Sleep Deprivation Affects Mental Health

According to recent studies, “…not sleeping for 24 hours is the equivalent of having a blood alcohol level of .10, the legal limit in most states” (Source 1). Because of this, “…drowsy drivers are responsible for at least 100,000 automobile crashes, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities each year” (Source 2), as stated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Most of these problems are caused by a lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having an adequate amount of sleep. Although it is understandable to skip a couple hours of sleep once in a while, it is proven to be deleterious to one’s health and body if one has had a lack of sleep for a long period of time. Sleep deprivation creates issues …show more content…
To clarify, performance is the act of doing a job, an activity, or task, such as driving or playing sports. When a person has not had enough sleep, they lose their coordination as well as their judgement due to their restlessness. Dr. Robert Stickgold explains that when we are sleep deprived “…we lose our ability to make sound decisions because we can no longer accurately assess the situation, plan accordingly, and choose correct behavior … this means that we are less likely to perform well since our overworked neurons can no longer function to coordinate information properly” (Source 5). Dr. Stickgold conveys that when a person doesn’t get enough sleep, their coordination weakens since they can’t grasp the situation, which leads them to not being able to take the correct actions. This happens because a loss of sleep results in one’s neurons having a difficult time processing information, causing one’s performance to suffer. A person that is sleep deprived would have a hard time driving because they wouldn’t be able to assess their situation and other cars on the road. Due to this, they wouldn’t be able to react properly as they are driving since their neurons can’t process information to their brain. Drowsy drivers are known to cause several accidents since their impaired coordination and sleepiness clouds their mind as they are driving. Sleep deprived drivers …show more content…
It is proven to be harmful to one’s mental health, performance, and medical state. A person’s mood can suffer if they do not receive enough sleep and it can also cause depression, a mental condition in which a person feels insignificant. In addition to one’s mental health, sleep deprivation can affect one’s performance. Inadequate sleep can result in a person forgetting certain tasks and a loss of focus. Also, a lack of sleep can lead to severe medical conditions, such as obesity and diabetes. Both of these conditions are known to cause cardiorespiratory disease, which is deadly. A negative mood, a loss of alertness, and cardiovascular disease can be caused when a person is sleep deprived. These effects of inadequate sleep can damage one’s physical and mental health. Thus, sleep deprivation can lead to complications in one’s