Sleep Deprivation Fact vs Fiction

Effects of sleep deprivation 

Sleep deprivation. Whether it was due to a sleep over in middle school from staying up all night long on a school night,up at all hours of the night studying for an exam in college, or because of work, it affects our bodies negatively, causing acute symptoms like fatigue, daytime sleepiness and clumsiness. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause weight loss, weight gain, impair academic performance, mood regulation, and total well-being. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive functions.

Facts about sleep deprivation

  • Being sleep deprived slows down our reaction times
  • A stimulant affects your sleep cycle
  • Not enough sleep- leads to storing fat and releasing cortisol
  • As long as your sleep is consistent, in a quiet and dark environment, sleeping at specific times is not needed to achieve adequate sleep

Facts continued…

  • Loosing sleep can result in hormonal imbalance, illness, and death (extreme case)
  • Adenosine and Melatonin send us into a light doze
  • When we lose sleep, learning, memory, mood, and reaction time are affected
  • SD causes Inflammation, hallucinations, high BP, diabetes, and obesity
  • Chronic <6 hrs a night are at increased risk for stroke vs. someone who sleeps 7-8/night
  • Fatal familial insomnia- progressively worsening condition can lead to dementia and death
  • How does this happen? Accumulation of waste products in the brain- lead to sleep deprivation symptoms or “feeling tired”

What causes poor sleep?

  • Bright lights in bedroom (overhead, computers, TV, cell phones) suppresses melatonin
  • Constant noise. Loud noises prevent sleep
  • Poor posture from sitting- too much sitting
  • Online shopping
  • Vitamin deficiencies
  • Heart disease

 

Myths about sleep deprivation:

  • People who are not early risers are not living right
  • Getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night is bad for you
  • Adults need 7-8hrs/night
  • Adolescents- 10hrs/night
  • When you wake up at night, you lose sleep for only the amount of time you were awake.
  • Feeling tired is the only long term affect of sleep deprivation
  • Sleeping pills are a good way to deal with insomnia

References

Understanding the link between poor sleep and Alzheimer’s! (2017). Canadian Nursing Home,       28(4), 12–13. Retrieved from http://library.neit.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=127465580&site=ehost-live

Piper, J. (2016). Snooze you lose – or do you? Human Resources Magazine, 21(3), 4–6. Retrieved from http://library.neit.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=120339107&site=ehost-live

Ranasinghe, A. N., Gayathri, R., & Vishnu Priya, V. (2018). Awareness of effects of sleep deprivation among college students. Drug Invention Today, 10(9), 1806–1809. Retrieved from http://library.neit.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=131123668&site=ehost-live

One thought on “Sleep Deprivation Fact vs Fiction”

  1. TylerM

    Hi Kendra,
    I thought you did a nice job with your blog post! The pictures that you used were perfectly positioned in my opinion. After reading through the facts that you listed, I was able to recognize a good amount of them from what I have heard in the past. One of the facts that I did not know though was how people who chronically sleep for less than six hours a night are more at risk for a stroke than people who sleep for seven to eight hours a night. Regarding the myths that you listed, I grew up always thinking that I needed at least eight hours of sleep. Was any of the factual information that you provided from your references? If not, I would maybe recommend adding those in somewhere. You did well with the information that you did provide. I did not find it to be too much or make the blog post clustered. Good work!

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