Sleep Deprivation Is Caused By Technology

Sleep deprivation can have serious consequences, it can affect not only your physical health but your metal health as well. Some implications of a largely sleep deprived society would be poor work performance, bad moods, and anger or depression. According to the webmd article “The Toll of Sleep Loss in America” it states that “Today, about 20% of Americans report that they get less than 6 hours of sleep on average.” (Davis, 2006). The human body should be getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night on average. Sleep Deprivation can also cause driving accidents because people are out on the road while tired.

Phones, computers, tablets, and televisions emit a blue light that suppresses the production of melatonin. This hormone controls your sleep/wake cycle. Reducing melatonin makes it harder to sleep and stay asleep. To make sure technology isn’t messing with your sleeping pattern, give yourself 30 minutes of technology free time before sleeping. Also falling asleep to the vision

Sleep is a rather peculiar action. Why does the brain and the body basically need to lose connection to the world for a few hours? Insomnia, which is the inability to sleep, can cause many symptoms and they are not delightful whatsoever. Sleep deprivation is not only rough because of obvious reasons, but the consequences that harm the brain and body can be devastating. Even if people know what sort of symptoms are, they do not know why these things happen.

It can be considered a symptom of an undiagnosed sleep disorder or other medical conditions. Those affected by sleep deprivation are known to experience daytime sleepiness, fatigue, clumsiness, and weight gain/loss as well as effects on the brain and cognitive functions. These symptoms negatively affect students who are having to get up early for school (“Sleep Deprivation - Research & Treatments”).

Have you ever gotten lost in the Internet, swallowed by the constant updates on Twitter and Facebook for hours, when you only meant to be on for a few minutes? This is a constant battle in our society and technology changes and our use of it increases. It is becoming a bigger issue every day, and now it affects one of our basics psychological needs: sleep. Though I concede with Brooke Gladstone, author of “The Influencing Machines” that we can adapt to technology as it grows, I still insist that some issues that arise with technology are bigger than Gladstone portrays and we need to find solutions for some of the bigger problems that technology creates, especially when it disturbs a basic psychological need.

Sleep deprivation has a lot of dangers associated with it. It can cause hypertension and, because of something commonly called Sleep Debt, it sometimes causes dangerous driving conditions. Sleep debt is the amount of sleep a person has lost over time, and it must be paid back just like a money loan would need to be (Dement & Vaughan, p. 501). Christopher Dement explains (1999), “Regardless of how rapidly it [sleep debt] can be paid back, the important thing is that the size of the sleep debt and its dengerous effects are definitely directly related to the amount of lost sleep” (p. 501). Risks for hypertension have also been linked to sleep deprivation because it can increase a person’s stress level. A study done by Dr. Susan Redline and published in the Science Journal Circulation on August 19, 2008 reports that:

According to Kennedy, we blame technology for ruining our sleep. She says that we believe that phones and laptops will scramble our sleep, even though the internet is becoming the place for insomniacs to gather together and figure out what works, and to share insights and help on another. She says now many health professions recommend that we banish all digital devices from our bedrooms. Telling us that people like her who suffer from this disease are to stay from technology or eat healthy when none of that really is any type of solution. She is trying to say that she found something that can help many others in her same situation. She says that when we’re wandering in the wilderness of thought, sometimes we just need to feel that someone,

Sleep is a very important aspect of daily life. Many people have jobs, school, and family obligations to incorporate into their day. Sometimes sleep gets pushed on the back burner to make room for other activities. Sleep deprivation is a condition describing when a person doesn’t get enough sleep. Although the amount of sleep that people need varies, most people (adults) generally need as much as eight hours of sleep each night to feel well rested and alert throughout the day and evening(Drowsy Driving: Asleep at the Wheel, 2015).

Many do not believe that we have a technology problem in today’s society. But, ninety-five percent of people use technology an hour before they go to sleep (How Technology Affects Sleep). This is an alarming amount of people who use technology before they go to sleep. You do not have to be looking directly at the technology to trigger the pineal gland to stop releasing melatonin (Kim). Many also believe that lack of sleep due to technology does not affect how they do their daily jobs. Seventy-five percent of those over 30 that reported not getting enough sleep said that when they were tired that their sleepiness effected their daily work (Tarkan). For a school age kid ten hours of sleep is needed. Teenagers also need about nine to ten

In this world there are many problems, but one specific problem is sleep loss. Sleep loss can cause many problems in our world such as health problems, an unproductive habit, and the scientific reasearch of how much sleep people need.

Many disorders and diseases can result from abnormal sleeping patterns that are triggered from sleep deprivation. The most common forms of sleep disorders include insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy (NINDS 10). All of these sleep disorders begin from sleep deprivation and can be managed once they are diagnosed correctly. According to Urban, “Nervousness, dizziness, and sleeplessness may occur”, as a result of sleep deprivation (1). This proves that the slightest health changes can occur if sleep deprivation becomes a problem. According to NINDS, “The disorders and the resulting sleep deprivation interfere with work, driving, and social activities” (10). This shows that the effects of being sleep deprived can drastically change one’s everyday

“Unexpected Ways Sleep Deprivation Makes Life Tougher” written by Andrea Peterson, the writer for the Wall Street Journal, explained how not having enough sleep can affect your body and your performance. What one does not obtain the correct amount of sleep it can cause short term and long term effects such as long term memory, short term memory, recall and performance in daily life. Sleep deprivation is a problem that is often overlooked in today’s society. This purpose of this article is to inform our society about the side effects of sleep deprivation in hope of influencing one to change their sleeping patterns. If you do not get the appropriate amount of sleep your daily life will become just that much more difficult.

What do the effects of sleep deprivation have on people? When a person does not get enough sleep, he or she is depriving his or her body of something that it needs. A delightful sleep is one of the most satisfying human experiences with a role to play in supporting a good mood and cognitive acuity as well as in promoting physiologic balance and resilience (Chittora, Jain and Suhalka). People think because they get an insufficient number of hours of sleep, they will not have an emotional impact by it. Sleep is a required need for peoples’ day to day life to be able to perform and stay healthy emotionally and physically. The effects of sleep deprivation are an issue because it affects mood, performance, and health.

Over the years, electronic media has contributed different ways in the modern society, especially young adults, who has been the largest group among media users. The use of Electronic Media has recently raised a concern regarding to sleeping behaviors that are presented among students around the world. Since the early 21st century, researchers have conducted a study that shows the connection between electronic media and sleeping patterns with young adults (Journal of Sleep Research, 2014, 389). As students increasingly continue their habits of using Electronic Media as personal entertainment purpose, they are at a potential risk of developing insufficient amount of sleep as well as encountering health problems. Even though Electronic Media has given students access to their education and promote social network connection, Electronic Media use should be limited at school because too much exposure to Electronic Media can cause health problems and social isolation among young adults and the use of electronic media interferes with students sleeping habits.

Today, most research done on technology’s effect on sleep has been focused on how technology makes sleeping more difficult. Technology can become a distraction and keep your brain active as a result of using it before going to sleep. The National Sleep Foundation even discovered through a poll that “nine of 10 Americans reported