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Sleep Deprivation

Thu, 2010-06-24 18:36 -- Thiruvelan

Sleep deprivation has become one for the most common cause for many health problems the world is facing. Many surveys estimate that people nowadays have sleep one and a half hours less than people had a century ago.

Sleeplessness causes

  • lifestyle causes (working in shift system or those who travel between countries),
  • health complications (other health conditions that disturb sleep),
  • Medication side effects

Sleep Deprivation symptoms

  • Tiredness - Feel lazy, no energy and tired always.
  • Strange Appetite - Sleep deprivation affects your appetite; you may feel either always hunger or no hunger at all. Therefore, you may gain weight or lose weight.
  • Lack of Concentration - Sleep deprivation affects your focus and concentration. In addition, it slows down your reaction time. Therefore, you start committing numerous mistakes.
  • Memory Loss - Sleep deprivation affects your cognition. It is difficult to recollect anything in your mind.
  • Inability to handle stress - May feels this whole world is on their shoulders, and it is impossible to solve this problem.
  • Anger - Unnecessary anger even for minor mistakes
  • Socially Inept - Inability to judge and interact with other people in an acceptable normal manner

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Experts are even beginning to warn that the sleep deprivation is affecting human’s brainpower, creativity and their psychological behaviors.

In humans, the metabolic activity of the brain decreases significantly after 24 hours of continuous wakefulness.

Sleep deprivation results in

  • A decrease in body temperature,
  • A decrease in immune system function as measured by white blood cell count,
  • A decrease in the release of growth hormone
  • In addition, causes increased heart rate variability.

Short-term effects of sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation for a short time can affect both physical and mental as below:

  • Drop in daytime alertness. Loss of just one and half hours sleep can result in a 32% drop in daytime alertness.
  • Impaired memory and cognitive - Diminished ability to think and process information.
  • More than, double the risk of facing an occupational injury.
  • Impaired immune system – diminished white blood cell count

Long-term effects of sleep deprivation

Long term of sleep dept may cause major health issues some of them as follows:

  • dizziness and nausea
  • irritability
  • hallucinations
  • hand tremors
  • headaches
  • increased blood pressure
  • increased risk for diabetes
  • increased risk of fibromyalgia
  • Heart attack
  • Heart failure
  • Stroke
  • Psychiatric problems such as depression and other mood disorders
  • memory lapses or loss
  • nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)
  • obesity

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