Sleep Deprivation: A Lack Of Sleep

Getting too little sleep has been a growing issue since the 1980s. Ever since our society has technologically taken off, people have been getting more and more accustomed to a faster, more efficient life style. In the past, taking your time in everyday activities was the norm. People enjoyed leisure activities and spending time outside, away from stressful environments. Today, the speed of life has exponentially increased. People talk faster (texting), eat faster (fast food), and move faster (cars). Unfortunately, this way of life does not accommodate necessary time for sleep. People tend to forget about the essentials of life - healthy eating habits, regular exercise, and most importantly, getting enough sleep. This kind of life style can prove that today, our society is sleep deprived and a lack of sleep is detrimental to long term health.

Sleep deprivation is simply known as a lack of sleep. It has been known to affect people of all ages, but more commonly those between the ages of 16 and 60. Sleep deprivation can be caused by many things, including basic

Doctors at the New England Journal of Medicine composed an article about hospital interns that work long shifts at the office. These long shifts can last up to 24 hours. Interns who aren 't used to the extended work period are heavily affected. "Every extended work shift that was scheduled in a month increased the monthly risk of a motor vehicle crash by 9.1 percent."(Extended Work Shifts and the Risk of Motor Vehicle Crashes among Interns 1) These interns are exposed to extremely heavy and stressful workloads that result in tired brains. These tired brains are an active threat to drivers all across the country. They are not only putting themselves at risk, but other innocent drivers as well. Working at a hospital is a prime example of the way today 's society allows for little to no