The Emotional, Physical and Mental Effects of Sleep Depravation

Is sleep important? The answer is yes, more important than imaginable. However, not everyone needs the same amount. The amount of sleep needed depends on the age of the person. Infants typically need approximately 16 hours a day while teenagers need approximately nine hours on average. Most adults need about seven to eight hours (“Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep”). How much sleep someone gets is very important. Not getting enough sleep can result in many dysfunctions throughout the day. Loss of sleep causes mental, emotional, and physical affects but there are ways to prevent these affects.

Even though the number of hours differs for different people, the mental and emotional affects damage all. Lack of sleep effects the brain’s processing skills and makes it harder to complete tasks. There are many jobs where people have to perform difficult and mind-challenging tasks that require full attention and awareness. When the brain does not get enough sleep it has to work harder to compensate for being tired. The brain will not be able to perform the tasks as efficiently as it normally does. Smith, Robinson, and Sega from HelpGuide.org state that “sleep deprivation can affect you just as much as being drunk”. This means that there is a higher probability of accidents to occur whether it is on the road or on the job. As a result, sleep deprivation is harmful to observers and to the brain. Shortage of sleep also affects mood and one’s ability to learn. Learning is a huge part of how society works. Without learning, whether it is trial and error or taught, the world would be stuck in a never-ending loop of no change. Learning is vital for society to advance. Learning becomes more difficult because it affects attention, alertness, conce...

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