Sleep Deprivation Is Common Ailment

Sleep deprivation is common ailment in modern society and it affects 47 million American adults, or almost a quarter of the adult population. (Sleep Deprivation Symptoms) In essence sleep deprivation refers to an extended period of time in which the body and mind are deprived of normal sleep. The effects and symptoms of sleep deprivation can range from memory loss to an impairment of physical and mental functioning. Symptoms can interfere with memory, energy levels, mental abilities, and emotional mood.

This ailment is often a product of our rushed and work --driven modern world. Besides the pace of modern life and work, there are a number of causes, including stress. Other causes include health and mental problems as well as the imbibing of certain foodstuffs and caffeine. The central thesis of this paper is to show, through a study of the causes and effects of sleep deprivation, how important normal sleep is for the healthily development and functioning of the human body and mind.

As mentioned, one of the central contemporary causes of sleep deprivation is stress in everyday life. This aspect may lead to states of tension that disturbs the normal sleep pattern. Field, McCabe, and Schneiderman in Stress and Coping describe.how sleep deprivation acts as a stressor When an individual is deprived of sleep for a period of time there are decrements in performance..

Sleep deprivation may be considered stressful because two control systems, one regulating sleep and one regulating forebrain arousal, are discordant, and the arousal system overrides the sleep regulating system. Thus, the behaviors that one engages in during sleep deprivation artificially sustain a high level of forebrain arousal to combat sleepiness. Field, McCabe, and Schneiderman 69) The above view therefore indicates how sleep deprivation disturbs the balance and functioning in the brain and thus causes a stressful reaction.

However sleep deprivation itself has also been found to increase physical and mental stress levels and can in fact exacerbate the stress in an individual. In this sense a cycle is created where stress causes sleep loss leading to sleep deprivation, which in turn increases the stress in the body.

Another negative effect related to both stress and sleep deprivation is that it can "....lead to immune suppression." (Field, McCabe, and Schneiderman 27) This means that the body is more vulnerable to diseases and virus attacks if deprived of sleep for long periods of time. It has been found that periods of sleep deprivation can have a profound effect on the normal balance and functions of the body. For example, a study undertaken by the Chicago Medical Center in 1999 showed that sleep deprivation "..

drastically affects the body's ability to metabolize glucose, leading to symptoms that mimic early-stage diabetes." (Sleep Deprivation Symptoms) This effect on the normal functioning of the body can lead to reduced concentration and even to radical and uncharacteristic mood swings. For instance The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has suggested that many social problems, such as road rage, may be caused, in part, by a sleep deprivation. (Sleep Deprivation Symptoms) Another factor that causes sleep deprivation is underlying physical as well as mental health issues.

People suffering for depression and forms of post -traumatic stress disorder can suffer from insomnia which can lead to a pattern of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation affects the frontal cortex to the brain which ensures normal health sleep functioning. This area of the brain also controls speech and types of memory, as well as problem solving tasks. It therefore becomes obvious that long periods of sleep deprivation will have a detrimental effect on essential functions such as speech and memory.

(Sleep Deprivation Symptoms) Even from the few examples of the causes and effects of sleep deprivation presented in this paper it is obvious that normal sleep is an essential component of heath and well-being. In general, research shows that sleep is essential for the normal functioning of the brain in many critical respects. Sleep deprivation in effect causes the neurons in the brain to malfunction. This has a consequent negative effect on the individual's reactions and normal functioning. Sleep is a complex and necessary function and.