Sleep is an essential requirement for physical and mental health. The National Sleep Foundation states that an average adult should get between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, almost one-third of normal young adults sleep less than six and a half hours each night (Bonnet, 1995, p. 909). The specific number of hours needed of sleep per night varies from person to person; however, our brains do require a restful night’s sleep to properly perform throughout the day. Lack of sleep can be brought on by many things, mostly messing with the circadian rhythm and more than anything stress. The psychological impact of sleep loss tremendously affects a person raising their stress levels and reducing health, ultimately affecting
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A newborn baby has high demands of care; a newborn can wake throughout the night almost every two hours. A new mother experiences extreme exhaustion more so than anyone in the house. Using sleep diaries, Swain et al. (1997) confirmed that postpartum women, compared with control participants, had the most disturbed sleep patterns during the first week postpartum. Postpartum women experienced more night time awakenings than control participants. Findings also suggested that sleep loss might affect new mothers ' memory and psychomotor task performance. The decline of progesterone or changes in melatonin levels can affect circadian rhythms that may contribute to postpartum sleep disturbances (Hunter, Rychnovsky, yount, 2009). Consequently, these sleep disturbances can cause fatigue and postpartum depression, something that all mothers hope to never experience. Postpartum depression can be extremely serious with cases of the mother actually harming herself or even her baby. Treatment for postpartum depression can be tricky, mostly due to the mother trying to hide the fact that she needs help. Most cases of postpartum depression end up well, but some can be devastating. Therefore, sleep is essential for mental health and the overall wellbeing of the individual and their …show more content…
To begin, researchers have found that insufficient sleep may cause type two diabetes. According to Centers for Disease Control (2015), Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal, causing serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control 2015). “Numerous epidemiological studies also have revealed that adults who usually slept less than five hours per night have a greatly increased risk of having or developing diabetes” (Sleep and disease Risk 2007). Additionally, people who experience sleep loss have a greater chance of becoming ill. Studies show that those who receive the required amount of sleep per night have a better chance of fighting off sickness, than those who experience sleep loss. According to Eric J. Olson, M.D. (2015), your body produces proteins called cytokines; these cytokines increase when you have an infection or when you are under stress. Sleep loss may lower production of these cytokines, causing your immune system to decrease (Olson 2015). More importantly, sleep loss can affect a person’s mood. When someone does not sleep the required amount of sleep they may experience fatigue causing them to be irritable and moody
A newborn baby has high demands of care; a newborn can wake throughout the night almost every two hours. A new mother experiences extreme exhaustion more so than anyone in the house. Using sleep diaries, Swain et al. (1997) confirmed that postpartum women, compared with control participants, had the most disturbed sleep patterns during the first week postpartum. Postpartum women experienced more night time awakenings than control participants. Findings also suggested that sleep loss might affect new mothers ' memory and psychomotor task performance. The decline of progesterone or changes in melatonin levels can affect circadian rhythms that may contribute to postpartum sleep disturbances (Hunter, Rychnovsky, yount, 2009). Consequently, these sleep disturbances can cause fatigue and postpartum depression, something that all mothers hope to never experience. Postpartum depression can be extremely serious with cases of the mother actually harming herself or even her baby. Treatment for postpartum depression can be tricky, mostly due to the mother trying to hide the fact that she needs help. Most cases of postpartum depression end up well, but some can be devastating. Therefore, sleep is essential for mental health and the overall wellbeing of the individual and their …show more content…
To begin, researchers have found that insufficient sleep may cause type two diabetes. According to Centers for Disease Control (2015), Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose levels are above normal, causing serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (Centers for Disease Control 2015). “Numerous epidemiological studies also have revealed that adults who usually slept less than five hours per night have a greatly increased risk of having or developing diabetes” (Sleep and disease Risk 2007). Additionally, people who experience sleep loss have a greater chance of becoming ill. Studies show that those who receive the required amount of sleep per night have a better chance of fighting off sickness, than those who experience sleep loss. According to Eric J. Olson, M.D. (2015), your body produces proteins called cytokines; these cytokines increase when you have an infection or when you are under stress. Sleep loss may lower production of these cytokines, causing your immune system to decrease (Olson 2015). More importantly, sleep loss can affect a person’s mood. When someone does not sleep the required amount of sleep they may experience fatigue causing them to be irritable and moody