Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Importance of Sleep to Humans

Good Essays
860 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Importance of Sleep to Humans
Importance of Sleep to Humans Try to imagine the following scenarios. A man just ran his Ford F-150 truck into the subcompact car in front of him, all because he was “nodding off” behind the wheel. Two blocks down the street is a seriously depressed businessman, considering ending it all, buy jumping from the roof of his high-rise office building. Downstairs, in the same building, is a woman at work with a terrible headache. She is having a hard time concentrating on tasks she normally would consider incredibly simple. There is a common thread in all of these scenarios; they were all caused by lack of sleep. It is no surprise to most people that sleep is often sacrificed for things deemed more important. The decision to give up sleep might not be as popular if people realized the importance of sleep in their lives. Understanding the causes and effects, as well as having an understanding of how to avoid sleep deprivation can keep people on the path to a healthier life. Sleep deprivation has many causes, spanning from diet to environment. It can be the culprit of several undesirable conditions like irritability and obesity. Lastly, it is typically avoidable by making a few simple changes to daily routines. There are many things that can cause people to lose their precious “Zzzzs”. Most know that a crying baby, the urge to use the bathroom, construction next door, shift work, or a “stuffy nose” can negatively affect sleepy time. There are many things that the average person might not think of when trying to get quality shut-eye. For instance, an overabundance of stress, that “night cap” that was downed before bedtime, or the Coke that was consumed at dinner, could all contribute to sleep deficiency. (Lipschitz) Something else to think about is the use of sleeping medications. An interesting, yet disturbing fact is that some medications that are taken to help people sleep are often the cause of sleeplessness! (Lipschitz) Yet another common reason people lose out on sleep is technology. The world is connected like never before, and things like television, video games, and the internet wield enormous power over people’s sleep patterns! (Ward) Knowing the causes is important, but what about the effects? There is a wide assortment of effects resulting from sleep deprivation, and they can range from insignificant ones to the worst case scenario, death. Experts have determined that a sleep deficit can lead to decreased motor skills, difficulty concentrating, irritability, memory loss, difficulty making decisions, and numerous other issues over time. (Experts Cite the Importance of Sleep) These may seem trivial, but they hardly cover everything. Other, more serious effects include an increased risk of diabetes, obesity, heart problems, hormone imbalances, infections, and high blood pressure. (Kirby) If those are not scary enough, there is thought to be a link between sleep deprivation and cancer. (Kirby) It seems like now would be an appropriate time to shed some light on how to avoid sleep deprivation. According to Marika Sboros, the following are a few things that tend to help people drift off with ease. First off, it is good to establish a sleep routing and stick to it. Second, don’t bother trying to force yourself to sleep; it is best to sleep when your body wants to do it naturally. Third, create a calm and quiet environment to prepare to sleep, as well as to sleep in. Finally, pay attention to, and adjust your diet to avoid things that may decrease your chances of getting that coveted rest! (Sboros) One should try to avoid alcohol, because although it may help with falling asleep, it causes sleep to be fragmented. (Kirby) Also, caffeine should be avoided well before bedtime if possible. Having a grasp on why people suffer from sleep deprivation, along with knowing what it can do, and how to avoid it, can go a long way in terms of improving one’s life. The causes of sleep deprivation, things like attention to diet, and environment can wreak havoc on personal sleep patterns. The effects are far reaching, and run from the minor things like irritability, to more serious things like being at higher risk for cancer. Thankfully, there are things that can be done to aid in avoiding the problems associated with sleep deprivation, like establishing a routine and avoiding alcohol before bedtime. By knowing and applying this information, it may be possible to prevent the scenario mentioned earlier from becoming a reality!

Works Cited
"Experts Cite the Importance of Sleep and Tell how to Get A Good Night 's Rest." Jet October 9 2000: 32. Web.
Kirby, Jeff. "Even One Lost Hour Disturbs Mind and Body --- Sleep Awareness Week - A Special Advertising Report." Sunday Telegraph (Australia), sec. FEATURES: 113. October 4 2009. Web.
Lipschitz, David. "Lifelong Health Sleeping Well Blankets Many Healthful Benefits." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) October 24 2010. Web.
Sboros, Marika. "Why 40 Winks may do More Harm than Good." The Weekender (South Africa) May 27 2009. Web.
Ward, Bill. "Waking Up to a World of Sleeping Problems." Buffalo News (New York), sec. LIFESTYLES: C1. March 20 2012. Web.

Cited: "Experts Cite the Importance of Sleep and Tell how to Get A Good Night 's Rest." Jet October 9 2000: 32. Web. Kirby, Jeff. "Even One Lost Hour Disturbs Mind and Body --- Sleep Awareness Week - A Special Advertising Report." Sunday Telegraph (Australia), sec. FEATURES: 113. October 4 2009. Web. Lipschitz, David. "Lifelong Health Sleeping Well Blankets Many Healthful Benefits." Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) October 24 2010. Web. Sboros, Marika. "Why 40 Winks may do More Harm than Good." The Weekender (South Africa) May 27 2009. Web. Ward, Bill. "Waking Up to a World of Sleeping Problems." Buffalo News (New York), sec. LIFESTYLES: C1. March 20 2012. Web.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Sleep Deprivation

    • 2591 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Wilson., J. F. (2005). Is sleep the new vital sign? American College of Physicians, 142, 877-…

    • 2591 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In his article, “A Third of Life,” Paul Martin informs that sleep is a neglected topic, and we are largely ignorant about it. He begins by noting “Sleep: state so familiar yet so strange.” Even though we spend a third of our lives to sleep, and many lacking-sleep people are suffering to its negative effects, we still do not know much and pay too little attention to it, according to Martin. He points out that many people in the modern society often lack of sleep, which has serious consequences on all aspects of our lives. Sleepiness is a main reason of accidents, but medical profession pays no attention to it. Then he states that sleep…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sleep deprivation is a factor that has also contributed to the high death total every year. While many don’t know it, sleep isn’t just mental, sleep is a factor that is also connected to our immune system. In the book Sleep Thieves, our immune system is proven to be more active while we are asleep and can be disrupted of its normal response pattern with loss of sleep (Coren 171). Also, an experiment conducted in Finland had about 10,778 adult subjects where they were followed for six years, being monitored for their health and sleep times. By the end of these six years, the scientist were able to found out that the poorer sleepers from the group was two and a half times more likely to die during that testing period (Coren 173). This is very significant due to the fact that when we are sick, we are asleep through most of the sickness because it allowed the immune system to become increasingly more active. With less sleep, it puts us at risk for disease or sickness because by losing hours of sleep would result in a decreased immunity to illnesses. In addition, a Doctor named Damien Leger was apart of the US national commision of sleep disorders. He created a report full of findings in 1988 where he obtained information of resulting incidents from sleep deprivation. For example, in Dr. Leger’s findings, there were 24,318 deaths and 2,474,430 disabilities that were caused by sleep deprivation (238). This is…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Sleeping is something we spend doing approximately one third of our human life cycle and can vary in quality from one night to another and have a tremendous impact on our daily performance when we awake the next morning by either having a lousy day or having a productive day. “Some 70 million people in the United States have a sleep problem. About 40 million adults suffer from a chronic sleep disorder; an additional 20 – 30 million have intermittent sleep-related…

    • 1963 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This disease impacts people throughout the nation and affects their daily lives. PhD physiologist, Dr. Michael Breus explicates that, “there are broader, collective consequences to society that come from insomnia” and goes onto explain that “one study attempted to quantify the economic costs of the sleep disorder, and found that insomnia is associated with an estimated $31 billion in workplace costs resulting from accidents and errors that happen on the job”. (Breus) Scientists evaluated participants for insomnia, a condition affecting workplaces. People in workplaces suffering from insomnia failed to perform their jobs to the best of their capabilities in comparison to people without insomnia—because of this, workers perpetuated to make more errors in their labor. The theme of Science and Its Role in Society is optically discerned through this study. Evidently, individuals suffering from insomnia elicited their workplace and the environment around them (this shows that insomnia effects society and corresponds to this biological theme). The theme of Science and Its Role in Society apprises individuals that ethical concerns limit the application of scientific understanding. This theme is viewed through insomnia. A common remedy for insomnia are Benzodiazepines since they prompt a sedative effect. (“Benzodiazepines and Insomnia”) This drug tampers with brain chemicals. Benzodiazepines amalgamate with the GABA receptor, a neurotransmitter, to increment a chemical instigating somnolence and sedation. (“Benzodiazepines and Insomnia”) However, these drugs raise ethical questions which obviate assimilating cognizance about the authentic disease itself. In order to maximize benefits and minimize harm, medicos and verbalize laws recommend and require these drugs for short term utilization (“Benzodiazepines and Insomnia”). This ceases scientists from completely understanding the…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cited: Dement, William C, M.D., Ph.D., and Christopher Vaughan. The Promise of Sleep. New York: Delacorte, 1999.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Insomnia in College

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Breus, Michael J. "Sleep Habits: More Important Than You Think." WebMD Feature. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. .…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    People of all ages, occupations, and races have experienced times where they are at a loss of sleep. Sometimes, those people are able to recover lost sleep by sleeping more on other days, typically weekends or days without work. However, there are others who have a chronic problem with sleeping which leads to problems with their health, work, and mental abilities. The first visually noticeable things about a sleep-deprived people is their mental performance and ability to stay alert. Lowered performance in this area is a cause for alarm in certain occupations that involves the safety, health, and even the very lives of other people. Long-term sleep problems eventually affects the physical health of a person. Sleep deprivation has been associated with high blood pressure, obesity, stroke, heart disease, and diabetes.…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Summary of Sleep Debt

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The authors begin the article with a National tragedy that everyone has at least heard about, the Exxon Valdez Disaster. Where the oil tankers spilled millions of gallons of crude oil and it was said to be due to the ship master 's alcohol consumption. In fact, the cause of the crude oil spill was from the third mate, whom was extremely slept deprived. When in fact the in it’s final report that National Transportation Safety Board found that sleep deprivation and sleep debt were the cause of the accident (Dement and Vaughn, 498). When the report from The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research finally was finished, it identified that sleep deprivation was the “direct cause” of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (Dement and Vaughn, 498.) Although there is an abundance of knowledge about sleep, Dement and Vaughn stated that there is "none is more important than the topic of sleep debt"(498). Sleep debt to this day still remains a concealed and misunderstood on how big of a problem it is in society today.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Drowsy Driving

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many people underestimate the importance of sleep, and the story of my close friend Joey is just one among many other stories that involve people killing either themselves, or someone else while asleep at the wheel. Sleep is essential for a person's health and well-being, and deprivation can carry many detrimental implications. Accumulating research on both people and animals has revealed staggering pysiological and behavioral consequences related to sleep deprivation. Sleep is necessary for the human body to replenish its energy supply, as well as sharpen cognitive functions, and restore memory. However, despite these findings, research has also shown that millions of Americans suffer from lack of sleep/sleep deprivation. ("What is Drowsy…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “People [need to] learn to pay attention to their own sleep debt and how it is affecting them” (502).…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Healthy People 2020

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The goal of Healthy People 2020 is to educate the public on how the right amount sleep of sleep at night improves health, productivity, wellness, quality of life and safety on roads and in workplace. (Heathy People 2020) The major issues that Healthy People 2020 have to face are in the increase of time being spent away from home, which incurs in lack of adequate sleep. An increasing amount of people’s time are being…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Whether it may be the looming deadline of a final paper on the Civil Rights Movement or even simply to party and have fun; now and then, everyone has faced an event which has left them awake an entire night. While many might consider that abstaining from sleep once in awhile may not do much harm, this is far from the actual truth. Abstaining from sleep, regardless of frequency, can take a serious toll on one’s body from decreased learning capacity to anxiety, depression, and even bipolar disorder.…

    • 88 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Sora Song’s article, “sleeping your way to the top”, (C) she explains that dangers in not get the suggested amount of sleep. She states that 71% American adults and 85% of American teens are sleep deprived. Depriving the body of an efficient amount of sleep can be detrimental to the body and the mind. She explains that while sleep deprivation is a condition that people adapt to over time, sleep deprivation can lead to very serious health problems. People lack knowledge about he repercussions of being sleep deprived so they do not realize the dangers in starving the body of sleep. Sleep is the body's way of ensuring the body can function properly…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Third of Life Summary

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Paul emphasizes that the knowledge for such a major part of our lives has been unjustly neglected claiming we as a society are too familiar and very apathetic to this part of our lives. Even in modern medicine, teachings on sleep and sleep disorders are given only an average of 15 minutes, making doctors ill equipped to understand the true benefits and consequences of proper or improper amounts of sleep. Furthermore, this blind eye is shown in sleep’s absence from most of our modern writings. Whereas in history before the electric light bulb and 24-hour society, literature featured much more insinuations of sleep. Paul argues that though there is not an exact knowledge of the extent of sleep deprivation in society, scientists alike agree that sleepiness is a major cause of accidents and injuries.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics