An article in the Psychiatric Times states that today most people (esp. youth) get between 7-7.5 hours of sleep. Before the advent of the light bulb, people slept and average of 9-10 hours a day. This means that annually, people are sleeping about 500 hours less than they should.
As stated above, sleep deprivation has serious side-effects.
Causes of Sleep Deprivation:
- Not allowing enough time for sleep
- Sleep disorders (apnea, insomnia, Nocturnal myoclonus, narcolepsy, parasomnia)
- Excessive worry, depression
- Repeated awakenings from noise or other disturbances
- Working at night, travel across time zones
- Medical illness causing pain, difficulty breathing, etc.
- Intentional deprivation for training purposes (religious reasons, military training)
- Some medications/drugs
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation over time:
Ammended list from Psychiatric Times
- Day 2:Difficulty focusing eyes and signs of astereognosis (difficulty recognizing objects only by touch).
- Day 3:Moodiness, some signs of ataxia (inability to repeat simple tongue twisters).
- Day 4:Irritability and uncooperative attitude, memory lapses and difficulty concentrating. Beginnings of hallucinations.
- Day 5:More hallucinations
- Day 6: Speech slowing and difficulty naming common objects.
- Day 7 and 8:Irritability, speech slurring and increased memory lapses.
- Day 9:Episodes of fragmented thinking; frequently beginning, but not finishing, sentences.
- Day 10:Paranoia
- Day 11:Expressionless appearance, speech slurred and without intonation. Short attention span, diminished mental abilities, problems focusing on activities.
These symptoms where observed in
Randy Gardner in 1964, when he entered the
Guiness Book of World Records for the longest period remaining awake. His symptoms have been shown to be similar to others who have remained awake for many days.
Long Term Effects and Dangers of Sleep Deprivation
Driver Fatigue: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 100,000 automobile accidents a year are caused by driver fatigue: a number that includes over 1,550 dead and 71,000 injured. Accidents caused by tired drivers may actually be much higher: determining whether fatigue played a role in a crash is difficult. Researchers in Austraila have determined that people who operated vehicles after 17-19 hours without sleep where worse than people who operated vehicles with a blood alcohol level of .05 (the legal limit in most of Europe).
Impaired Glucose Tolerance: Tests done at the University of Chicago show that sleeping shortages alter the body's ability to regulate glucose and produce insulin, mimicking the symptoms of impaired glucose tolerance. After a week of sleep deprivation, otherwise healthy test subjects took forty percent longer than normal to regulate blood sugar levels. Both insulin production and the body's response to insulin fell to thirty percent below normal. After rest, most test subjects returned to normal levels, but it is believed that over time, this symptom could lead to diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
Other Problems: Researchers on sleep are still unsure of exactly why we need sleep. It has been reported that sleep and brainwave functions are closely related. Lack of sleep effects your memory, has been shown to lower testosterone levels.
Getting More Restful Sleep
The Natinal Sleep Foundation offers many suggestions for improving your sleeping:
- Consume less or no caffeine and avoid alcohol.
- Drink less fluids before going to sleep.
- Avoid heavy meals before bedtime.
- Avoid nicotine
- Exercise regularly, but do so in the daytime, preferably after noon.
- Try a relaxing routine, like soaking in hot water (a hot tub or bath) before bedtime.
- Establish a regular bedtime and waketime schedule.
- Sleep in a cool room. Hot rooms can disturb sleeping, causing more awakenings and lighter sleep.
- Sleep at night. The body is regulated by an internal clock, the most powerful regulator of this internal clock is sunlight.
- Sleep in a quiet environment (earplugs can help)
- If you have consistent trouble sleeping, consult a specialist.
Sources:
Psychiatric Times: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p980301b.html
Sleep Deprivation: http://www.sleepnet.com/depriv.htm
National Ag Safety Database http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000701-d000800/d000705/d000705.html
www.sleep-deprivation.com
www.sleepfoundation.org