The Cause And Effects Of Sleep Deprivation

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.

Introduction Sleep deprivation is a serious concern among college students, who are "among the most sleep-deprived age group in the United States," (Central Michigan University, 2008). It is important to study the causes of sleep deprivation, or sleep disorders, among college students. According to Park (2009), "dozens of studies have linked an increase in nightly sleep to better cognition and alertness." A study by Central Michigan University (2008) found that sleep deprivation can lead to poor academic performance, impaired driving, depression, and behavioral problems. There are several variables that may affect sleeping patterns among college students. One is genetics or biological issues. It is highly

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:

Today in 2017, 26-35% of American adults get a total of eight hours of sleep (Alic & Nienstedt, 2013). Sleep deprivation is a rising problem in college students today. 50% of college students report being sleepy on the day-to-day basis (Causes and Consequences, 2014). The average adult is supposed to be getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night, while teenagers are recommended nine hours of sleep a night (Alic & Nienstedt, 2013). There are many causes of sleep deprivation which affects attention performance, learning and memory, mental health, and has several effects that can be prevented.

Sleep effects every living organism on the world, whether it is positive or negative it has an impact on everyone. There are many different stages of sleep and each containing its own purpose. Sleep isn’t as simple and unnecessary as many believe it to be; sleep has the power to cause many different disorders and can even cause death if a person is deprived from sleep for too long. Sleep can also effect the brain and how the brain functions on a daily basis. Sleep is an important factor of life that should not be over looked. If enough sleep occurs there are many advantages that can make one’s life more healthy and beneficial.

Lack of sleep can affect the ability to function in academic environments by impairing the ability to learn, listen, and solve problems. Insufficient amounts of sleep have been linked to depression, suicide, and risk-tasking behaviors. "During sleep, important body functions and brain activity occur. Skipping sleep can be harmful or even deadly, especially if you are behind the wheel. You can look bad, you may feel moody, and you perform poorly. Sleepiness can make it hard to get along with your family and friends and hurt your scores on school exams, on the court or on the field." (Teens and Sleep 1) During sleep the body repairs muscles and tendons, releases hormones to regulate growth and appetite, restores energy, and contributes to a healthy immune system. Sleep is linked with the repair of the heart and blood vessels and sleep deficiency after long periods of time can be linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Not getting enough sleep can affect an individuals mood, energy, health, and even their ability to handle stress. Studies show that not getting the recommended amount of sleep can be linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. If today's teenagers and adults that sleep less than seven hours a night aren't getting enough sleep, then

Cover Page - Institute of Medicine Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research. (2006) National Academies Press. Washington DC: Colten H. R., Altevogt B. M., Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem, Sleep Physiology. Rapid Eye Movement(REM) has been correlated with dreams and sleep physiology. It has been

Some of the main causes are stress of daily life, anxiety, fear, old age, medical or mental health conditions, and trading sleep for work or play. Often times, people mistake sleep disorders for stress and ignore them. This can lead to more serious problems and in the rare case, death. One third of Americans have symptoms of insomnia, and less than ten percent are identified by primary-care doctors (webmd.com). Losing sleep for a long time can result in chronic insomnia which can be difficult to treat and lead to several side effects. Some common and immediate symptoms can be fatigue, lack of energy, headaches, irritability, and muscle fatigue which causes the muscles to ache when not rested. Other side effects are a lack of concentration, nausea, memory lapses, and loss of attention and alertness. A person's performance and alertness can go down 32 percent with just one night of not enough sleep (webmd.com). Job and vehicle accidents and injuries can be caused by the lack of sleep because a person isn’t capable of staying awake. Memory loss can also be a problem; impairing it and the cognitive ability which helps think and process information. In the long run, lack of sleep can have some minor effects and also some major ones. It can increase blood pressure, cause depression and mood problems, or lead to a heart attack, heart failure or a

Jason Sohn WRS 102 Roger Graves October 9, 2015 Annotated Bibliography: The relationship between sleep deprivation and the human body The act of sleeping is well acknowledged as an essential and healthy part of every human being 's life. Until the 1950s, sleep was widely believed to be a passive act that every human had to go through at night. Through extensive study and research, scientists have learned that sleeping affects our physical and emotional functioning during the day, including mental accuracy, productivity, mental balance, physical balance, and even weight, although scientists are still not sure exactly what sleep does. Previously people commonly thought sleep was a stage in their day when their brains shut down. This has

In order to understand the effects of sleep deprivation, one must first understand how the body makes does one go to sleep. First off, the human body is built with an internal body clock which controls when one is awake and when one’s body is ready to go for sleep. Known as the circadian rhythm, this

Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest factors in children’s behavior. There are a number of reasons for children to get a good night sleep. It is not only important to adults but it is crucial in kids. Physical activity and cognitive thinking do well together when a child gets

Effects of Sleep Deprivation Sleep deprivation is, irrefutably, a massive health concern among Americans. Innumerable studies have been performed in hopes of finding out the perfect amount of sleep for a healthy lifestyle. Even though an average of 8-9 hours of sleep is practically unanimously recommended by health professionals, there is a huge discrepancy between that and the actual amount of sleep that teenagers in America are getting on average. The article “Go To Bed!” by Kerry Grens describes the ramifications of chronic sleep deprivation and the toll it takes on the body and mind in a relatively reader-friendly and aesthetically pleasing manner.

Conspicuously, there are numerous excuses as to why a teen or young adult would deprive themselves of sleep. Whether it is caused by a jam-packed schedule or some type of sleeping disorder, the issue needs to be addressed and measures need to be taken so that they, once again, are able get a proper night’s sleep. There are two distinct sides that researchers take when it comes to helping teens and young adults get enough sleep. The most prevalent is when the sleep deprived person tries to fix their sleep issues on their own or with the help of their family or doctor. Commonly used practices include consuming over the counter or prescription sleeping medication; making sure one sticks to a regular sleep schedule, even on the weekends; avoiding naps; and avoiding stimulating and stressful activities near bedtime, this includes exercise and anything that involves a backlit screen, such as a computer or TV (Saisan, Smith, Robinson & Segal, 2013). If a person truly has the desire to help themselves by going to sleep and waking up at normal hours, he

How does sleep affect health? Studies show that the body needs to receive 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Many people especially in college, may only get half of this amount. Sleep deprivation is very common in the United States. What exactly is sleep deprivation you may ask yourself? Sleep deprivation is when you do not get a satisfactory amount of sleep. Effects of sleep deprivation are fatigue, weight gain/loss, and reaction time. Sleep deprivation is very common among teens and young adults. It effects your body and mainly your digestive system. Studies show that in the United States about 30% of adult and 66% of adolescents are regularly sleep-deprived.

First of all, there are several causes of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can develop as a result of a poor diet and food allergies. Ingested stimulants such as caffeine and sugar are major contributors to sleep deprivation (“Sleep Disorders”). Caffeine can remain in the body from 12 to 20 hours (“Sleep Disorders”). Caffeine can be found in soft drinks, energy drinks, coffee, non-herbal tea, and even caffeine pills. Caffeine can cause insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, and headaches. These are all major reasons to why a person cannot sleep at night. Sugar is also a contributor to sleep deprivation. When a person eats a lot of sugar, their blood sugar increases, and then decreases rapidly. This can cause an imbalance of hormones. The increase of blood sugar and the imbalance of hormones can impair sleep. These can also cause an insulin rebound. An insulin rebound is when the body is overwhelmed