Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

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The Center for Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 60 million United States adults suffer from a sleep disorder (“Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic”). That means that about 20% of adults in the United States have trouble going to sleep at night. When people don’t get to sleep on time they don’t get enough sleep at night, which leads to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is a rising problem in school and in the workplace; therefore, the symptoms, causes, consequences, and solutions should be known.

First and most important is identifying the symptoms of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is a form of psychological torture caused by a lack of sleep. While having a lack of sleep may be apparent to some, others may find it hard to see the signs that they are sleep deprived. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation are so common that it can be difficult to identify them. Examples of these symptoms include snoring, excessive yawning, and feeling unrefreshed when waking in the morning. The Centers for Sleep Control and Prevention say that, increasing over the last 20 years, about 30% of adults get six hours or less of sleep every night (Harris). Adults need at least 8 full hours of uninterrupted sleep to function properly during the day as explained by the CDC. Getting less than this recommended amount of sleep can leave many adults sluggish throughout the day. Harris cites the large amount of people not getting enough sleep in hopes to raise awareness of this rising problem. Brad Wolgast, a psychologist at the University of Delaware, states “When you find depression, even when you find anxiety, when you scratch the surface 80 to 90 percent of the time you find a sleep problem as well....

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...t naps are a great way to feel rested, but should be kept to about 15 minutes (Nelson 75). The problem with naps is that the napper doesn’t set limits for his or herself. Most people tend to nap for an hour, causing sleep inertia and making themselves even more tired. Sleep inertia can happen in as little as a half an hour of napping.

All in all, sleep deprivation is a rising and serious problem. Many people of a wide variety of ages are suffering from it everyday due to stress, anxiety, depression, and technology. A high sleep debt can be apparent in students and workers, and it can also be dangerous for the people around them. While a nap can be a short term fix for a long term problem, anyone who is sleep deprived should seek a doctor's help. Sleep deprivation is a serious problem and the symptoms, causes, consequences, and solutions should be known.

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