Thousands of Americans suffer from sleep-deprivation as a result of sleep disorders or other factors such as schedules and medical conditions. As the number of Americans who suffer from sleep deprivation continues to raise researchers scramble to determine the effects and treatment of sleep deprivation. Many people argue that sleep deprivation has no negative effects; however, research indicates that sleep deprivation affects sleepiness, mood, cognition, motor performance, and physiological function (Pinel, 2007). Sleep disorders such as insomnia and hypersomnia are treatable through medications; however, disadvantages of the drugs cause the drugs to be almost as problematic as the sleep disorder. As a person whom often suffers from sleep-deprivation often sleep deprivation from sleeping disorders is important to understand.
Medical professionals disagree regarding how many hours of sleep a person requires and what negative effects, if any, are felt from sleep deprivation. However, according to recent recuperation theories on sleep deprivation, long periods of sleep deprivation will cause physiological and behavioral disturbances, the disturbances will worsen as the deprivation continues, and after sleep deprivation has ceased the person will catch up on the missed sleep (Pinel, 2007). Some people have reported difficulty performing routine activities after losing sleep whereas other people have reported that a loss of sleep does not affect the person’s performance (Pinel, 2007). However, recent evidence has been found to the contrary of the people’s claim that sleep deprivation did not affect performance. Researchers investigated the affects of sleep-deprivation on humans during one night of complete deprivation and for several consistent nights of deprivation and analyzed the effects of the sleep deprivation concerning degree of sleepiness, mood, cognition, motor performance, and physiological function (Pinel, 2007). The results of the study indicated that humans who were sleep-deprived showed an increase of sleepiness and reported falling asleep faster than normal, displayed disturbances during written tests, and performed poorly on vigilance tests such as responding to tones to differentiate between tone sounds (Pinel, 2007). After a few days of sleep deprivation the people began to experience microsleeps, or brief periods of sleep lasting approximately two or three seconds, in which the people’s eyelids sag and people lose responsiveness to eternal stimuli (Pinel, 2007). Microsleeps negatively affect passive exam performances; however, the effects of cognitive function, motor performance, and physiological functions are inconsistent as some studies show disruptions while other studies indicate no effect (Pinel, 2007). Finally, REM-sleep deprivation, or the loss of sleep related to emergent stage one EEG of the sleep cycle, results in the increased frequency of subjects initiating the REM phase and an increase in the amount of REM sleep for each subject (Pinel, 2007). REM sleep has been associated with motivation performance and the adequate processing of memories (Pinel, 2007).
As an example that supports the research indicating sleep deprivation affects people’s degree of sleepiness, mood, cognition, motor performance, and physiological functions lately the author has not had enough sleep due to recent medical conditions. Last week; for example, after two days of only three and a half hours of sleep and the following night only two hours sleep, the author felt lethargic to the point of being dizzy. Because the author has been sleep-deprived the author has been falling asleep faster than normal and often dozes off, or experiences microsleeps, in which the author becomes unresponsive to people and the activities around the author. Additionally, the author has found it difficult to keep up with college work because the increased sleepiness, and pain, causes the author to have difficulty concentrating on any particular topic for more than a few moments at a time. In fact, the author’s sleep-deprivation has affected the author’s motor performance to the point that the author has become unable to drive a vehicle. As illustrated in the research, the author’s mood has changed from the sleep-deprivation to from a patient, positive, and energetic mood to mood swings of grumpiness and impatience. Finally, the author’s cognition has been affected because the author finds processing information such as the school discussions almost impossible. The author will catch up on sleep once the source of the sleep-deprivation has been overcome and hopefully the author can return to a normal routine.
Common sleep disorders found today are insomnia and hypersomnia. Insomnia is the sleeping disorder that includes all disorders associated with beginning and sustaining sleep (Pinel, 2007). Insomnia is found as iatrogenic in which physicians prescribe sleeping pills to patients to address sleeping problems and the patient becomes caught in a vicious circle of drug tolerance where the patient requires increased dosages of the sleeping pills to help initiate and maintain sleep (Pinel, 2007). Sleep apnea, when people stop breathing during sleep, is also a cause of insomnia (Pinel, 2007). Four main disorders that cause sleep apnea are: obstruction of the airways by muscle spasms known as atonia, a central nervous system failure to initiate respiration, nocturnal myoclonus, or body twitching, and restless legs where people suffer from tension in the legs (Pinel, 2007). However, the drawbacks to using benzodiazepines to treat insomnia are increased dosage requirements, addiction, result of insomnia instead of elimination of insomnia, and the distortion of normal sleep (Pinel, 2007). Insomnia is treated with hypnotic drugs, such as benzodiazepines, that increase drowsiness; however, the most effective form of insomnia treatment is sleep restriction in which the subject’s time in bed is gradually reduced (Pinel, 2007). Hypersomnia, or excessive sleep or sleepiness disorder, are normally treated with antihypnotic drugs that reduce sleep (Pinel, 2007). Two classes of antihypnotic drugs for treatment of hypersomnia are stimulants and tricyclic antidepressants that increase the release and blocking of the reuptake from the synapse (Pinel, 2007). However, the disadvantage of using stimulant drugs to treat hypersomnia is addiction, side effects, loss of appetite, and interference with normal sleep (Pinel, 2007). Therefore, while both insomnia and hypersomnia are treatable through drugs, often the drugs can result in becoming the cause of the disorder.
Despite the popular opinion that sleep deprivation does not affect human functioning evidence has shown that sleep deprivation significantly impacts sleepiness, mood, cognition, motor performance, and physiological function. Additionally, sleep disorders such as insomnia and hypersomnia affect a person’s functioning not only cognitively and physiologically but medically as well. Normally when a person feels sleep-deprived a physician can be sought and arrangements can be made to address the sources of the deprivation. However, acute sleep-deprivation requires immediate attention through medical testing and treatment programs. Sleep apnea, for example, is a sleeping disorder which should be taken seriously because of the medical dangers presented by the disorder. Anytime a person is concerned that sleep deprivation is acute and could be a result of a sleeping disorder a physician should be contacted.
Reference
Pinel, J. P. J. (2007). Basics of biopsychology. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved September 29, 2009, from Axia College, PSY 240-The Brain, The Body, and The Mind: All Together Now rEsource website.
