What is sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation means you are doing without sleep for whatever reason. You do it yourself, you are pulling it all night or studying for an exam is sleep deprivation. If you have obstructive sleep apnea and you have been awaken throughout the night and your sleep is discontinuous, that's sleep deprivation.
Its strictest terms sleep deprivation means you don't have a lot of sleep. Total means you didn't get any. Your sleep pressure is such that you will fall asleep sooner or later. It's not possible to exist without sleep except in some pretty rare paralogic circumstances and that's devastating. Old experiments that probably would not be repeated today, animals were studied. They literally made it such that the animal had a every need met except for sleep. You eat, have other rats around, water, exercise or rest whatever they wanted but they hooked it up to their brain so they knew the were falling asleep and it would wake them up immediately. Many of the times these animals died fairly quickly without sleep. We are not sure why people sleep. Probably the most obvious answer if you don't sleep you die. If you don't sleep if you do without large amounts of sleep you don't function the next day that's the oldest answer and it doesn't explain a lot. But a total complete sleep deprivation you get no sleep whatsoever.
http://www.essortment.com/articles/sleep-deprivation_3197.htm
Sleep deprivation is a shortage of the correct amount of sleep that we need to function properly in our normal daily lives and to regenerate various parts of our body, more importantly the brain. Sleep is also needed to help the body in its battle against infection. Apart from that, a lack of sleep can also be very dangerous, such as in driving. According to researchers in Australia and New Zealand too little sleep can result in the same hazardous effects as being drunk.
By having less than 6 hours sleep a night, you are affecting your reaction time, coordination and your judgement, which poses a very serious risk. Although there doesn�t seem to be any documented evidence of someone who was healthy dying of a lack of sleep, there is plenty to support the problems that arise if you don�t get enough.
http://www.help-with-sleep-problems.com/sleep-deprivation.html
Because of my job I have, in the past, had to operate with no sleep or very little sleep for shifts of up to 60 continuous hours with no set breaks. The physical and mental effects of even this limited period were punishing.
Sleep deprivation causes your body to get tired and slow down -you can get headaches, muscle and joint pain, and your reactions and thinking ability slow down. This can lead to paranoia and halucinations the more servere the case.
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090527034917AABcF0R
Many Americans don't get enough sleep to remain healthy and feel alert during the day. Recent studies have shown that Americans sleep an average of 7 hours each night rather than the 8 hours recommended by sleep experts.
People who work long hours, those who have a hectic family schedule or a new baby, teens who stay up late and have to get up early for school, and even people whose pets sleep with them may get less sleep than their body needs to be at its best. Over time, this lack of sleep, also called sleep deprivation, can have serious effects on health and relationships. It may even be deadly.
http://advancedsleepconsultants.com/sleepdeprivation.aspx
If we do not sleep enough or appropriately, we will suffer from sleep deprivation. Our brain activity tends to slow down during certain times like afternoon. Microsleeps are often a sign of fatigue or sleep deprivation, during this time we may face loss of attention, blank stares and keeping eyes wide open for a long time. It may also be followed by a small second or two nap. Imagine you did not sleep too well and then you attend a boring lecture that lasts for a few hours, you will likely experience several Microsleeps.
This is a way to give rest to our brain, although our brain continuously works even when we sleeps, it works at a much lower power. This helps to repair neurons, archive memories and reorganize.
http://www.saching.com/Article/Interesting-facts-about-Sleep--What-happens-when-we-sleep-/988
Sleep deprivation is something that millions of people deal with on a daily basis. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body simply cannot do the things that you ask of it. With today’s busy lifestyles, people unfortunately place a decent night’s sleep fairly low on their list of things to do. Little do people realize that this has significant costs on your physical and mental wellbeing. Sleep deprivation lowers your quality of work, and will eventually reach a point where you will be accomplishing less as a result of sleep deprivation than you would having spent the time sleeping instead.
Surveys indicate that somewhere upwards of 47 million Americans face problems with their sleeping habits which can be considered to be related to sleep deprivation. This is nearly one quarter of all American adults. These numbers are quite staggering if considered in perspective.
http://www.sleeparticlenation.com/
The body and brain require adequate hours of sleep to perform optimally. Sleep deprivation is a medical condition that affects the normal functioning of the body and brain due to lack of sleep. Though it is not considered a disorder, sleep deprivation can affect general well-being. Problems like weak memory, hand-eye coordination, and reasoning abilities can surface during bouts of sleep deprivation.
Indications of sleep deprivation include drowsiness during the day, brief spells of sleep, and falling into sleep immediately after lying down. Sleep deprivation needs to be addressed as prolonged periods may affect the immune system. However, as long as people function normally during the day in spite of lack of sleep, they are not considered sleep deprived.
http://www.cureinsomniaquick.com/Sleep-Deprivation.html
Is sleep deprivation dangerous?
For starters, sleeping helps you regain energy that's you've used throughout the day. Anything from running to eating uses energy, so as you can imagine, you need sleep.
When deprived of sleep, the body starts shutting down. When fatigued, you are clumsier and have worse reaction times, making simple things like driving a car or walking downstairs potentially dangerous. Sleep deprivation can also lead to weight gain, in younger people it can stunt your growth, it can affect your memory, it harms your immune system, making your more vulnerable to disease, and if it goes on long enough, it can cause hallucinations. In test animals, extreme sleep deprivation has even lead to death.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091001154059AAP6nyf
What are the effects of sleep deprivation?
If you're regularly not getting enough sleep then you could be setting yourself up for problems. The condition affects different people in different ways, however there are some common symptoms.
Obviously sleep deprivation leaves us "feeling tired" and suffering from possibly chronic fatigue. This often results in irritability and lack of concentration. That might not sound very serious but those two symptoms can result in poor job performance, unnecessary arguments with loved ones and even serious accidents.
http://www.here-be-dreams.com/sleep/deprivation.html
Sleep deprivation can have significant effects on performance if sleep loss is significant and occurs for several days without recovery sleep. For example, many studies show that if eight-hour sleepers are restricted to four hours of sleep for as little as a few days, their performance deteriorates on tasks like problem solving, reaction time and memory. However, the magnitude of these effects depends upon the person, how much sleep is lost, motivation and the circumstances under which sleep loss takes place.
Some individuals show a remarkable tolerance for sleep loss, particularly if the person is motivated to cope with sleep loss (examples would be dealing with a crisis, caring for a newborn, etc.) or if the sleep loss occurs under positive circumstances (excitement, a vacation, a social event, etc.). Also, the effects of sleep loss are more pronounced when people lose half of their normal sleep but less pronounced when they only lose one or two hours. Therefore, an eight-hour sleeper will show little or only moderate impairment in daytime functioning if restricted to six hours of sleep but will show more significant impairment when only allowed to sleep only four hours. And for every study that reveals impaired performance after sleep loss, other studies find minimal or no effects. These findings suggest that the effects of sleep loss are not consistent or robust.
http://www.truestarhealth.com/members/cm_archives13ML3P1A7.html
Never accept not sleeping enough as an inevitable way of life. You need to realize that they're also harmful effects of sleep deprivation such as physical effects and what these effects do to our bodies.
The majority of people are aware of the obvious short term effects, but less aware of the more serious physical consequences from not sleeping. Sleep recharges and repairs the brain, it also repairs the body. People don't understand how lack of sleep affects us untill they fully understand the sleep cycle.
http://www.sleep-deprivation-info.com/effects-of-sleep-deprivation.html
A. If you don’t allot enough time for sleep, you become sleep deprived. Besides being sleepy during the daytime, sleep-deprived people often have problems with their thinking. They are slower to learn new things, they may have problems with memory, and their ability to make judgments may be faulty, enough so that they may think they are really starting to “lose it” when the problem is really not enough sleep.
Elderly people do not recover from sleep deprivation as quickly as younger people. In experimental situations where people are kept awake for 24 hours, those in their 70s take at least a day longer to recover from their subsequent daytime sleepiness than younger people. Gender may also make a difference in the time it takes to recover from sleep deprivation; women seem to be able to recover faster than men.
http://knittingdoc.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/sleep-memory-and-the-brain/
As a society, we have been transformed over the course of this century. Our knowledge and technology have expanded exponentially, but along with these advances has come sleep deprivation like we have never known before in our history.
We think nothing of ignoring the clock, often pushing our bodies and minds to work or play far beyond the sunrise to sunset cycle. Our lives appear to demand something close to perpetual motion, or at least motion minimally tempered by rest.
http://www.improve-your-sleep.com/effects-of-sleep-deprivation.html
Can you die from sleep deprivation?
CIA interrogators at Guantanamo Bay subjected dozens of detainees to sleep deprivation, shackling the prisoners in a standing position for up to 11 days at a time. Recently released Justice Department memorandums claim sleep deprivation studies show that "surprisingly, little seem[s] to go wrong with the subjects physically." Wait, is it really safe to go without sleep?
No�extended bouts of sleeplessness can cause an array of physical symptoms and might eventually kill you. The effects begin within the first 24 hours of sleep deprivation. First, the body undergoes subtle hormonal changes�cortisol and TSH levels increase, leading to a rise in blood pressure. A day or two later, it stops metabolizing glucose properly, creating carbohydrate cravings. (This phenomenon may have gone unnoticed among the detainees, who were already on a calorie-restricted diet.) A person's body temperature will also drop, and his or her immune response becomes somewhat suppressed. All of these physiological changes are reversible, though�take a nap, and you'll be on the road back to normal.
http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/message-boards/viewtopic.php?t=25814
Insomnia is when over a period of time, your normal pattern is interrupted. Early insomnia - where you cannot fall asleep, or you cannot stay asleep, or Middle Insomnia- waking in the middle of your sleep cycle, or late insomnia, where you wake earlier than normal but later than middle, ie 4 am if you are used to getting up at 7 or so Or you wake up and feel like you have not gotten enough to be rested. There are some physical reasons for this, and psychological. I would start with a thorough physical and possibly suggest a sleep study, then speak with a psychiatrist if your regular Dr. is of no help.
Regular sleep patterns and a nightly sleep routine are helpful in getting good sleep. Some foods and drinks -and drugs - can interfere with sleep patterns. Good luck in finding those elusive ZZZZZZ's!
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090716210023AAGfwJp
Insomnia is when over a period of time, your normal pattern is interrupted. Early insomnia – where you cannot fall asleep, or you cannot stay asleep, or Middle Insomnia- waking in the middle of your sleep cycle, or late insomnia, where you wake earlier than normal but later than middle, ie 4 am if you are used to getting up at 7 or so Or you wake up and feel like you have not gotten enough to be rested. There are some physical reasons for this, and psychological. I would start with a thorough physical and possibly suggest a sleep study, then speak with a psychiatrist if your regular Dr. is of no help.
Regular sleep patterns and a nightly sleep routine are helpful in getting good sleep. Some foods and drinks -and drugs – can interfere with sleep patterns. Good luck in finding those elusive ZZZZZZ’s!
http://www.insomnia-story.com/can-you-die-from-sleep-deprivation-and-how-do-you-know-if-you-have-insomnia
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