Adverse Effects Of Sleep Deprivation - Sleep Disorder Treatments

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