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The Characteristics of Sleep Deprivation
Abstract
The term sleep deprivation can be defined as a psychological condition in which a person does not get the needed amount of sleep. The disorder can be evident for adults if they dont attain seven to eight hours duration while sleeping. On the other hand, children will be associated with sleep deprivation if they sleep for less than ten hours. Lack of sleep is a psychological order since it affects how human beings think and feel. When sleep deprivation is experienced for a long time, there can be short-term or long-term chronic conditions that may lead to physical and mental issues health-wise. Sleep deprivation is caused by various factors such as work obligations, poor hygiene, lifestyle choices among others.
Sleep deprivation can be a result of decisions made, for instance, staying for a long while when watching television at night, engaging in relationship battles, and so forth. The symptoms include spending a notable daytime while feeling sleepy, reduced concentration during the day, and mood swings. To prevent sleep deprivation, it is important to address the issue when it is realized, and therefore, forecasting on sleep hygiene through the assistance of a physician can be applicable. This paper explores sleep deprivation by addressing the causes, symptoms, the number of people affected, and ways to prevent the disorder.
Major Causes of Sleep Deprivation
Factors that cause sleep deprivation can be catalyzed by voluntary habits, personal actions, work obligations, and medical issues. Under this note, one of the essential matters to note is that chronic sleep deprivation is a condition based on emotional response (Atrooz & Salim, 2018). Thinking about sleep issues or having anxiety feeling about not getting sleep on time are key contributors to this problem.
The first factor this paper explores is sleep deprivation due to voluntary decisions. Some individuals may not decide to follow the normal way of doing their stuff but rather alter their schedules. Thus, at night you may find these people reading books, newspapers, listening to the radio, and watching television (Thomas, 2021). Others have the habit of sticking to their mobile phones to socialize with their friends and relatives. In contrast, having an individual who is not well health-wise can restrict peoples sleeping time.
Certain health problems such as tonsillitis or cold may lead to snoring that leads to a person awake when sleeping. The disruption can be significantly experienced at night which makes the victims have anxiety about the likelihood of getting enough sleep. People who have sleep disorders such as apnea and period limb alteration can also be affected by sleep deprivation (Atrooz & Salim, 2018). Furthermore, some health issues, for instance, depression or anxiety makes people have sleep interference.
Medical conditions such as specific medicine that is useful in treating diseases for example epilepsy and hyperactivity deficit problem are also key contributors to sleep deprivation. The reason is that the medical prescriptions may lead to one having an altered sleep pattern that makes them lack sleep at night(Tuan & Lee, 2017). Additionally, individuals who go through stressful situations in their lives, for instance, getting fired from a place of work, the death of a close friend, moving to a new place among others, may face acute sleep deprivation though in a short-term basis.
Furthermore, environmental factors may also be key contributors when it comes to sleep deprivation. For instance, extremely hot environments or cold temperatures may make an individual to be uncomfortable while sleeping which makes them stay awake for long hours at night. Similarly, bright lights, loud noise, and stereotypes when someone is sleeping may be a cause of this disorder. It is also important to note that lifestyle habits such as food and beverage intake may lead to sleep deprivation (Atrooz & Salim, 2018).
For example, taking coffee or an energy drink at night may restrict someone from getting sleep due to the presence of high contents of nicotine in the items. The same effect is felt when one is indulged in drug intakes such as alcohol, chewing of khat, and other dangerous drugs. Lastly, aging people can suffer from sleep deprivation especially those persons 65 years and older. The reason is that as they get older, medical problems are highly witnessed and also lack of physical activity that will make them require sleeping time.
Types of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation can be of various types depending on the level of the disorder in someones normal way of living. The first type is acute sleep deprivation that means a short-term period that can be one week or less when a person experiences a reduction in their sleeping time (Tuan & Lee, 2017). This is caused by a temporary issue that is running in someones mind such as stress due to relationship issues, fear due to some threats happening, and also recovering from a frightening moment.
The other type is chronic sleep deprivation which is mostly referred to as insufficient sleep syndrome by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). In this case, sleep deprivation persists for more than ninety days or more (Tuan & Lee, 2017). It can be caused by depression for example, when someone is subjected to situations such as the death of an individual, having been dumped by a lover among other intensive issues. Lastly, chronic sleep deficiency is a type that sleep deprivation that occurs due to sleep fragmentation and other distractions. This type can be a result of medical issues that have not been addressed in someones healthy life. It can persist for more than six months and a severe one a year or longer.
Population Affected by Sleep Deprivation
Sleep disorders and loss are among the most commonly disregarded problems in the world. Approximately, more than 50 million US citizens are affected by sleep deprivation. That has led to the alteration of the normal way of functioning as per humans daily obligations (Gonzalez & Tyminski, 2020).
90% of older people with sleep deprivation are not exposed to medical interventions as some people the problem still undiagnosed (Gonzalez & Tyminski, 2020). The population that is mostly affected by this disorder are people living with underlying medical issues. For instance, 56% of people with sleep loss have hypertension and diabetes. More than 45% of people with obesity, heart attack, and stroke have been said to suffer from this psychological issue (Gonzalez & Tyminski, 2020). The problem has been highly manifested to people with more than 60 years especially the female gender.
Generally, sleep deprivation affects nearly everyone but mostly for people with health conditions or adults who have lifestyle challenges. Additionally, the young people below 25 years similarly get this disorder due to the desire to fit in the social stratification system such as employment, rush to marriage, and also get powerful positions to meet their goals. However, only 8% of young adults experience sleep deprivation due to social mobility issues (Thomas, 2021).
Many young people have suffered the condition due to prolonged hours while doing fun activities and also challenges in maintaining romantic and relationship affairs. 20% of people in the world sleep deprived according to survey reports in American research institutes (Gonzalez & Tyminski, 2020). That translates to a significant population of people living the problem as doctors testify that sleeping pills frequently purchase over the counter.
Adolescents are frequently reported to have sleep deprivation due to growth issues and also naiveness due to the developmental stage that one has yet to discover themselves. For instance, a survey of more than 3000 adolescents in Rhode Island reported that 15% of the participants sleep more than 8.5 hours while 26% slept for less than 6 hours (Thomas, 2021). The trend shows that sleep deprivation can affect anyone but it will depend on the nature of activities and the factors that play a part in causing the problem.
Furthermore, the degree of sleep deprivation is common to people who have advanced to higher social class. The reason is that those people tend to have business obligations that require them to stand firm and defend their occupation especially if the enterprises have some uncompleted certifications. Most people who participate in unclear businesses tend to lack sleep because they have battles with authorities and rival firms.
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
The primary symptoms that can be evident when it comes to sleep deprivation include extreme daytime sleepiness and daytime weakening. Someone will be experiencing low concentration, changes in temperament, and challenges in cognitive functioning. In this case, a victim will have reported tiredness during the working time and will occasionally take a nap to recover (Mohammadi, 2018). When a person has excess daytime drowsiness, they will feel dozy and experience difficult moments in being awake when they are required to undertake a given activity. Microsleeps occur at this condition when someone dozes for a minute or second unwarily.
Similarly, sleep deprivation can show signs such as worsened memory where someone experiences interference in reasoning, concluding, and contributing to teamwork. Therefore, when this is realized, there are chances of risky decision-making that can lead to individual or group liability when undertaking a specific duty. A persons signs can range depending on their bodily adaptations to the disorder as some individuals will show no symptoms but at night, they experience deprived sleep (Mohammadi, 2018).
That will be determined by the type of sleep deprivation as discussed earlier under the categories of sleep deprivation. Genetics plays a key role when it comes to symptoms as some victims of sleep deprivation will not be experienced until at the last stage. Lastly, patients with this disorder will occasionally have frowned facial expressions with their eyes red or discolored depending on the stage of the disorder.
Sleep Deprivation Treatment
When a patient feels the symptoms mentioned above, the first step to take is to get an intervention from a physician. It is wrong to decide to buy presumed drugs over the counter when not prescribed by the doctor. Working with a doctor will help determine the stage of the matter and guide one perfectly on the appropriate course of action for the disorder (Thomas, 2021). After doctors assess the situation, from there a patient can start treatment that best suits their needs.
A doctor will prescribe an individual to purchase sleeping pills that do not have long-term health effects after one recovers. Light therapy can be relevant in this case after one experiences hectic insomnia. The therapy is designed to aid in resetting a patients internal clock hence get enough sleep. In cases such as sleep apnea, a breathing device is advisable that will prevent disruptions that lead to weakness (Thomas, 2021). A common machine that is used in this perspective is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP).
However, treating this condition requires someone to have self-driven measures that can get them back to sleeping normality. This includes making sleep a priority when somebody notices that they have challenges in sleeping (Tuan & Lee, 2017). That can be achieved by having a consistent sleep schedule that strives a patient to have specific periods that they must be a bed. Other interventions include setting boundaries in working and social life. That will ensure that one is not provoked beyond a logical margin when it comes to social interaction when working and outside the workplace (Atrooz & Salim, 2018). Lastly, it is important to customize the bedroom environment to be free from excess lighting and loud noise.
Conclusion
Sleep deprivation is a health issue that makes a victim experience a short duration of sleep when it is time to rest at night. The condition is caused by factors such as work-life obligations, mental health, consequences of decisions in social life among other issues. Sleep deprivation can be either acute or chronic. The disorder may be easily seen when someone has sleepiness in the daytime and also loses concentration. To prevent and treat the problem, it is important to seek medical attention from a physician and indulge in personal motives that make sleep a priority.
References
Atrooz, F., & Salim, S. (2018). 0021 Early life sleep deprivation by enhancing neuronal expression of MKP1. Sleep, 41(suppl_1), A9-A9. Web.
Gonzalez, A., & Tyminski, Q. (2020). Sleep deprivation in an American homeless population. Sleep Health, 6(4), 489-494. Web.
Mohammadi, A. (2018). Prevalence of sleep disorders and sleep deprivation symptoms in nurses and allied health professionals; a cross-sectional analytic-descriptive study. Nursing & Care Open Access Journal, 5(4), 7. Web.
Thomas, S. (2021). Sleep deprivation: time to intervene. Sleep Medicine, 7(4), 33-39. Web.
Tuan, L., & Lee, L. (2017). 0044 Differential effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation on adolescents and adults. Sleep, 40(suppl_1), A17-A17. Web.
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