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The effects of lack of sleep essay
Effects of lack of sleep essay
Effects of lack of sleep essay
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Effects of a lack of sleep, known as insomnia, is the most common classification of sleep disorders. It was estimated that thirty to forty million Americans have difficulty staying asleep, falling asleep or waking earlier than they would like to, and cannot get back to sleep. Most people settle that this is just a part of life, and the poor quality of sleep proceeds to eat away at the quality of life that could be attained. This seems to be a silent menace that people do not seem to take seriously and could be handled through learning how to deal with stress, taking melatonin, exercise regularly, medicines, or even surgery. Research in youth and adult has found that insomnia can affect a persons behavior; such as violent to lethargic behaviors, including physical health complications. It is an important issue and should be given more thought in the seriousness of the condition.
Insomnia; is also known as a deficiency of sleep or sleep deprivation. People with this condition are apt to suffer from inadequate sleep and be a candidate in the battle of depression. Other symptoms are having poor concentration, and can be involved in auto accidents; from a lack of focus. Having sleep deprivation issues for prolonged periods of time; can cause a person some sort of health dilemma, whether mental or physical. (Harvard Medical School)
Sleep deprivation alters the production and action of some hormones, reducing the secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone and increasing blood levels, this shows mostly during the afternoon and evening hours. Higher cortisol levels are distinctive to the much older subjects and are thought to be linked to age-related health problems, such as insulin resistance and memory complications. (University of Chic...
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...ut autistic regression: Sleep in autism. Journal of Sleep Research, 20(2), 338-347. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2869.2010.00882.x
Harvard Medical School (n.d.). Sleep and Disease Risk | Healthy Sleep. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk
LINCCWeb Catalog Search. (2008, March). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org.db04.linccweb.org/10.1586/17446651.3.2.269
The University of Chicago Medicine (n.d.). Lack of sleep alters hormones, metabolism, simulates effects of aging - The University of Chicago Medicine. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/1999/19991021-sleepdebt.html
University of Maryland Medical Center (2013, May 7). Melatonin | University of Maryland Medical Center. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/melatonin
Insomnia, from the Latin "in" (not) and "somnus" (sleep), is a condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep, and/or staying asleep. Insomnia can result in getting up in the morning feeling unrested and experiencing drowsiness during the day. It is not identified as a disease or diagnosis, but a symptom that causes a person to feel irritable, sleepy, and have ...
Through studies performed on sleep-deprived rats, experimental results have shown a decrease in cellular activity in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is responsible for most of the brain’s memory processing. When entering into sleep deprivation, the brain will experience consequences such as a failure for the hippocampus to encode, consolidate, or retrieve signals powering memory processing. As a result, researchers are looking for cellular characteristics that could lead to further details into the relationship between sleep deprivation and memory impairment. There are several different ways memory can be disrupted, one suggested in being an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the hippocampal region of the brain. Both hormonal and oxidative stress are also factors that are observed to play major roles of memory impairment in the hippocampus. These
Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false (1). Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness" (2). Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.
Millions of people suffer from the same tossing and turning every which way, getting their sheets all disarranged and their insistent minds abundantly worse. Patients often proclaim indications of insomnia while sitting in the family health clinic. Insomnia traits include hindrance falling asleep, continueing to awaken, and rejuvenating before wanted. One may suffer from insomnia if one shows signs of an increased difficulty in attentiveness, decreased communal or scholastic skills, and a diminished mood or enthusiasm. (Foldvary-Schaefer 111). Countless individuals deal with insomnia for a large amount of their lives and some choose differing treatments, while some do not use any treatments at all. While never being uncommon, the amounts of causes leading to insomnia come in boundlessly; finding new studies and stories every day.
Wells, Mary Ellen, and Bradley V. Vaughn. "Poor Sleep Challenging The Health Of A Nation." Neurodiagnostic Journal 52.3 (2012): 233-249. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 May 2014.
Sleep deprivation is often associated with the development of medical conditions, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). As disturbance in sleep could cause deprivation and shorten one’s sleep duration, it is often taken into account when carrying out related studies. Short-term sleep deprivation not only raises blood pressure and produces stress hormones, but also leads to irregular heartbeats [1]. These major risk factors are precursors to coronary disease. In this essay, I will summarize the findings of five studies in relation to sleep deprivation and the increased risk of CVD.
“Insomnia is the inability to obtain adequate amount or quality of sleep. The difficulty can be with falling asleep, remaining asleep, or both” (“Insomnia Encyclopedia“). Sleeping is a major point in physically and mentally restoring yourself for the tasks ahead. Most people say that about eight hours of sleep is an adequate amount, however it differs from person to person depending on their sex, age, and health conditions. An estimated one-third of the population suffers from some form of insomnia. “In recent studies, a survey reported that 30% of American women and 20% of American men took medication to help them sleep during the course of a year” (“Insomnia”). The medications these people took are called hypnotics. The causes of insomnia vary for different situations.
Almost everyone seem to suffer from not being able to get enough sleep at some time in their life. If you are always tired then that means that you’re not getting enough sleep. As we all know, inadequate sleep which is referred to as insomnia. Insomnia is basically one of the many sleeping disorders that some people may have and is one of the most common sleep disorder. There are many different effects of insomnia which includes some may become less productive, less ambitious, have a poor performance at school, work, or their everyday life tasks. Insomnia is not an illness but it is a symptom which can typically last no more than maybe a few days or it could be long term for some people. Who gets insomnia? According to Bayer (2001) “Approximately 36 out of every 100 Americans have reported experiencing this symptom [insomnia]. However, only 5 out of every 100 Americans consider the problem severe enough to seek medical help” (p. 22).
My paper is based on an article from the text’s web site (chapter 9) entitled “Lack of sleep ages body’s systems.” The basic claim of the article is that sleep deprivation has various harmful effects on the body. The reported effects include decreased ability to metabolize glucose (similar to what occurs in diabetes) and increased levels of cortisol (a stress hormone involved in memory and regulation of blood sugar levels). The article also briefly alludes (in the quote at the bottom of page 1) to unspecified changes in brain and immune functioning with sleep deprivation.
Sleep disorders are an underestimated public health concern considering that fifty to seventy million Americans are affected. Technological advances in the field of sleep have facilitated various theories to explain the need for and the purpose of sleep. Scientist have uncovered many types of sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Sleep disorders affect men ,women, children, the elderly, and the obese in different ways. Factors such as the number of children and the effects of menopause have been studied to determine their effects on sleep. Various treatments have been utilized ranging from non-pharmacologic to pharmacologic methods. Scientist have pinpointed areas of the brain that are involved in sleep deprivation and hormones that ultimately affect sleep.
Feature, Camille PeriWebMD. "10 Surprising Effects of Lack of Sleep." WebMD. WebMD, 08 May 0000. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
At first, people's eyes begin to feel dry and they have trouble concentrating, causing their eyesight to weaken. Their reaction time slows down as well as their thinking process and judgment. These effects are minor but as one’s body weakens, their immune system is affected as well. This may cause their body to catch an illness or disease. Afterwards, their body becomes very weak and it will take a while before it can heal properly. In addition, their heart gets tired and cannot perform its job properly, so prolonged sleep deprivation also leads to risk of heart diseases. Not only does sleep loss make people feel tired, but it is also harmful to their body by increasing the risk of health problems (“Sleep Deprivation: What Are the Physical Effects” , Griffin R. Morgan, Mann Jeff, Peri Camille, Pietrengeelo
Lack of sleep affects us many different ways in our daily lives. Think of yourself as a battery, and you’re using all the energy. After you 're done using the energy, you have to charge it. Humans are just like batteries when it comes to sleep. We use all of our energy in the day time doing our daily activities. Like a battery, if you don’t rest or charge yourself up, you’re not going to function very well. It is necessary to have a satisfying amount of sleep. Lack of sleep will affect you in ways such as: mood swings, loss of focus, change in behavior, and difficulties in everyday tasks.
Sleep is a very important factor in the human function. Our body and brain is able to reset itself and rejuvenate while we sleep. When we do not get the required amount of sleep, we start to feel lethargic and foggy minded, because our mind and body wasn’t able to replenish itself. Sleep is imperative that an insignificant rest deficiency or lack of sleep can affect our ability to remember things; decisions and can affect our temperament. Chronic sleep deficiency can get the body to feel agitated and it could lead to serious health problems such as, heart problems, stress, acne, and obesity.
Feature, Michael. "Chronic Sleep Deprivation and Health Effects." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. .