlates the lack of adequate sleep with increased risk of health problems such as: type 2 diabetes, child- and adulthood obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and a higher risk of mortality to top it

Sleep is essential to life, and it is estimated that humans spend one third of their lifetime sleeping 1. An estimated 50-70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, yet only 20% report it to their physicians. Poor sleep may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and has serious biological consequences 2. A growing body of literature suggests a relationship between sleep parameters (sleep duration and sleep quality) and morbidity & mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and all-cause mortality 3-8. A recent review summarized 23 studies and

It has been scientifically proven that sleep is a crucial biological task that our body performs to maintain optimal functional capacity(Xu, Q. 2010). According to data collected by National sleep foundation short sleep deprivation is linked with many side effects, such as, increased risk of

In the article, “At Every Age, Feeling the Effects of Too Little Sleep,” Jane Brody examines the impacts of sleep deprivation on human health. She argues a significant portion of Americans, throughout all demographics, sleep for fewer than the recommended number of hours each night and that this constant sleep deprivation leads to negative health effects in the short and long terms. Brody attests current sleep levels are inadequate for the sustained health of the American population, claiming hanges ought to be made in order to bring sleep amounts up to a reasonable amount for increased longevity and quality of life. Particularly, Brody advocates for later start times for teenagers and

It is recommended that as adults we should be aiming to achieve 8 hours of sleep per night. It is important to reach the optimal sleep level each night because lack of sleep over time can lead to an increase in health problems (National Institutes of Health [NIH], 2012). Sleep deprivation can lead to not only physical health problems, but behavioral problems as well (Meldrum & Restivo, 2014). Studies have shown that sleep deficiency is correlated to problems with emotion regulation, difficulties making decisions and problem solving skills (NIH). Obtaining the optimal level of sleep can increase learning abilities, creative thinking, and attention (NIH). Greater potential for success is made possible by ensuring the necessary amount of sleep

Sleep deprivation is a worldwide epidemic. The increasingly rapid pace of society and round-the-clock access to technology are two factors that play a central role in sleep deprivation (Centers for Disease Control, 2015). Short-term effects of temporary sleep disturbance are typically limited, associated with only minor physiological consequences. However, long-term sleep deprivation (i.e., more than 24 hours) is associated with many harmful consequences (Meerlo, Mistlberger, Jacobs, Heller, & McGinty, 2009). Meerlo et al. (2009) found that sleep disruption leads to reduced neurological functioning, which can have a devastating impact on learning, concentration, and memory. It also increases susceptibility to neurological disorders such as

Lack of sleep is a major issue in the American workforce. Various studies reveal that a growing number of employees are not sleeping enough. In the United States alone, “40.6 million American workers, or 30% of the civilian workforce, don't get enough rest” (Rowan). Because many

This issue is significant to public health because insufficient sleep leads to individual health risks that affect the community. Lack of sleep has contributed to dangerous outcomes such as industrial catastrophes, motor vehicle crashes, and other occupational errors. For example, driving among 1,039 undergraduate students, 16% reported falling asleep while driving and 2% had a motor vehicle accident due to sleepiness (Hershner & Chervin, 2014). Sleepiness is not only an issue towards college students but to anyone. Older adults, teenagers, and children can be affected by sleepiness and cause harm to not only themselves but others. For example, a surgeon may commit an error while performing a surgery or a lawyer missing out information for

An alarming issue that has garnered attention from the international community is sleep and the quality that most individuals receive (Colten & Altevogt, 2006). Sleep quality affects individuals of all ages, including the youth and the elderly. It has been reported that the quality and amount of sleep obtained during adolescence is significantly reduced, in comparison to other age groups, which can lead to improper function throughout the day as well as raise serious health concerns (Doane, Gress-Smith, & Breitenstein, 2015). This issue becomes more pressing when the youth enter college, where students have documented sleeping less and pulling more all-nighters (Lund, Reider, Whiting, & Prichard, 2010). In turn, poor sleep quality, which these