sleep deprivation is a severe, overlooked problem for our society and has many negative consequences not accredited to this disorder. A lot of the talk circulating these days is focused on self well-being. We are told from elementary school on to eat from all five food groups, exercise three to five times a week, wash our hands before we do anything, and to disinfect all surfaces in the kitchen to prevent the spread of ecoli and salmonella bacteria. Lectured to all young people are effects of smoking, alcohol, and the dangers of drugs, marijuana and the like. We are told that all these things could lead to our ultimate downfall and may cause a premature death. Drugs and alcohol can lead to depression and alter the mind, cigarettes lead to heart disease and lung cancer – everyone knows these facts. However, what is not focused on and given due recognition, is perhaps the most common of all health threats in our society. It is sleep deprivation- not getting enough sleep or, when attempting to do so, sleeping terribly or with discomfort. It is sleep deprivation that causes anxiety, stress, poor judgment, decreased productivity, accidents, and behavioral changes for the worse in many people today.
Not recognizing this growing trend towards little or no sleep is what makes the situation so deadly. As more and more people believe that they don?t need that extra couple hours of sleep or that the contract deadline is much more important than a night?s rest, lives are being lost and many others are having trouble functioning normally and living up to their full potential. Kennedy 2 The history of sleep deprivation goes back to a time of great change known as the industrial Revolution. The industrialists were the first to encourage sleeping less and working longer; it was cost effective to work from sunrise to sunset. Men and women would rise at the crack of dawn and proceed to endure as long as sixteen-hour days, only to return at sunset to provide for a family and maybe have a chance to get a few hours of sleep. The invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison only worsened the problem. Now, to the delight of factory owners, the working classes could work extended schedules, night shifts, and rotating shifts by the light of the new bulb. These same practices occur today in addition to 24-hour access of televisions, computers and the internet, stores of all kinds, and public entertainment. It is documented that the average human adult needs about eight hours of sleep every night. However, the percentage that actually gets this amount is fearfully low. “Over the past century, Americans have reduced their average total nightly sleep by more than twenty percent, or two hours a night,” says Zimmer (4).
The Essay on People Led District Disaster Management
Soon after the Orissa Cyclone and thereafter the Gujarat earthquake the Government of India prioritized a national policy on disaster management and advocated a change of direction from a post disaster reactive approach to a proactive stance before the occurrence of disasters, provided a new legal framework and greater harmonization of disaster management efforts. The policy set forth principles ( ...
For some people lack of sleep is caused by their own robbery of it from themselves, for some it is circumstances being control…for others it is disorders and/or a condition called insomnia which deprives them.
The ones that cheat themselves from a good night?s rest have all the power in the world to correct their problem, but may not know what is happening and that something needs to change. This trend is caused by overachieving and trying to get 30 hours of productivity from a 24 hour day. Macho men (“I don?t need any more than five hours of sleep to be just fine”), and ignorant adolescents who would rather talk on the phone until three a.m. because it?s “just not cool to sleep a lot” are some of the worst offenders. Zammit puts this idea into laymen?s terms when he says “We steal hours from our sleep for work or play” (4).
The Research paper on Sleep Apnea Patients Study Disorders
Sleep Apnea General Psychology Steven O'Brien, Psy. Sleep, why do people sleep at all? Why can't we just stay awake? Some biologist suggest that sleep provides the opportunity to conduct self-repair and purge the body of it's waste that has built up during the day's activity. Nevertheless, the body is capable of repairing itself and disposing of wastes during waking hours, so sleep in a way really ...
The decision of calling it a day or to keep working until you are finished is one that most people make daily. The choice to spend time doing other things instead of giving your body and mind the rest that is needs is one of the main causes of sleep deprivation. How many people these days actually work a 40-hour week?
For others it is unlucky circumstances such as bad work shifts, injuries, or the required care of a sick family member which keeps them away from their pillow. The most unfortunate people are plagued with disorders of some kind. These sleep disorders affect 30% of the population here in America. The most common of these is insomnia, caused by caffeine, noise, irregular hours, job stress, money worries, pain, depression, alcohol, medications, and other detectable causes. Sleep apnea is another disorder in which the sleeper wakes constantly during the night to increase or resume breathing. Other psychiatric or medical conditions disrupt normal sleep patters in the same way. The first sign of sleep deprivation is simply sleepiness, also known as hypersomnolance. Severe hypersomnolance is demonstrated in the case of a Georgia bus driver who fell asleep on a busy highway with a bus load of noisy children, causing a dangerous accident. Rising levels of sleepiness lead to lapses of microsleep – brief periods of time when the brain falls asleep for a few seconds although the person seems to be aware. Says one teenager, Molly Endres, “Yes, I know what you are talking about.
I recently got my drivers license and while I was driving, I could swear that I fell asleep for two seconds, I found myself driving off the road and I don?t know what happened.” More visibly, the person becomes easily irritated or stressed out as emotional state is altered. Many violent acts today may be a direct result of sleep and rest modification as levels of aggression rise. Change in body chemistry is proven to occur, as well as changes in the working of the nervous system. The only way to correct these cycles, if you do not have a problem, is to know how much sleep you need realistically and commit yourself to a schedule. No matter what the cause of the sleepless nights, the effects can range from annoyances to being severe or deadly. An example of sleep deprivation that is seen every day affects youth. Many teens wake at or before six a.m. to catch their bus before seven and start school at half-past. Following an eight period school day during which every class is a struggle to stay awake, we must go to our activities. This may entail practice until six or, if a game is taking place, staying out until 9:30 or so. The tired teen must then come home and complete their two hours of homework that was assigned.
The Homework on Sleep Deprivation Students Time School
Since I started eighth grade, I have noticed that when listening to my teachers lecture, I have a tendency to zone out. However, this is not on purpose, it is due to my fatigue, which stems from a lack of sleep. Once I finish a class and am out in the hall socializing, a common conversation that seems to be initiated between my friends and I is complaining about how tired we are. This usually ...
Falling asleep at midnight, the young person dreads the next day when they must go through it all again. Many public figures have suggested a later school starting time at 9 or so. As this would definitely make a difference, the situation can never be completely mended because teenagers today are simply busy. And unfortunately, sleep does not fit into their schedule as they try to participate in everything possible and prepare for college or their career of choice. As they sleep five or six hours on weeknights and try to compensate with 12-hour sleep marathons on weekends, test scores drop and behavior changes. Teens become more irritable and depressed when their body is thrown out of whack and their minds are under so much stress. It is a teen?s responsibility to remember that they need more sleep than an adult, about 9 hours and 15 minutes every night, and give our best effort to get enough rest. Also, studies have shown that many youth growth hormones are secreted in certain phases of sleep. Therefore, physical growth may be curbed when a sleep routine cannot be set. More serious than teenage regression is decreased productivity in the workplace. Ironic as it is, the workers who try to pull all-nighters and work until exhaustion are actually doing no good and possibly only taking steps backwards. Quality of work is affected as well as capability to be efficient. Numbers say that 31% of people claim that sleepiness affects their job performance on a regular basis (Clark 282).
Workplace accidents are also growing pattern. These mishaps, combined with decreased productivity, are estimated to cost the government $150 billion every year, or $410 million daily (Curry).
The Term Paper on Persuasive Speech For Students’ Chronic Sleep Deprivation
Introduction: A. Attention Getting Opening: Over the past ten to twenty years, academic demands placed upon college students have increased significantly, this has lead to an increase in workload and amount of time needed to study for a specific course. Today, college students represent the most sleep-deprived division of the population in the U.S. (“Sleep and Memory”). According to ...
Sleep deprivation is believed to have played a part in the Prince Edward?s Sound (Alaskan) oil spill, the Three Mile island Accident, Chernobyl, Bhopal, and the space shuttle Challenger?s explosion.
Health care is another aspect of daily life greatly affected by lack of sleep. The American public does not realize that the doctor who may be giving them a quadruple bypass only slept for 3 hours the night before, as his work schedule was rearranged at the last minute. Reaction time is slowed greatly when sleep is lost; this is a very big risk to take in the emergency medical world. It is universally known that first year medical residents average 2.6 hours of sleep daily- not a comforting fact when added to their inexperience when a loved one?s life is on the line. The medical professionals are in danger as well when they do not sleep enough; immunity is altered without enough rest and they could come down with whatever is putting you in immediate danger.
Although all these effects put an individual at a disadvantage or in somewhat of a risky situation, the greatest danger of sleep deprivation is witnessed on roads and in the air. Motor vehicles are operated by humans, and can kill when the driver is impaired by sleepiness. This true handicap is put into perspective by the saying “Driving while tired is similar to driving drunk” (Hamilton/Springen 10).
Everyone knows how dangerous driving after drinking alcohol or taking drugs can be, but the sister danger of sleep deprivation is not recognized so clearly. The National Sleep Foundation reports that 27% of drivers admit to having dozed off while driving in the past year. They also claim that this percentage is very forgiving- who would want to admit that they sleep at the wheel? Accidents are particularly common around the 3 p.m. and midnight hours, as this is a time for natural dip in body rhythm. An estimated 24,000 deaths and 2 million disabling accidents occur yearly in the United States alone, costing $43.15 billion (Clark 282).
Five-thousand big-rig accidents are also annually reported (Moore); professional drivers are known for sleeping minimally as they get paid for miles driven and sleep “wastes time”. In interview with a southerner, it was coincidentally revealed that this man?s car was smashed up by a propane truck driver who had been awake for 72 hours to aid a snow relief effort. The aviation field also has its fair share of risk associated with under-sleeping. One out of seven pilots confess to nodding off in the cockpit on a regular basis. In plane accidents, human mistake is said to be a factor in 70%, fatigue is a factor in over half of that 70%. Many commercial airlines are now calling for a third or fourth pilot, or even an entire relief crew to prevent mishaps.
The Term Paper on Effects Of Sleep Deprivation 2
When Thomas Edison set out to create the light bulb, his intention was to reduce the amount of time that people spent sleeping. His idea was that if people had light to work by they could and would work longer hours. In his mind, sleep was something that was not needed and stood opposed to progress (Coren, 1996). “Anything which tends to slow work down is a waste. We are always hearing people talk ...
Sleep deprivation in America is caused primarily by the growing trend of overachieving and leads to negative effects on the individual and the society around him. It causes anxiety, lower quality performance, risks in many areas and also claims many lives.
Unfortunately, it is still not nationally recognized as a serious problem.
This condition is both preventable and curable, all that needs to be done is simple sleeping enough. Some groups have tried to educate the public on this topic, such as the National Sleep Foundation, but sadly awareness will not grow until more tragedies and downfalls occur. Sleep deprivation is not addicting like substances or spread like bacteria. It is up to individuals to realize that the impact of their choice of lifestyles go beyond the immediate commitments. Many problems in America and all around the world can be solved by an action that is natural, painless, and voluntary…Sleep! Clark, Andrew. “Sleep and Be Merry”. World Link Jan/Feb 1996. London, England. Curry, Carl. “For Better Biz-z-z”. Long Island Business News May 21 1999.
Dryer, Bernard M.D. and Ellen S. Kaplan. Inside Insomnia: How To Sleep Better Tonight. Villiard Books, New York. Hamilton, Kendall and Karen Springen. “A Good Night?s Sleep – Impossible Dream?”. Newsweek, January 12 1998. Merzer, Martin. “Asleep in the Cockpit”. Miami Herald June 21 1998. Moore, Richard. “Sleep Takes Its Toll in Workplace”. Business Journal January 22 1996. Springen, Karen. “Sleepless and Cranky”. Newsweek, May 17 1999. The National Sleep Foundation. *http://www.sleepfoundation.org* The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 27, page 304. ?1994 by Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Weck, Egon. “Why Aren?t You Asleep Yet?”. FDA Consumer October 1989. Zammit, Gary. Good Nights. ?1997 by Alison Brown Cerier Book Development, Inc. Kansas City.
The Term Paper on Why Do We Need Sleep?
... function and how much we should be getting. What is sleep? Sleep is characterized by a number of things: a reduction ... posture (lying down), and reversibility (we can wake from sleep) . Sleep can be broken down into two kinds: REM, Rapid Eye ... Visible signs in everyday life reveal other effects of sleep-deprivation. Without sleep, we experience drowsiness and difficulty concentrating. Studies show ...
