Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
In case you get minimal sleep at night, you are likely to feel weird the morning next. Just a night with less sleep and without sufficient rest can create a negative influence on the day that follows and keeps you drowsy. Sleep deprivation refers to the condition when you don't acquire the sleep that you need. Reports suggest, around one third of the Americans suffer from this issue and that it has worsened over time. Insufficient sleep has a direct connection to how we think or feel. The short-term effects come to the limelight soon but in case of chronic sleep deprivation, there is greater risk for developing physical and mental illness in long run. Here in this article, let’s understand what is sleep deprivation and its symptoms.
What is Sleep Deprivation?
By the term sleep deprivation we mean, having less than the needed amount of sleep or precisely, getting insufficient sleep. For adults, the minimum sleep requirement is seven to eight hours in the night while for kids and teens it's usually nine to ten hours. Based on the individual's circumstances, sleep deprivation can be categorized into three types as follows:
Acute Sleep Deprivation: It indicates a short tenure, where an individual has a major decrease in their sleep duration for acute duration, say up to some days.
Chronic Sleep Deprivation: It is also noted as insufficient sleep syndrome, and usually persists for over a span of three months or more.
Chronic Sleep Deficiency or Insufficient Sleep: It can explain both ongoing sleep deprivation as well as poor sleep that happens either due to sleep fragmentation of other disturbances.
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
The usual symptoms of sleep deprivation mostly include:
• Tremendous daytime sleepiness,
• Decreased concentration levels,
• Lowered thinking abilities and
• Random mood swings.
One of the major signs of sleep deprivation is being too sleepy during the day. People with this sign go through massive drowsiness and might find it hard to stay awake even during important hours. It might sometimes lead to micro-sleeps where an individual basically sleeps off for a few seconds.
Inadequate sleep is directly proportional to how a person feels and experience in the daytime or during their wake hours. Some common signs include:
• Sloth thinking
• Disturbed attention span or problems with concentration
• Poor memory
• Lack of energy
• Poor decision making
• Random mood changes including feelings of excessive anxiety and stress.
The symptoms for an individual mostly depend on their level of sleep deprivation and whether the type is acute or chronic.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation
The sleep deprivation effects could be serious and move up to a great height without proper diagnosis and treatment. Acute Sleep deprivation mostly results in an increased risk of unintentional mistakes like drowsy driving. It often includes the risks of micro-sleeps and involves slow reaction time. Hence, it can turn out to be life threatening. People who experience sleep deprivation, might also suffer complications at school or at work and sometimes the results might reflect in their personal relationships too.
Chronic sleep deprivation, on the other hand, can bring up vast health issues. Adequate sleep has a significant role to play in proper body functioning and it takes care of the well being of nearly all the body parts. Hence, a continuous lack of sleep might result in some adverse effects for both physical and mental health. Some of the major health effects of sleep deprivation are as follows:
• Cardiovascular Disease: Persistent sleep deprivation can trigger cardiovascular health hazards like increased blood pressure, higher chances of heart attack or stroke and coronary heart disease.
• Diabetes: Inadequate sleep can influence the body's capability to regulate blood sugar and hence increases the risk of metabolic complications like diabetes.
• Obesity: Research suggests, people who suffer sleep deprivation have the usual tendency to crave for more calories and carbohydrates. It can often lead to weight gain, resulting in obesity.
• Immunodeficiency: According to studies, a continuous sleep deficiency results in bad immune functioning including a weaker response to vaccines.
• Hormonal Complications: Proper sleep is helpful for the body to produce and regulate various hormone levels. People with sleep deprivation have a higher chance to fall prey to hormonal problems.
• Pain: Studies have shown that people with sleep insufficiency usually have a high risk of going through pain or have the feeling of it being getting worse. Through this pain, there might be further sleep disturbances and hence a pathetic cycle of less sleep and pain is formed.
• Mental Health Disorder: Sleep is crucial to the overall well-being of mental health. When a person suffers a persistent period of sleep deprivation, mental health conditions such as excessive anxiety, depression and bipolar disorders might come up.
Insufficient sleep over a longer sleep that goes unnoticed or untreated is often the cause of early death or a poor quality of life, as studies say.
Making Sleep a Priority
There are various instances, where people take sleep deprivation and getting less sleep very lightly. They even try to increase their caffeine intake and take regular energy drinks to acquire the energy. I hate to break it, but these are not the proper measures to cope up with sleep deprivation. Though it might be fruitful for a day, eventually it will bring harsh results in the long run. That's why it's crucial to stop accepting less sleep to be normal and try and get the desired amount of sleep required to stay fit.
Making a regular sleep schedule is important. While planning it, you must not forget to set up a time that helps you get enough sleep and you don't run out of energy the next day. A bedtime routine and a consistent sleep schedule will help you get enough sleep and keep the related adversaries away.
Wrapping Up
Sleep deprivation and its consequences are on a rise in the last few years and it's high time to address it. The adverse health effects that come up due to less sleep might be threatening in the long run. Hence, make sure to follow a consistent sleep schedule that helps you with a calm and rested sleep at night and keeps you energetic throughout the day.
Note: The article is meant for general awareness of the readers. It can’t be used as a substitute to expert consultation or recommendations. In case, you less sleep is a regular occurrence in your life, do consult a physician or a sleep expert.
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- Comments (3)
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Lars Grijsen
2 years ago
Sleep is so important and perhaps a bit undervalued!
Lars Grijsen
2 years ago
+100 YP
Madeleine
2 years ago
+100 YP
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