Impact of sleep deprivation on our body

 

Several researches done in the past have confirmed the fact that sleep is as important to our body as food and water, although most of us don’t consider sleep to be something that needed. As a consequence, we often suffer from insufficient sleep or disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle which, all together, cause the physiological state known as fatigue. Fatigue could be considered as a disease of the modern man. One interesting study has shown that staying awake for 24 hours leads to a reduced hand-to-eye coordination which some people compare with condition of having a blood alcohol content of 0.1. Besides these obvious consequences – it is also proven that lack of sleep can also affect a child’s school performance. Some experts say that it could also easily be linked to increased risk of emotional problems such as depression, mania or different drug addiction problems.

It is important to point out that the normal sleep cycle is regulated by several brain structures such as thalamus, external stimuli, and various hormones produced by the hypothalamus. One of the most important neurotransmitters involved is serotonin. There are exactly three different processes which are controlled by our body during the process called “the sleep regulation”:

·         A homeostatic process

This form of regulation is in fact a body’s need for sleep. It is what is necessary for normal day activity!

·         A circadian process

This process controls how much time will last all parts of the sleep, as well as the propensity of these periods

·         An ultradian process

The purpose of this process is still not well known and remains uncertain.

Roughly, we have two phases of sleep. First phase is called REM (rapid eye movement) phase and the second- NON REM phase of sleep. Scientists believe that we dream in the first phase but that we can rarely remember anything from this phase. Sleep proceeds in cycles of REM and NON-REM phases. When we talk about sleep in humans, this cycle is approximately 90–110 minutes. Each phase may have a distinct physiological function.  

 

As it was already mentioned above- it is proven that some neurotransmitters or hormones are highly correlated with sleep and wake states. How come? Well, for a long time it is well known that melatonin levels are highest during the night. This is why it is certain fact that this hormone appears to promote sleep. One another substance called the Adenosine is gradually accumulating in the human brain during wakefulness, and decreases during sleep. This is why- it is considered to be a controller of wake/sleep periods. It could be interesting to point out that the simple caffeine is attributed to its negating the effects of adenosine.  Like we have already mentioned- serotonin also plays an important part in regulation of sleep patterns. 

Although most people didn’t think about this aspect of sleep- the fact is that many scientists believe that memory depends on sleep, which means- more sleep-better memory abilities. How come? Well, some studies done in the past have shown that REM phase of sleep helps the consolidation of memory, while NON-REM sleep helps with the consolidation of declarative memories. Other experts think a bit different about all this and say that saving memory directly into long-term memory is a slow process, and propose that cerebral input is first saved in a temporary memory store, and then encoded and transferred into long-term memory during sleep.  The fact is that, never mind which theory is correct, there is no chance that sleep doesn’t have any role in maintaining and consolidating memory!

Most of the people don’t even know that they suffer from sleep deprivation or they don’t know to recognize someone who does suffer from it. That’s why- everyone should know the symptoms of sleep deprivation in adults. Some of the most common include:

·         Constant yawning which lasts almost all day long

·         Sleepy grogginess experienced all day long (sleep inertia)

·         Poor concentration and mood changes (more irritable)

·         Exhaustion, fatigue and lack of physical energy are common

·         The tendency to doze off when not active for a while; for example, when watching television

·         Grogginess when waking in the morning

·         It is characteristic that these people have the tendency to emotionally explode even at the mildest provocation

·         Constant changing emotional moods, causing pessimism, sadness, stress and anger

 

Several researches done in the past have shown that sleep deprivation affects children in different ways then it affects adults. How come? Well, no one really knows the right reason, but the fact is that these children tend to speed up, unlike the adults which rather slow down. Symptoms of sleep deprivation in children include some of the following:

·         Frequent loosing temper  

·         Frequent and short daytime naps

·         grunginess when they wake up in the morning

·         Moodiness and irritability

·         Over-activity and hyperactive behavior

Common causes of sleep deprivation include:

·         Meter of personal choice

Although it really sounds ridiculous, the fact is that some people simply don’t realize that they need sleep. Instead of regularly going to bed, doing some other things such as socializing with others, watching television ...

·         Illness

Several diseases such as colds and tonsillitis can cause snoring, gagging and frequent waking, and have a direct effect on sleep by fragmenting it.  There is even one syndrome called Morvan's syndrome when people can go without sleep for several months at a time.

·         Working night shifts

One of the most common reasons why people don’t get enough sleep is working! It is reasonable that people who do shift work disrupt their sleep-wake cycles on a regular basis.  

·         Sleep disorder

There are several medical disorders which are capable to disrupt sleep on regular basis. Some of the most common problems of this kind are sleep apnea, snoring and periodic limb movement disorder.

·         Medications

It is not secret that several different medications can affect how we sleep. Some of the most common “sleep-disrupting” medications are antiepileptic drugs and some medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

·         Bad habits

Everyone knows that some bad habits such as drinking coffee or smoking cigarettes close to bedtime stimulates the nervous system and makes sleep less likely

 

Although most people do not consider this to be something important- number of sleep hours could be crucial and even an hour or two less than normal, could leave a great impact! Two-hour sleep loss can have a major impact including:

·         Reduced decision-making skills

·         Poorer memory

·         Reduced concentration

·         Reduced alertness

·         Shortened attention span

·         Slower than normal reaction time

·         Poorer judgment

·         Reduced awareness of the environment and situation

·         Reduced work efficiency

 

It is reasonable to assume that different people needs different number of sleep hours. It depends on person’s age, physical activity levels, general health and other individual factors. In general:

·         Primary school children

Several researches done in the past have shown that they need about 9 to 10 hours

·         Teenagers

Kids this age need about nine to 10 hours too. This is because teenagers have an increased sleep requirement because of social engagements and specific lifestyle factors such as early school start times etc…

·         Adults

Of course, adult people need less sleep then kids and experts say that it should be about 8 hours, depending on individual factors.  

 

Here are some useful suggestions about how to get more quality sleep hours!

·         First-avoid taking sleeping pills. They can only worsen things!

·         Get up at the same time every morning, even after a bad night's sleep.  

·         Avoid worrying, watching TV, reading scary books, and doing other things in bed besides sleeping and sex. If you worry, read thrillers or watch TV, do that in a chair that's not in the bedroom.

·         Do not drink or eat anything caffeinated within six hours of bedtime.

·         Purposefully go to bed earlier each night as early as you can, but not before you feel sleepy

·         Don’t smoke or drink caffeinated beverages in the hours before bedtime

·         Use relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep quickly.

·         Seek professional assistance for sleep disorders such as snoringAvoid alcohol. It's relaxing at first but can lead to insomnia when it clears your system.

·         Spend time outdoors. People exposed to daylight or bright light therapy sleep better.