The correlation between sleep deprivation and health deterioration
Sleep is an activity everyone takes part in. Some require more sleep than others and some can have as little as two hours of sleep with little or no repercussions, although Cartwright (2010) notes, “Very few people are truly physiologically and psychologically healthy with only 5 hours of sleep on a nightly basis”. One may wonder if they are getting adequate nightly sleep. Cartwright (2010) explains how there is no real way to determine this. He notes that if you sleep more over the weekend than you normally do on weekdays, then you probably are not getting enough sleep. Cartwright (2010) claims that one of the main reasons there is a sleep deprivation epidemic is because …show more content…
The long-term effects of sleep deprivation can cause diseases and heart problems that are not necessarily hereditary. Rodale (2015) explains that these include risks of type 2 diabetes, blood pressure problems, and possible heart failure (p.12). Cartwright (2010) and Tweed (2015) refer to the same experiment that researchers conducted on 19 generally healthy young men to see the results of sleep deprivation. The test was conducted over a period of time, allowing a mere 4.7 hours of sleep a night. Their research revealed the test subjects as having symptoms comparable to those with type 2 diabetes (Tweed, 2015, p.15 and Cartwright, 2010, p.39-40). Cartwright (2010) describes an experiment that involved two groups of rats placed on a disc with unlimited access to food and water. One group had a chip implanted that would monitor if the rat was about to fall asleep. If so the disc would start to move which would push it into the water unless the rat walked in the opposite direction. The control group had a similar situation except the disc would only move periodically and not when the rat showed signs of sleep. The short term results of the experiment were that the rats that were not allowed to sleep gained or lost weight, lost patches of fur, and were generally ill tempered. Eventually the rats in this group died because they were unable to lower their body temperatures (Cartwright, 2010, …show more content…
Oaklander (2015) mentions that one student pointed out that when faced with a traumatic situation for the first time, she had nightmares for weeks on end. He continues that after suffering from lack of sleep, she was recently introduced to a similar situation where she described how she felt nothing. Oaklander (2015) describes how the patients also explain how they can see the doctors’ lack of empathy toward them due to lack of sleep. As a result of this, numerous patients have reported having difficulty healing and recuperating (p.42-51). Although too little sleep is harmful to you, too much is also. A survey that was conducted over the course of 10 years with the same subjects implied that those who slept less than 6 hours had greater mortality rates than those who slept an average of 8 hours and that those who slept more than 9 hours had similar results to those that slept less than 6 (Cartwright, 2010, p.38-40). This further indicates sleep deprivations lasting effects on an individual’s health and role in society. Oaklander (2015) claims that over 8,000 surgeons, as a result of burnout or depression due to lack of sleep, performed poorly in their jobs at least once a month. These reports included both major and minor medical errors. Doctors and medical students display higher risks of suicide because of such stress. This is not a new development. Since
Sleep is an activity everyone takes part in. Some require more sleep than others and some can have as little as two hours of sleep with little or no repercussions, although Cartwright (2010) notes, “Very few people are truly physiologically and psychologically healthy with only 5 hours of sleep on a nightly basis”. One may wonder if they are getting adequate nightly sleep. Cartwright (2010) explains how there is no real way to determine this. He notes that if you sleep more over the weekend than you normally do on weekdays, then you probably are not getting enough sleep. Cartwright (2010) claims that one of the main reasons there is a sleep deprivation epidemic is because …show more content…
The long-term effects of sleep deprivation can cause diseases and heart problems that are not necessarily hereditary. Rodale (2015) explains that these include risks of type 2 diabetes, blood pressure problems, and possible heart failure (p.12). Cartwright (2010) and Tweed (2015) refer to the same experiment that researchers conducted on 19 generally healthy young men to see the results of sleep deprivation. The test was conducted over a period of time, allowing a mere 4.7 hours of sleep a night. Their research revealed the test subjects as having symptoms comparable to those with type 2 diabetes (Tweed, 2015, p.15 and Cartwright, 2010, p.39-40). Cartwright (2010) describes an experiment that involved two groups of rats placed on a disc with unlimited access to food and water. One group had a chip implanted that would monitor if the rat was about to fall asleep. If so the disc would start to move which would push it into the water unless the rat walked in the opposite direction. The control group had a similar situation except the disc would only move periodically and not when the rat showed signs of sleep. The short term results of the experiment were that the rats that were not allowed to sleep gained or lost weight, lost patches of fur, and were generally ill tempered. Eventually the rats in this group died because they were unable to lower their body temperatures (Cartwright, 2010, …show more content…
Oaklander (2015) mentions that one student pointed out that when faced with a traumatic situation for the first time, she had nightmares for weeks on end. He continues that after suffering from lack of sleep, she was recently introduced to a similar situation where she described how she felt nothing. Oaklander (2015) describes how the patients also explain how they can see the doctors’ lack of empathy toward them due to lack of sleep. As a result of this, numerous patients have reported having difficulty healing and recuperating (p.42-51). Although too little sleep is harmful to you, too much is also. A survey that was conducted over the course of 10 years with the same subjects implied that those who slept less than 6 hours had greater mortality rates than those who slept an average of 8 hours and that those who slept more than 9 hours had similar results to those that slept less than 6 (Cartwright, 2010, p.38-40). This further indicates sleep deprivations lasting effects on an individual’s health and role in society. Oaklander (2015) claims that over 8,000 surgeons, as a result of burnout or depression due to lack of sleep, performed poorly in their jobs at least once a month. These reports included both major and minor medical errors. Doctors and medical students display higher risks of suicide because of such stress. This is not a new development. Since