Behrens and Rosens (2002) Have an Entire

¶ … Behrens and Rosens (2002) have an entire discussion pertaining to the effects of sleep deprivation on adolescents. College students, actually, routinely deprive themselves of sleep as does the American nation in general (Weiten, 184) mainly in the hope and mistaken belief that they can achieve more in their life this way. According to Dumer and Dinges (2005), in fact, approximately 20% of adults are routinely sleep deprived.

Scientific research on sleep, actually, presents something of a paradox since, whilst on the one hand, it indicates that sleep deprivation is not as detrimental as one might expect, on the other hand, evidence seems to indicate that sleep deprivation may be a major social problem, undermining efficacy in school and academic achievement, contributing to countless accidents, and negatively impacting an adolescent's life in various aspects.

The level of seriousness of the effects of partial sleep deprivation depends on the amount of sleep lost and on other aspects of the adolescent's (or individual's) life (Weiten, 184) that necessitate that he or she possess as much energy as possible in order to deal with these aspects of her life effectively. Negative effects of lack of sleep are most likely to occur when the individual has to deal with stress in his or her personal life, when this stress is long lasting, or when individuals are faced with long-lasting, monotonous tasks. Negative effects are also likely to occur when individuals restrict their sleep to 6 hours or fewer for many nights (Weiten, 184). However, it has, likewise, been discovered that some individuals are more sensitive to sleep restriction than are others.

Sleep deprivation may also affect the neurobiology of the regular sleep-wake regulation cycle. Wakefulness and sleep are modulated by a biological clock that is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei that is in the hypothalamus. The biological clock does not only deal with sleepiness but transports its circadian rhythm to all neurobehavioral variables such as cognitive performance. Deprivation of sleep can elevate homeostatic pressure of this clock to the extent that waking neurocognitive functions are weakened to the extent that they function poorly even during the period of peak circadian wakefulness (Dumer & Dinges, 119). Ironically, therefore, sleep deprivation increases the propensity for sleep, sometimes causing people to desire and need more sleep than they would otherwise need (Dumer & Dinges, 120).

Oftentimes, people (particularly adolescents) think it admirable that they can do with little sleep thus thinking that hey can achieve more in their days. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation is more injurious than is generally believed. Studies indicate that sleep restriction can have a similar impact to alcohol consumption on the brain. It can produce psychomotor impairments such as impeding individual's attention, reaction time, motor coordination, and decision making, and may also have negative effects on endocrine and immune system functioning (Weiten, 185). In fact, a study of professional truck drivers found that 28 hours lack of sleep, drivers evidenced cognitive deficits similar to those found after alcohol intoxication (BAC at 0.1%) (Dumer & Dinges, 118).

Neurocognitive impairments reducible to lack of sleep have long been validated. The first to do so was one conducted in 1896 on three adults who experienced 90 hours of continuous wakefulness (Dumer & Dinges, 125). Since that time, numerous studies have documented the negative impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive abilities and behavior. The literature falls into three categories: term-term total sleep deprivation, short-term total sleep deprivation, and partial sleep deprivation. Partial sleep deprivation, as it is to be expected, has a less malignant effect on neurocognitive functions whilst both long-term total and short-term total both impact (the former more adversely than the latter) (Dumer & Dinges, 125). Nonetheless, recent experiments reveal that the accumulated effect of partial sleep deprivation generates to that of long-term total deprivation (ibid.)

On an extra-personal scale, sleep deprivation can be malevolent, too, in that it contributes to errors in medical treatment by physicians who sometimes work 80-100 hours a week without adequate rest. Inferentially then, sleep deprivation can cause grievous mistakes all along the board in more responsible professions than one causing havoc with people's lives and leading, without exaggeration, to death.