English Composition
Mr. David
February 27, 2013
Sleep Deprivation Effecting Lives?
More people today have less access to sleep, than they did over a century ago. The question becomes, is the lack of sleep destroying lives? It would seem with access to a bed every night, people would have all the sleep they need. Yet, more students and hard working adults are barely making it to bed to get what is called “A full nights rest”. What are the reasons for this? Can, and should, the people be more aware what sleep deprivation could be responsible for? Sleep deprivation is becoming more of an issue and could be responsible for effecting Americans well-being, job, and education. It seems sleep deprivation is becoming more common but unnoticed of the responsibilities it could have on one’s health. In a Newsweek Magazine article “The Surprising Toll of Sleep Deprivation” written by Lawrence Epstein (2010), the author notes that Americans averaged 6.9 hours of sleep per night, which represented a drop of about two hours per night since the 19th century (para.2). Two hours is an enormous gap and enough for researchers to raise suspicion. The article references researchers at the University of Pennsylvania were able to prove cognitive abilities and reaction times decrease from the lack of sleep (para.3). Another health issue sleep deprivation could be responsible for is weight gain and diabetes. Epstein states “multiple epidemiological studies have shown that people who chronically get too little sleep are at greater risk of being overweight and developing diabetes” (para.4). However, the effect of sleep deprivation does not stop there. College students and hard working adults strive for success each day. In order for them to succeed they need a goodnights sleep. Many students and adults suffer according
References
Epstein, L. J. (2010). The Surprising Toll of Sleep Deprivation. Newsweek, 155/156(26/1), 75.
References: Epstein, L. J. (2010). The Surprising Toll of Sleep Deprivation. Newsweek, 155/156(26/1), 75.
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