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Essay on sleep deprivation and health
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An ability to function throughout the day is one of the positive effects of sleep. Mostly everyone has experienced the fatigue, bad mood, or lack of focus that usually follows a night of poor sleep, but these are just the short-term affections. Sleep deprivation is also associated with long-term health consequences, including chronic medical conditions (Harvard Medical School, 2007). One of the consequences of lack of sleep is increased inflammation. IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha, primary cytokines of the inflammatory system, are involved in the central nervous system where is the regulation of physiological sleep. They are elevated during acute sleep deprivation and prompt one's immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs which can lead the body to increased …show more content…
(Elsevier, 2008; Mullington et al., 2010). Lack of sleep is also linked to pain sensitivity. Poor-quality sleep leads to the lower levels of serotonin, a naturally occurring neurotransmitter (Mcllwain & Bruce, 2007). Low serotonin level can increase the pain sensitivity because one's sensitivity and ability to hold the pain are blocked. Consequently, the body does not know how sensitive one is, so it creates more sensitivity for that person (University Health News, 2018). Lack of sleep can cause fatigue, bad mood, and lack of focus. It is also associated with an immune system response as inflammation and pain sensitivity.
Sleep deprivation can be linked to depression. As mentioned, lack of sleep leads to lack of serotonin. Serotonin does not just play a role in pain sensitivity. It is also associated with the mood and feeling of happiness because it helps defend against both anxiety
Sleep deprivation in hospitalized patients can result in increased morbidity and mortality, and can lower their quality of life. Hospitalized patients require more than the average amount of sleep to aid in recovery, but often get an inadequate amount of sleep or experience poor quality sleep. There are increased frequencies of awakening or being awakened too early in the morning, difficulty falling asleep, an increased need for sleep medications, poor sleep quality, an increase in frequency of napping and nightmares. Sleep-wake cycles contribute to adequate protein synthesis and cellular division that is crucial to sustaining the healing process and maintaining immunity. Sleep deprivation changes normal circadian cycles, resu...
Millions of people suffer from the same tossing and turning every which way, getting their sheets all disarranged and their insistent minds abundantly worse. Patients often proclaim indications of insomnia while sitting in the family health clinic. Insomnia traits include hindrance falling asleep, continueing to awaken, and rejuvenating before wanted. One may suffer from insomnia if one shows signs of an increased difficulty in attentiveness, decreased communal or scholastic skills, and a diminished mood or enthusiasm. (Foldvary-Schaefer 111). Countless individuals deal with insomnia for a large amount of their lives and some choose differing treatments, while some do not use any treatments at all. While never being uncommon, the amounts of causes leading to insomnia come in boundlessly; finding new studies and stories every day.
Sleep deprivation (SD) is a common phenomenon encountered by many individuals with different professions. [3] These professions include healthcare, security and drivers working at night. [1] The average length of sleep that an individual needs is between 7 and 8.5h per day. [quoted in 1] However, this varies between individuals with different age and gender. Pilcher and Huffcutt found that both total and partial SD give adverse effects on human functioning. [2] Researchers have concluded that sleep deprivation affects cognitive performance [1,2], motor performance and mood of an individual. [2]
Due to this down regulation, a subsequent decrease in cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine occurs, which contributes to suppressed immune functions. In contrast, growth hormone, prolactin, melatonin, and leptin levels increase. These molecules act as pro-inflammatory signals to activate the immune system, aid in proliferation, differentiation, and generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1 and TNF-α4. At the beginning of slow-wave sleep (SWS), pro-inflammatory cytokines and Th1 cytokines increase, however there remains uncertainty as to why this occurs. One theory is that over the course of wakefulness, dangerous factors accumulate in the body, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), heat shock proteins (HSP), and nucleotides. These molecules are thought to be similar to microbial molecules such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and other toll-like receptor ligands that enhance the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines via antigen presenting cells (APCs). Additionally, immune cells have their own internal clocks that maintain periodic changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines4. In terms of specific cytokines, IL-1 and TNF-α have both been shown to increase NREM sleep in animal studies. It is therefore intuitive that through inactivation or interference with the normal action of these two cytokines, spontaneous NREM sleep is decreased. For instance, by preventing the activation of IL-1 by cleavage of its inactive form, NREM sleep is reduced3. It is also important to note that high levels of IL-1 inhibit sleep, which could be due to a feedback loop involving corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation by IL-1. In terms of immune regulation, IL-1 and TNF-α induce activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), a transcription factor that has been found to be associated with substances that regulate
Sleep deprivation is often associated with the development of medical conditions, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). As disturbance in sleep could cause deprivation and shorten one’s sleep duration, it is often taken into account when carrying out related studies. Short-term sleep deprivation not only raises blood pressure and produces stress hormones, but also leads to irregular heartbeats [1]. These major risk factors are precursors to coronary disease. In this essay, I will summarize the findings of five studies in relation to sleep deprivation and the increased risk of CVD.
Health is a complex concept, and when we talk about health we refer to body health and to the health of the mind, the health of relationships between us and those around us, the spiritual health. Looking online on one of the additional resources recommended, www.nimh.nih.gov, I have noticed that one of the symptoms of most diseases that affect a person's mental health is lack of sleep. Lack of sleep not only worsens man's mental health, but also causes serious imbalances in metabolism, immunity, general mood, and last but not least, affects the ability of learning and memorizing among students. The sleep fulfills a number of vital functions for both our mind and body. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, which is a valuable and useful
Acute effects will eventually lead to a chronic disorder if not cared for properly. One of the acute effects is the loss of normal brain function. One of the main brain functions we use being memory loss. Memory loss is caused by brain exhaustion. The brain reboots itself when in the REM stage of sleep, and when it does not have the time to clear out the waste, it will not function properly. If you can 't do well in class, you should get the correct amount of sleep. When the brain cannot function properly, you are at risk for several mental health conditions. One of those mental health factors being depression. Although is this is not cared for properly, you can become at risk of chronic condition. Depression is caused by the lack of brain control that is going on. Lacking control means that you are less likely to be able to overcome the obstacles that are put in the path that is taken. When you have full brain activity, you are more able to cross though problems with a much stabler mind. Not only will sleep deprivation affect the mind, but also will affect the immune system. Sleep takes tolls on your immune system by allowing you to become much sicker from things that don 't normally get you sick. As far as things that will get you sick, things such as the flu or slight allergies, can progress to Bronchitis or Pneumonia. A weakened immune system make you acceptable to
Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive, however in the modern days sleep deprivation in increasing more and more each day, causing accidents and medical problems for the people and the community. This essay will look at the meaning of sleep and sleep deprivation and the basic perspectives on what motivates sleep and sleep deprivation with the five perspectives; evolutionary, psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive and the hierarchy of needs. This essay will also evaluate the best perspective to eliminate sleep deprivation with the cases studies discussing the general hypothesis of sleep and sleep deprivation.
Intuitively, these results make a lot of sense to me. I know that when I’m sleep deprived for any significant amount of time, I begin to feel physically miserable. I also seem to be more vulnerable to colds and other physical ailments. In thinking about it though, most of the times I’m sleep deprived are also periods of psychological stress (such as finals week). To the extent that there are changes in my physical well-being, I’m wondering whether they are due to the sleep deprivation, the stress itself, or some combination of the two.
Insomnia Almost everyone experiences insomnia now and then. When one believes he must be in bed by a certain time every night or that he needs a certain number of hours of sleep, it may be the very thing that is preventing him from going to sleep (Munson 21). It is unfortunately true that many people still suffer from poor sleep but do not know that there are numerous programs that can help them. Insomnia, which is due to various causes and includes a vaiety of symptoms, can be reduced or eliminated in a number of ways. Stress is one of the main causes in determining insomnia. It is a fact of every day life and can be defined as any event which causes a significant emotional response. Happy occasions such as getting married, promoted, or going on a vacation can cause stress reaction, not only because because participation in the event is occurring but also in the preparation. More obvious events that occur throughout one's life are the loss of a job, a loved one, or the need for surgery. In such major life changes, the sources of the emotional response is much more easily identified (Shapiro MacFarlane Hussain 49). There are two types of stress: bad stress or negative stress which destroys your ability to operate at capacity, mentally and physically and good stress which improves your performance (Shapiro 49-50). There are different ways to reduce stress. One should try to find a job he really enjoys. It is not the stress of work that wears one out but the stress of frustration and failure. Two big causes of stress on the job are not knowing what is expected and not having adequate facts or tools. Escaping for a while is another method to help eliminate stress. One can visit a friend, go to a movie, or shop. When he returns, he can attempt to cope with the problem. However, it does not help to keep escaping, the individual should try to cope with problems as promptly as they arise (Hauri 111). Even though it is often difficult to make changes in lifestyle, the effort is worth it. Exchanging stress for a sense of control can lift a heavy weight from one's shoulders. The more control one has over his life during the day, the more likely it is that his night time sleep will become satisfying again (Hauri 113).
The FASEB Journal and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology selectively analyze the detrimental effects sleep loss can potentially have on the immune system. Sleep deprivation directly weakened the host-fighting cells of the immune system (NK) and their ability to process vaccines such as influenza. By allowing students the ability to gain the recommended amount of sleep, the physical health of the students will be greatly assisted by reducing the risk of obesity in and strengthening the immune
Feature, Denise MannWebMD. "Lack of Sleep and the Immune System." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
At first, people's eyes begin to feel dry and they have trouble concentrating, causing their eyesight to weaken. Their reaction time slows down as well as their thinking process and judgment. These effects are minor but as one’s body weakens, their immune system is affected as well. This may cause their body to catch an illness or disease. Afterwards, their body becomes very weak and it will take a while before it can heal properly. In addition, their heart gets tired and cannot perform its job properly, so prolonged sleep deprivation also leads to risk of heart diseases. Not only does sleep loss make people feel tired, but it is also harmful to their body by increasing the risk of health problems (“Sleep Deprivation: What Are the Physical Effects” , Griffin R. Morgan, Mann Jeff, Peri Camille, Pietrengeelo
Sleep is a very important factor in the human function. Our body and brain is able to reset itself and rejuvenate while we sleep. When we do not get the required amount of sleep, we start to feel lethargic and foggy minded, because our mind and body wasn’t able to replenish itself. Sleep is imperative that an insignificant rest deficiency or lack of sleep can affect our ability to remember things; decisions and can affect our temperament. Chronic sleep deficiency can get the body to feel agitated and it could lead to serious health problems such as, heart problems, stress, acne, and obesity.
It has been proven that having a lack of sleep can cause mental health problems. In fact, psychologist Matthew Walker of the University of California, Berkeley,