Lack Of Sleep In The United States

Sleep deprivation has become a wide spread issue in the United States. This spans from kids as young as 10 as far up as adults in their 40s and 50s. This causes these people to either be not at the top of their game, which can hinder their performance, and it can also make them start to get addicted to caffeinated beverages such as coffee and energy drinks. This issue could be solved with one thing, napping.

Generally, individuals need seven to nine hours of sleep each night to function properly throughout the day; it is thought that over sixty-eight percent of people get less than eight hours of sleep (Hughes & Rogers, 2004). The circadian rhythm is what facilitates our sleep cycles and determines when we go to sleep; there is two types of sleep REM and Non-REM sleep (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Non-REM sleep is typically the antecedent for REM sleep, here rapid eye movement occurs and this is where dreams occur (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). There are five stages of sleep that each person goes through each time they sleep, in non-REM sleep, there are four stages and REM is the fifth stage (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Stage one consists of the transition from feeling wake to “falling asleep”, this typically lasts one to seven minutes (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Here the individual experiences loss of response to stimuli and experience waves of thoughts and images (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2016). Stage two of non-REM sleep is the

Sleep has been an important topic of research for many years. Early sleep literature only reported observations from sleep habits to compare and contrast with the data taken from the wake state. Before the majority of the science behind sleep was discovered, it was assumed that sleep was when the brain “turned off” and was in an entirely homogeneous state (Dement, 1998). Slowly, advancements were made in the study of sleep, including in 1729 when Jean Jacques d’Ortous deMairan demonstrated the persistence of circadian rhythms and in 1877 when narcolepsy was first described in medical literature (Dement, 1998; “Sleep Research Timeline”, 2017). Sleep research has since become much more advanced and is progressing quickly.

Many teens in America are waking up tired from a lack of sleep. Most do not get the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep and this affects them greatly. Sleep deprivation can lead to poor performance in school and diseases such as obesity and anxiety. Teens need more sleep and one thing can lead to this goal, pushing back school start times.

This paper explores five different sources on the changes in sleep over the adults' lifespan. There are multiple explanations as to the changes in sleep from infancy to the older adult, and through a series of conducted experiments a further explanation is given. Judd (2010) explores pediatric sleep issues that impact children from infancy to teen years. Following Judd's claims, Wrzus, Wagner, and Riediger (2014) correlate night-to-night sleep variations and the affective well-being among adolescents and adults. Wilckens, Woo, Kirk, Erickson, and Wheeler (2014) study the importance of sleep in young adults through multiple cognitive tasks. Millman (2012) points out that at a later age, sleep becomes fragmented due to drop in slow wave sleep. To sum it up, English (n.d.) summarizes the sleep changes throughout life. Therefore, this research focuses on the different changes within the adults' sleep stages.

Work is a necessary evil for most Americans. Money is needed to purchase basic necessities and having a paying job is the way that most people acquire it. Work indirectly provides food, water, housing, health coverage, material luxuries and much more, but the one thing it is infamous for taking is sleep. Countless Americans are working at all hours of the day to meet the their job requirements, and as a result they have less time to spend catching a little shut-eye. Recently, however, may workplaces are starting to provide times and places for their employees to nap in order to combat this sleep deprivation—as they should. Workplaces should set policies that allow for employees to sleep for a short period of time because of their moral obligations

Sleep is a subjective phenomenon in which each individual is unique with respect to their interpretation of what normal or good sleep means to them. There has been continuous debate concerning what normal sleep means and how it is defined. It is important to understand that the physiology of sleep is constantly evolving in many individuals. For instance, sleep patterns change as one ages. While children have a greater ratio of NREM sleep in comparison to adults, adults demonstrate a greater ratio of REM sleep, compared to children. In addition to age differences, gender has also been shown to demonstrate differences in sleep, most notably in adults. For example, it has been shown that women tend to have a higher percentage of slow wave sleep (SWS) than men. Nevertheless, it is still unclear what determines the definition of normal sleep (1). A multitude of methods and tools have been created to measure normal sleep, both subjective and objective. This includes questionnaires, diaries,

"Sleep disorders appear to be a global epidemic, affecting up to 45% of the world's population" (Noor, et al n.p.). That’s leaving a 55% chunk of the world’s population not affected. More than 70 million people in our nation experience sleep disorders, most of whom are unaware of the impact on their daily life (Wells,Vaughn 234). Due to a large portion of people being unaware of sleep disorders’ impaction, the number continuously increases. Major sleep disorders are known to be Rapid Eye Movement(REM), Insomnia, and Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA). Over 80 medically recognized sleep disorders exist with insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, jet lag, shift work, sleepwalking and restless legs syndrome being some of the most common (Wells, Vaughn

Of the many automatic functions that the human mind is hardwired to perform, from blinking, to breathing, sleep is by far one of the most imperative. A process that allows mind and body alike to rest, recuperate, and repair, sleep is something that is truly essential for our continued survival, to an extent, as more than a day or two without it can have adverse and potentially crippling side effects. Without sleep, our brain operates at a far less advanced level, struggling to process and internalise information, and making less intellectually sound decisions as a result, demonstrating why a reasonable amount of sleep per night is something that everyone must strive to achieve, so that one can stay on top of the day to day challenges that life so frequently poses. However, as universal as the idea of sleep may be, there is one aspect of the process that is often

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

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

Teenagers are the most stressed age group in the U.S., according to the American Psychological Association's (APA) 2013 Stress In America survey. The survey included 1,018 teenagers, ages 13 to 17, and 1,950 adults. The survey found that many teens reported being overwhelmed or depressed because of their high stress levels. Adults rated their stress on a 5.1 and teens rated their stress on a staggering 5.8. Stress is a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, family, and recreation. (Merriam-Webster). Furthermore, symptoms of stress include feeling nervous or anxious, feeling tired, procrastinating, overlooking responsibilities, feeling overwhelmed, thinking negative thoughts, changes in sleeping habits, having

Sleep is a major component of human life, taking up almost a third of an individual’s lifetime and allowing the brain to process an individual’s experiences, thoughts, and memories. Proper sleep is vital to maintaining good health, as it is associated with maintenance of many of the body’s processes such as metabolism and disease prevention. This has become difficult as this modernizing world is completely changing the lifestyles of societies, and therefore the patterns of human sleep, due to school work, shift work, or even to the increasing presence of technology in households (Worthman & Brown, 2013). This potentially leads to sleep deprivation, which is associated with dramatic changes in health if it occurs for long

Sleep is one of our most basic physiological needs and getting enough of it is paramount to keeping our bodies and minds functioning at optimal performance. The amount of sleep needed varies and decreases by age. From 12-18 hours needed by a newborn to 7-9 hours needed by a health adult. The basal sleep need varies by individual with some people requiring more or less sleep than others (Czeisler 2014). When an individual does not get enough sleep they enter a state of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation elicits a wide range of negative physiological effects, most notably sleep deprivation adversely effects cognition. Unfortunately insufficient sleep is a wide-spread phenomenon. A study by Hublin (2001) found sleep deficits in one fifth of

First, let us address the importance of having an adequate amount of sleep. According to Edwards and et al (2010), sleep is a, “vital physiological process with important restrictive functions that are essential for optimal day-time functioning.” There are both normal and abnormal age-related changes that occur in sleep patterns. For instance, one of the normal age- related changes that occur in sleep patterns is that sleep becomes more scattered and lighter with an increase in the number of awakenings (Cooke & Ancoli-Israel, 2011). In fact, there is a “reduction in the amount of slow wave sleep” that begins in middle –age and after the age of ninety; the deeper stages of sleep are completely absent (Cooke & Ancoli-Israel, 2011).