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Adverse Effects
of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation
affects millions of adults every year in the US. Sleep
deprivation refers to the lack of necessary amount of
sleep as a result of sleep disorder such as insomnia. A
good night sleep can do wonders to our body and mind.
Sleep is necessary for restoration and repair of our
body. However, our modern lifestyles has many
distractions which keep a person from giving sleep the
highest priority.
An
average adult needs about 8 hours of sleep each night at
regular schedule to main good health and optimum
performance. However, a person suffering from sleep
deprivation may not even know that they are not getting
adequate sleep. People who are more susceptible to
suffering from sleep deprivation include night shift
workers, those in the medical profession, truck drivers,
teenagers and parents. Sleep deprivation can affect a
person in many ways, some can be
severe.
Accumulation of inadequate sleep
over a period of time may seriously impair the body's ability
to metabolize glucose, which will lead to early stage Diabetes
Type 2. This will also cause more glucose to store as fat, thus
lead to obesity and weight gain. Inadequate sleep can also lead
to other disorders such as asthma, heart disease, mental
illness and common cold due to weaken immune system.
Mentally, sleep deprivation
can seriously affect the brain function. Our brain is
constantly working hard during the day and it is important to
let the brain rest and recharge. Studies have found that sleep
deprivation can result in losing control over speech. Sleep
deprivation will also slow down the brain functioning ability,
making it difficult to learn new skill or process new
information. This has been confirmed by studies showing slower
problem solving skill in sleep deprived people. When it comes
ot driving abilities, sleep deprivation is comparable to
alcohol intoxication, which decrease the judgement abilities
and reaction time.
Sleep deprivation can have
serious consequences in terms of mental functions. Sleep
deprived people tend to suffer anxiety and stress, resulting
clinical depression or, worse, bipolar disorder. The sufferer
tend to be consistently in sadness and pessimism. Some people
show extreme anger and inability to control their emotions. In
fact, sleep deprivation is the major cause for road rage. Other
effects include irritability, hyperactivity, impatience and
general confusion.
Some Useful Resources on
sleep disorders and sleep deprivation:
National Sleep
Foundation
http://www.sleepfoundation.org
American Academy of Sleep
Medicine
http://www.aasmnet.org
American Insomnia
Association
http://www.americaninsomniaassociation.org
Sleep Research Society
http://www.sleepresearchsociety.org
NIH National Center for Sleep
Disorders Research
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/sleep
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