Sleep Deprivation - Causes and Effects

Sleep is essential for the restoration of normal bodily processes and functions. Most people take for granted the necessity of getting sufficient amount of sleep. Poor sleeping habits can cause of sleep disorders which can lead to a poor quality of life. Poor quality of sleep causes lack of concentration, nervousness and irritability. Environmental noise sleep disturbance is one of the culprits in getting inadequate amounts of sleep.

Causes of Sleep Disturbance

Many people experience sleepless nights due to environmental noise sleep disturbance. External and internal factors can cause such problem. One misconception of people who get sleep disturbances is that they only identify the noise coming from outside such as traffic that prevents them from getting any sleep. Some people consider themselves as light sleepers. This means that the slightest environmental noise sleep disturbance from inside prevent them from sleeping soundly. One person's sense of hearing is always active and the brain continues to process even when asleep. This is the reason why the slightest noise can wake you up.

A few effects of environmental noise sleep disturbance are difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, variances in the stages of sleep and most importantly sleep deprivation.

Effects Of Lack Of Sleep

One of the five stages of sleep is Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Once you have reached this level you have gone through all the stages of sleep and will get the most restful night you can get. You will not reach all the stages of sleep if you often wake up from environmental noise sleep disturbances. Increased tiredness, fatigue and depression are a few symptoms of sleep deprivation. If sleep deprivation continues, long-term effects will be experienced that could be detrimental to one's health psychologically and physically.

Proper Usage Of Prescription Meds

People suffering from sleep deprivation should be careful of using over the counter drugs and should only take medication prescribed by a doctor. Environmental noise sleep disturbance will lead people to use drugs to help them get some sleep. Taking sleep-inducing drugs will only replace one problem with another. No one can tell what the long-term effects of these drugs can be to an individual. Instead of medications, some people use ear protection devices such as earplugs to block out disturbance noise. Some would replace one noise with other sounds, like listening to audiotapes that play soothing and pleasant sounds such as waves, waterfalls or rain. A single distinct noise that goes above a certain decibel on the backdrop of a quiet night is the reason for frequent waking. Listening to a constant sound while asleep allows the environmental noise sleep disturbance to be masked and frequent waking is lessened.

Studies show how environmental noise sleep disturbance affect our lives attributing it to many variables and experts cannot agree on the solutions. Some people get used to the sleep disturbance noise while others will never get used to it. One thing is for sure: deep sleep is essential to good health and when problems cannot be resolved it is best to consult a doctor.

Jim Roberts have been writing articles for 5 years on a variety of topics of interest. Visit his latest endeavor and find expert medical advice and methods regarding environmental noise disturbance and keep abreast on what kind of treatment is the most effective.