Monday, April 23, 2012

The Serious Side Of Sleep Deprivation - Do You Know The Effects?

By Sean T Saunders


Should you look in the mirror in the morning and find out that you've got big black circles under your eyes, your energy level is incredibly low and it is tough to think straight, you may be suffering from a medical condition referred to as sleep deprivation. This disorder is brought on by lack of sleep and can adversely affect both the body and the mind. If you do not sleep the appropriate number of hours each night you may become exhausted, irritable and clumsy. Your capability to think, generally known as cognitive function, can also be impaired by not getting a sufficient amount of rest. Sleep deprivation effects are very bad for your health.

Doctors have found that sleep deprivation effects can be separated into two types; psychological and physiological. The physical effects of sleep deprivation include increased blood pressure, higher stress hormone levels, painful muscles and headaches. Lack of adequate sleep may also cause both obesity and diabetic issues. Sleep deprivation also has lots of mental problems related to it, for example confusion, memory lapses, frustration, hallucinations and depression. Scientific research studies have found that the human brain's intellectual functions are adversely affected by sleep deprivation. Impaired tolerance to glucose resulting in a diabetic condition can also be caused by chronic sleep deprivation.

A number of the symptoms of sleep deprivation that ought to be watched for are things such as the inability to concentrate, continuous irritability and obscure feelings of discomfort. Getting tired regularly in the middle of the day and a lack of appetite may also signal that the body is not getting adequate sleep. Those people who are sleep deprived may also catch infections often, feel shortness of breath and quite often don't feel tired at night. Experiencing any one of these symptoms does not necessarily indicate sleep deprivation since many of them can be caused by other health conditions but a checkup is needed.

Sleep deprivation can have a wide variety of temporary effects. This can include impairment of the capability to think cognitively as well as a decrease in mental alertness and in the ability to perform tasks. Memory functions may also be adversely troubled by lack of sleep. Becoming overly tired can bring about vehicle accident injuries and death and can also cause workplace injuries. Sleep deprivation effects over the long run are related to serious health conditions like high blood pressure resulting in heart attacks or stroke. Psychological problems and mental impairment may also result from a chronic lack of enough sleep.

A number of strategies have become very common in the effort to battle against the effects of sleep deprivation. Drinking coffee in order to get the stimulant caffeine is popular, as is the fact that many types of cola contain caffeine in them. Wake up tablets containing caffeine are also available without a prescription. Caffeine is effective in keeping people awake for a short time period but doesn't work for longer durations. Health care professionals advise the taking of stimulants or short naps or a mixture of the two to fight sleep deprivation but having more sleep is the only real cure.




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