Overview:

Have you ever stayed up late at night doing work only to wake up early the next day without getting any sleep? Then, tweet “#TeamNoSleep” on Twitter to impress all your friends? Are you dependent on a “cup of Joe” to get you started in the morning? Or, are you simply unable to fight the urge to fall asleep during the day? Well, if you are familiar with any of the prior scenarios, then you’re likely a victim of a serious condition known as “sleep debt.” However, lucky for you, you are not alone!  According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nearly 1 out of every 3 Americans is suffering from sleep deprivation.

Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you actually get and the amount of sleep you should be getting every night. There is no magic number for how much sleep a person should have at night. Sleep needs are individual and dependent on factors such as:  age, physical activity and lifestyle. However, when we fall short of obtaining our sleep requirement we put our lives in serious jeopardy. Each continuous day with insufficient sleep causes sleep debt to accumulate and it becomes even harder to regain our alertness and productivity. Sleep is a vital part of a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle: therefore it is crucial to understand how this silent killer can be addressed and prevented so that your relationship with others and your health can improve.

Causes:

There are two types of causes for sleep deprivation, those that are external and those that are internal.External factors are causes in your environment that are making it difficult for you to get quality sleep. This can include that annoying neighbor next door who is always throwing parties until 2 in the morning. Or, it could be that old bed of yours you’ve had since you were 9 and it doesn’t quite get the job done for you anymore. Other factors could be the temperature and lighting of where you are sleeping. In fact, 25% of people in the US attribute their lack of sleep from sub-par sleeping conditions according to the National Institution of Health.

Internal factors are direct causes you’re responsible for that damage your sleep cycle either consciously or unconsciously. Conscious causes could be drinking caffeinated beverages late at night that prevent you from falling asleep or using an electronic device an hour prior to falling asleep. The National Sleep Foundation came out with a study showing that 95 percent of people in the United States look at some type of electrical screen an hour before bed. Of these people, all on average took longer to fall asleep than people who didn’t interrupt their sleep cycle. This is because caffeinated drinks and electrical screens disturb your circadian rhythms, which is your biological clock that helps you fall asleep and wake up at normal times.

Unconscious internal factors could be due to a sleep disorder or medical condition such as sleep apnea, a condition when in your sleep you constantly wake yourself up throughout the night. If you think you might suffer from a sleep disorder, there are programs such as EOS sleep that will schedule a time for you to sleep, study your sleep and give you answers to any medical condition you might have.

Effects:

Whether your sleep deprivation is from external or internal factors you should get it addressed quickly. Being sleep deprived can have detrimental effects on your life or even other’s whether you know it or not. Sleep debt effects both your mood and motivation. Feeling grumpy or depressed all the time for no apparent reason? Well, that might be your body telling you, you need some sleep and you need it now! Sleep deprivation leads to problems that can ruin your relationships with your family, friends and peers.

By depriving yourself of sleep you are more likely to not only gain weight but experience serious medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. All of which are life threatening.

What’s even scarier is the fact that sleeps deprivation leads to decreased concentration, motor skills and judgment, all of which are crucial skills for driving or operating other motor vehicles.  The National Sleep Foundation came out with a study this year in which 60 percent of adults admitted to driving when they were sleepy. This is a real concern when you pair that with this statistic; 100,000 accidents each year (30 percent of all crashes) in the US are from drowsy drivers and 1,500 of which are lethal. Thus, sleep deprivation is a serious threat to everyone.

Treatment/ Prevention:

The only true way to end your sleep deprivation is, you guessed it, to sleep! If you are experiencing any of the problems mentioned above, you’re in luck. There is a plethora of ways to improve your sleep condition depending on what your reason for lack of sleep is. This might include, changing your sleeping situation, staying away from both caffeinated beverages and electronics before bed or even seeking medical help. For serious internal health problems, solutions such as medication or even surgery may be your best bet for a good nights sleep. Regardless of what your sleep problem is, you should always make sure to get in a consistent schedule of when you go to bed, and when you wake up. By staying up late, waking up early and being on a random schedule, you interfere with your biological clock.

Applications for the Future:

Currently a company called Beddit, based out of California, is diligently working on a device that measures your sleep and sends the information straight to your phone. This device is a slim sensor placed under your sheet that tracks your sleeping patterns, heart rate, breathing, movements and the environment in which you sleep in. After each night’s rest it puts the information together and gives you feedback. Their goal is that hopefully through this technology they can affordably and efficiently improve people’s sleep patterns throughout the world.

Surely through such efforts, the mysterious killer known as sleep debt will be put to an end. However, it is the responsibility of each person to be proactive when it comes to his or her sleep. Hopefully this article has informed you about the severity of sleep debt and the importance of getting a good night’s rest. Always remember, DROWSINESS IS RED ALERT! If you experience drowsiness at any point in time, do yourself a favor and get some good sleep. It will make a difference.

Works Cited

“Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/>.

“Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms.” Sleep—Information about Sleep. BSCS, 2003. Web. 15 May 2014.

<http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/guide/info-sleep.htm>.

Feature, R. Morgan GriffinWebMD. “Surprising Causes of Sleep Loss and Disturbed Sleep.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/6-surprising-sleep-wreckers>.

Hsu, Christine. “Nearly a Third of Americans Are Sleep Deprived.” Medical Daily. N.p., 27 Apr. 2012. Web. 16 May 2014. <http://www.medicaldaily.com/nearly-third-americans-are-sleep-deprived-240273>.

Koning, Ellie. “Sleep Statistics & Research.” Sleep Statistics & Research. Psychology Degree, n.d. Web. 17 May 2014. <http://bettersleep.org/better-sleep/the-science-of-sleep/sleep-statistics-research>.

Leppäkorpi, Lasse. “Beddit Is a New Kind of Device and App for Tracking & Improving Sleep and Wellness.” Beddit Is a New Kind of Device and App for Tracking & Improving Sleep and Wellness. N.p., 2014. Web. 17 May 2014. <http://www.beddit.com/>.

Rosenberg, Russle. “How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?” National Sleep Foundation. N.p., 2014. Web. 15 May 2014. <http://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need>.