Sleep Deprivation Effects, Causes, and Treatment

 

                        Have you ever wondered why you are deprived of sleep? Why can’t you just go to bed and sleep like your neighbor or your friend who is always fresh in the mooring unlike you? Here is a complete article on what is this “Sleep Deprivation” and what are its causes? We will briefly discuss its types and a preventive/ treatment plan that you can follow for better sleep…!

INTRODUCTION

Sleep deprivation literally means “lack of sleep”. It is a condition in which a person is not being able to sleep even if he is tired. Sometimes it is also called INSOMNIA but basically, both of these terms are often used in the same context. It occurs when someone gets No or less sleep than he needs to feel awake, fresh and energetic.

Here are the types of sleep deprivation and their brief introduction.

Types

Basically, Insomnia is divided into three types that refer to the severity and time of symptoms.

·         Transient

Transient as, its name shows, is the least severe type of insomnia that lasts less than a week and may be caused by abrupt and abnormal environment changes. Stress is another condition that may cause transient insomnia.

·         Acute

Acute is a little more severe form that may last from several weeks to even a month. It is also caused by stress, anxiety, and depression and it may also affect a person’s daytime functioning but it does not cause serious effects on a person’s health.

·         Chronic

It is the most severe and dangerous form which lasts longer than a month, maybe several months and even a year. Patients experience double vision, mental fatigue, and hallucinations. Studies have shown that long-term sleep deprivation has caused serious effects and even death in lab animals.

Another thing to take into consideration is that sleep deprivation is not a specific disease but a result of other illnesses like stress, anxiety, hormonal imbalance etc. Eight hours a day is the amount of sleep recommended by doctors for an adult man for better health. When people get less sleep, it leads to a bunch of medical and health problems and the vicious circle goes on.

Causes

            So, when we talk about the causes, there is a long list of them which ranges from the use of the internet to late-night eating, environmental changes and stress. Causes may vary from person to person according to their health and work schedule and daily routine.

Here are some important causes of sleep deprivation. Go through them and get rid of them for the betterment of your health.

·         Anxiety and depression

It is somewhat the biggest cause of insomnia. Economic or social worries, thinking too much, joblessness, pandemic like coronavirus pandemic, loss of a loved one, seriously affects the sleep. The hormonal rush and constant feeling of discomfort make the brain stay awake all the time. 

·         Irregular Job/Work schedule

Abrupt meetings and Irregular work shifts are not good if you want to have a good night's sleep. Moreover, traveling or flying too much for your job purposes or other things may cause disturbances in the sleep-wake cycle.

·         Excessive use of internet

In this digital age, the use of high-speed internet is increasing day by day. The average person uses the internet for almost 3-4 hours a day. This staring at screens causes sleeplessness due to the blue light-emitting from screens limits the creation and release of melatonin, the body’s natural regulator of sleep.

·         Late-night eating

Eating very late at night, due to job schedule or being busy in using mobile phones or any other reason, may cause discomfort, bloating or indigestion, all physical attributes that hinder the induction of sleep. Eating Spicy foods, drinking tea, coffee or other CNS stimulant drinks causes sleep deprivation.

·         Chronic illnesses

Sleep deprivation may be caused by some chronic illnesses like pancreatitis, gastritis, kidney failure, etc. This is mainly caused due to pain experienced as a result of these illnesses by patients.

·         Fear

It is a known phenomenon that fear of something or someone exerts bad effects on the sleep of the person. It is common in children who are afraid of ghosts due to watching horror movies.

·         Intentional sleeplessness

It is most common in teenagers, university students, and young adults. They deprive themselves of sleep for entertainment, jobs, higher educational goals or to achieve fame in the context of record-breaking stunts.

·         Hospital stays

Studies have shown that patients staying at the hospital experience shorter sleep, more night awakenings, and early morning awakenings as compare to sleep at home. The factors include the noise of patients, discomfort of hospital stay, medical devices, and pain experienced by patients.

 

·         Excitement

Yes, it is true, too much excitement may cause transient sleeplessness. There is no need to worry about this as it is temporary and goes away with time.

Effects

            Sleep deprivation causes serious effects on all the important systems of the body. Patients may suffer from physical, mental, or emotional problems.

·         Body aches

The effects experienced by patients of sleep deprivation are headache, backache, and aching muscles. Headache is known to be the most common effect of sleeplessness.

·         Weakened immune system

Studies have shown that sleep deprivation enhances activity on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the regulator of the immune system. Sleeplessness weakens the immune system and the person becomes susceptible to a lot of diseases.

·         Memory loss

When our brain doesn’t get enough rest, our ability to memorize and recall things is seriously affected. Students mostly suffer from it because they sleep less to study for their exams but this makes them less productive.

·         Confusion

A person having no sleep remains confused and tired throughout the day and can’t perform well in daily life works.

·         Mood-Swings

According to a study, sleep deprivation causes the brain to become incapable of putting an emotional event into the proper perspective and also incapable of making a strong and suitable response to the event. This also causes mood swings, depression, and violent behaviors among people.

·         Obesity

Sleeplessness induces late-night eating and confusion which causes obesity. The hormone Leptin, which communicates with one's brain to indicate that the stomach is full, is decreased due to it which causes a more aggressive appetite, the ultimate cause of obesity.

·         Growth problems

According to a study, in patients of insomnia, there is reduced secretion of cortisol and enhanced activity on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (which controls and regulates many body functions which include digestion of food, mood, or mode) and  it suppresses growth hormones which are necessary for growth. This whole process results in reduced growth of a person.

·         Impaired performance

A very serious effect of sleep deprivation is that it impairs the physical and mental performance of a person. It decreases the decisions making and problem-solving capacity of a person.

 

There are also other effects of sleep deprivation which may include day-time sedation, severe and ongoing yawning, increased blood pressure, nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye moment), increased stress hormone level, seizures and it may also increase the risk of type-2 diabetes as shown by some studies.

Treatment

            Sleep deprivation is a serious problem and it is affecting millions of people worldwide. Sleep scientists say that eight-hour sleep is a must for a healthy person for the better functioning of the body. It is the need of the hour to spend on the research of this condition and find ways of better sleep to cope with this situation.

So instead of tossing and turning all night, we have listed some approaches for you to make sure your sleepless night time is minimized.

ü  Exercise

Exercise! Because it reduces stress hormones like cortisol and increases dopamine. It manages weight gain and reduces anxiety and stress which are the top reasons for sleep deprivation.

A daily exercise is proved to have very beneficial effects on the general health status of a person. But It should be noted that an extra strenuous exercise, in the beginning, may also do some serious damage.

ü  Avoid Screens

One of the best and hardest ways to avoid sleep deprivation is by staying off of digital devices especially smartphones before bed. The blue light which is emitted from mobile screens and TVs is the biggest enemy of sleep. Switch from watching TV to meditation, yoga, a relaxing bath, or reading a book you will find a lot easier to sleep.

ü  Meditation

Like exercise, meditation and yoga also help in relieving stress and reducing anxiety which improves sleep. Many cultures practice meditation as their religious rituals.

A combination of exercise, yoga, mindfulness, stretching, and meditation is proved to be very effective in the management of sleep deprivation.

ü  Eating Habits

Make sure to eat healthy food. Avoid junk foods, spicy things, and cold drinks before going to sleep. For a night of good sleep, it is very much necessary to eat at least 2 hours before going to bed as recommended by research.

Avoid tea, drinks, alcohol, coffee, and CNS stimulant drugs in the evening.

ü  Medications

There are some medications available on the counter for the patients of sleep deprivation but these drugs often have serious side effects on the body systems. Do not use these without the prescription of an experienced doctor.

ü  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

CBT is now recommended by scientists as the first-line treatment of sleep disorders. CBT consists of five different components which are listed below.

Cognitive therapy, stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, and also relaxation. These components together have shown to be very effective in adults and children.

ü  Sleeping Environment

The noisy, disturbing, overly warm, or overly cold environment is also a known enemy of sleep. Try to make your bedroom a comfortable place for sleep, which means no computers, phones or tablets. Adjust the temperature of your room to normal and enjoy the pleasure of a good night's sleep.

 

ü  Checkup

If you have serious symptoms and sleep deprivation is in its chronic stage, visit your doctor, and have a complete physical and mental examination to rule out the possibility of any underlying disease.

ü  Progressive Muscle Relaxation

This technique involves progressively tensing and untensing different muscles to calm the body. A lot of online guides are available on how to perform it at home.

Mindfulness training, breathing exercises, yaga, and guided imagery can also help a lot in this regard.

There are some audio recordings available on the internet that may help a person fall asleep at night.

 

                                                                                                Written by:

                                                                                                Usama Khalid

 

References

1-      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

2-      https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body

3-     Kushida, Clete Anthony (2005). Sleep deprivation. Informa Health Care. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0-8247-5949-0

4-     Rechtschaffen A, Bergmann B; Bergmann (1995). "Sleep deprivation in the rat by the disk-over-water method". Behavioral Brain Research. 69 (1–2): 55–63. doi:10.1016/0166-4328(95)00020-T. PMID 7546318

5-     Morin, Charles M. (2003). Insomnia. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publ. p. 28 death. ISBN 978-0-306-47750-8.

6-     https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/307334.php