Sleep Deprivation: Recognizing and Realizing the Dangers

Sleep deprivation is more often than not a tricky thing to define and recognize, mainly because the specific amount of nightly rest that one needs in order to effectively function during the day greatly depends on the individual. As a result, most times it can become very difficult to determine whether or not a particular person is receiving enough sleep at night. The average adult should get about seven to nine hours of sleep a night, but it has been shown that many can function perfectly with significantly less. Because the mind, the brain, never sleeps even when we do, sleep can only be described as being the loss of awareness of our surroundings, even though our brains are still quite active, even during deep sleep. When one continually deprives his or her brain of the needed amount of rest, sleep deprivation kicks in, and several moderate to serious problems may occur as a result.

Generally speaking, if one feels energetic and active during the day, then he or she is most likely receiving an adequate amount of sleep. However, if one experiences sleepiness or drowsiness during the daytime, then he or she will most likely also be suffering from other problems as a result of obvious sleep deprivation. Now, if a feeling of sleepiness was the only consequence associated with a deprivation of rest, then sleep deprivation would not be so big of a problem. Unfortunately, depriving oneself of adequate sleep often leads to much more serious issues. First and foremost, sleep deprivation will almost always result in some level of both stress as well as anxiety. Ironically enough, more often than not, those two things actually play a role in causing the lack of sleep to begin with, so thus begins a vicious cycle that becomes hard to break. Serious sleep deprivation will also lead to several compromising social and relationship-related problems.

Because people in general become much more prone to irritability and rage when they are deprived of sleep, the number of incidences associated with rage and anger greatly increases when there is a significant deprivation of sleep involved. People who attempt to keep that irritability and rage inside will often develop depression, which then becomes an indirect effect of sleep deprivation. Aside from the obvious social problems associated with sleep deprivation, there are more immediate effects that can be easily pinpointed. People who suffer from a lack of nightly rest will most likely first find themselves losing focus and having difficulty concentrating on their day-to-day activities. Because the brain is a delicate instrument, depriving one's body of sleep also greatly reduces the brain's ability to function. Students in particular will find themselves suffering in terms of schoolwork and studying as a result of their brains being unable to function at 100% due to not getting enough rest at night. This is especially true in jobs and courses that require intense concentration, something that simply does not exist without adequate, consistent nightly sleep.

Studies have shown that teenagers between the onset of puberty and the start of adulthood require the most amount of sleep, although often times they are the ones that sleep the least. As a result of such actions, many other problems develop, especially a result of long-term sleep deprivation, including short term memory loss and a loss of focus and concentration. Even more dangerous is when one loses the ability to effectively operate a vehicle as a result of sleep deprivation. Impaired concentration and ability to drive a motor vehicle is a common problem that develops as a result of a lack of sleep, and it is arguably the most dangerous as well. On one hand, the ability to concentrate while driving is greatly diminished, and on the other hand, the risk of one falling asleep while at the wheel greatly increases.

This also applies to anyone who has a tendency to operate any kind of machinery, especially those of the heavy and dangerous variety. That, coupled with the fact that it also can cause a blurring of peripheral vision, is why sleep deprivation is often compared to being under the influence of alcohol. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, long-term sleep deprivation greatly weakens the human immune system, leaving people susceptible to diseases and infections that normally would be easy to fend off. People who continually deprive themselves of sleep will quickly find that they become much more vulnerable to everyday colds and influenza, which ironically often times forces people then to get the proper amount of rest that both their minds and their bodies need.