The Dangers of Sleep Deprivation

I am a person who suffers from sleep deprivation, I generally only have about 4 hours worth of sleep everyday.

Sleep is a beautiful thing, but people do not get enough of it. It is a time for the body to rejuvenate and process the events of the day. Sleeping is something that we seek out. Getting the recommended amount of sleep allows our body to function properly the next day. Without it, there could be detrimental consequences. The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that without sleep, neurons could be “polluted with byproducts”. In severe cases, people who get very little sleep often experience mood swings, hallucinations and cells do not continue to reproduce.

Sleep is a beneficial necessity, both from a scientific and psychological standpoint, improving both mental and physical health. It plays an essential role in our growth and development as human beings. During sleep, our brains are growing and preparing for the day ahead so that we may be productive and attentive in every daily task. Without the recommended minimum of eight hours of sleep each night, people get agitated, distracted easily, gain health problems, make bad decisions, and acquire feelings of sadness and depression. Sleep deprivation is harmful and can cause a large amount of irreversible damage to ones brain, increasing the risk of diseases, strokes, and even diabetes. Throughout history, many authors have written about characters

This article explains the importance of getting the perfect amount of sleep at night. The idea that sleeping for less than five hours or more than nine hours proves to have a negative effect on the human body. Sleep deprivation has a closely related link to memory retention and can cause a person to have trouble with daily task. The author continues to explain that not only is the brain effected by too little or too much sleep, but the rest of the body is also effected. Conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and even depression have links to not getting the perfect amount of sleep. The article concludes with listing tips to get the ideal amount of sleep at night, such as, going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day and limiting the amount of caffeine that is consumed throughout the day.

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.

Success in life is typically measured by the result of what is accomplished during the waking hours. The degree of effectiveness of those hours however, depend on effective rest. “Sleep is integral to the health and well-being of all people” (Wells 233). Sleep is simply defined as the body’s rest cycle – a time to recharge. The widely accepted metric for normal or sufficient sleep is about 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. When this metric is not met, either through total sleep loss or accumulated sleep debt, the effect can be dire, “Sleep deprivation results in poor memorizing, schematic thinking, which yields wrong decisions, and emotional disturbances such as deteriorated interpersonal responses and increased aggressiveness” (Orzeł-Gryglewska 95). Sleep deprivation hinders the abilities of the mind, harms the body, and shortens length of life.

Sleep is undoubtedly one of the most essential requirements for the human body to function properly. It plays a very important role in ensuring the wellness of the human body both physically as well as mentally. In fact, the importance of sleep is clear from the fact that it helps you in maintaining a good lifestyle throughout our entire lifetime. Not only does it help maintain our physical and mental health; rather it also helps in maintaining a decent and healthy lifestyle along with ensuring safety from a number of fatal diseases. It is usually said that the mood in which you wake up is largely dependent on the type of sleep you have been in. This in itself is a big proof of the importance of sleep in our lives. While sleeping, our body finally gets its share of rest and it also gets ample time in rejuvenating from all the wear and tear that it went through during the entire day. Not only this, the body is in its own working condition when we are sleeping as this is the time when it supports the healthy functioning of the brain as well as physical attributes of our body.

Even though the number of hours differs for different people, the mental and emotional affects damage all. Lack of sleep effects the brain’s

The need for sleep and the feeling of being tired is a basic drive that every person goes through. Not recognizing the importance and the critical damage it does to each and everyone’s body can cause complications to oneself and to others. Not only does sleep debt affect people physically but also mentally and emotionally. Not being able to concentrate on what is being told or being able to complete the task because the body is tired and falling asleep isn't the wise nor productive way to be when it can be avoided. Though many do not bear in mind the hours of sleep the body is missing daily, people tend to blame other things in place of reality of what is really causing the disputed point.

According to WebMD about 43% of Americans do not receive the adequate amount of sleep per night, therefore making them sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation is more of a prevalent problem than people are aware of. Sleep is an essential part of everyday life and the lack of sleep has the ability to be detrimental. Many do not value their time of rest as they should, which puts their health at risk. When one is not fully uneducated on a specific topic it causes a lack of attentiveness. This paper will inform so that the necessary precautions can be taken to prevent any fatalities. This will cover not only what sleep deprivation is by definition; but also what causes it, the effects, and how to avoid it, and what actions to take when sleep deprivation reaches severity.

Sleep is a basic human need, it affects how we function on a daily basis and is essential for a person’s health and well being. Sleeping allows the body to recharge and affords the brain the opportunity to integrate important facts, memories and emotional impressions recorded from the previous day. There are five stages of sleep that people go through: Stages one, two, three, four, and Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Sleep is important for all human beings but the amount of sleep each person needs is dependent on many different factors, for example age. Infants generally need sixteen hours of sleep a day, teenagers need about nine hours, and for most adults, seven to eight hours a night is ideal. If people do not sleep enough for several nights they

Sleep is needed for the body to repair and replenish damaged cells due to stress and ultraviolet rays, to trigger hormones that regulate mood, energy and mental acuity, and for the mind to restore alertness and memory. Adequate sleep is also necessary for the immune system to fight infections, support sugar metabolism, perform productively at work or school and maintain healthy relationships. Good sleep is not a luxury, although it has often become so in our 24/7 lifestyles; rather, it is an essential requirement for well-being, optimal functioning, and quality of life.

“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.

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

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.