Sleep deprivation is common among many adults in America today. Though many suffer from sleep deprivation, few are aware of the detrimental effects that it can have on the human body. In order for the average adult body to maintain homeostasis it must have seven and a half to nine hours of sleep every night. However, according to Driscoll, Mass and Robbins, this amount is increased for high school and college students whose bodies require eight and a half hours to nine hours and fifteen minutes every night. A study at The University of Chicago and Cornell University shows that the representative sample of the population claiming to sleep seven to eight hours per night was really only sleeping six hours every night. This statistic shows that Americans are severely sleep deprived and most are not even aware of it. The effects of sleep deprivation consist of physical, cognitive, and behavioral changes that are destructive to the proper functioning of the human body. Lack of sleep not only contributes to various health complications but errors in mental processing as well.
Some physical effects attributed to sleep deprivation include: increased susceptibility to contracting an illness, sluggishness throughout the day, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In a study done at the University of Leubeck in Germany by Dr. Jan Born, it was established that people who slept less than six hours versus eight hours per night were 50 percent less resistant to viral infections. The body’s defense mechanisms become less effective and leave the human body defenseless in the presence of foreign agents. However, this is not the only study that was representative of the effects of sleep deprivation on the body’s immune system. Another study at the Carnegie Mellon University by Dr. Sheldon Cohen, displayed that sleeping less than seven hours per night made one three times more likely to become infected with a cold. Without an adequate amount of sleep the body’s organs begin to shut down and fail causing increased exhaustion. The body is no longer able to perform simple tasks with the same precision and accuracy as before.
Furthermore, research done by the University of Chicago shows that after one week of inadequate sleep, healthy men with no risk factors were in a pre-diabetic state. There is an increased risk to developing diabetes among people not getting the required amount of sleep every night. The risk of heart disease has drastically increased due to the excessive amount of stress hormones being released throughout the human body when one is not receiving enough rest. According to Driscoll, Mass and Robbins, stress hormones can cause an imbalance that leads to arteriosclerosis, which, in turn, causes heart disease, heart attacks and strokes among poorly rested individuals. The risk of heart disease is heightened when an individual’s blood pressure increases as a consequence of the lack of REM sleep they experience at night. Driscoll, Maas and Robbins maintain that the regulation of blood pressure typically occurs between the seventh and eighth hour of sleep that some people are never getting. Sleeping fewer than seven hours causes a lack of cortisol and melatonin production, two hormones which can aid in the prevention and ability to fight cancer. These two hormones keep the immune system functioning properly and assist the body in sleeping, two things that are vital when dealing with cancer. Developing good sleeping patterns will not only prevent diabetes but can prevent heart disease and cancer as well.
Cognitive effects due to sleep deprivation include, detached awareness and focus, and forgetfulness. The human brain cannot maintain focus and alertness on the minimum hours of sleep most Americans are getting today. Individuals can become susceptible to short episodes of sleep called micro sleep. According to Driscoll, Mass and Robbins, micro sleep will make one unaware of occurrences and often leads to accidents and injury. The human mind is unable to produce decisions in a timely manner and has difficulty processing information when running on little to no sleep. According to Peri, not only are decision-making skills difficult to obtain but also judgment becomes unclear and poor. Lack of sleep interferes with one’s ability to assess situations and act appropriately on them. Recognition and recall are also severely effected by sleep deprivation; the human mind is unable to sort through the hippocampus and short-term memory from the day’s events and place information into long-term memory. This makes remembering important information a difficult and pointless task without sleep.
The effects caused by a lack of sleep are harmful to one’s self and to the people around them. With a broad range from an increased risk of early death to memory loss, sleep deprivation can impact one’s life in virtually every aspect. Although some contributing factors such as jobs, pre-existing health issues and stressors may play a crucial role in deciding one’s sleeping habits, the health risks are serious and could be extremely detrimental. The human body requires sleep and rest to function properly and maintain balance. Sleep is just as important to the body as food and water, without it one cannot survive. Sleep deprivation is a sufficient and remote cause that has many harmful effects on the human body and puts humans at an increased risk for health problems.
