Sleep Deprivation — Detriments and Disadvantages

 

The last several days have been unpleasant for me –I’ve not been sleeping well at all. Wednesday and yesterday were much worse. Thanksgiving Day was pretty good. By yesterday the sleep deprivation was really catching up to me. How did I ever stay awake when I was in training for 36 hours at a time? I guess the aging process finally catches up.

 

I slept a little better last night but the effects of sleep deprivation don’t just disappear after one good night’s sleep. Today I still feel a little out of it. But I’m forcing myself to blog. It is so hard to concentrate on the keys, I’m not even sure why I’m doing this. Thank God for spell checkers!

 

I’ve been thinking about the aging process in general and how the elderly do not always get adequate sleep. In the demented population, the effects can be greatly magnified. And, yes. When the patient doesn’t sleep well, then the caregiver begins to experience sleep deprivation. So, it can affect others at the same time. Imagine many members of a household being sleep deprived on a chronic basis!

 

I’ve listed some common symptoms of sleep deprivation some of which are short-term while others are long-term. The green highlighted ones are the ones I’ve been feeling the most.

Short-term effects of sleep deprivation: 

1. Decreased daytime alertness. Loss of 1 ½ hours sleep can result in a 30-35% reduction in daytime alertness.
2. Tiredness and feeling a need for 0a nap
3. Irritability, edginess and moodiness
4. Headache
5. Loss of balance and coordination
6. Inability to tolerate stress
7. Memory lapses and difficulty concentrating
8. Learning, behavioral or social problems
9. Blurred vision
10. Vague body discomfort
11. Changes in appetite
12. Feeling lazy
13. Hypnagogic hallucinations (the state between being awake and falling asleep. For some people, this is a time of visual and auditory hallucination.
14. Uncooperative attitude
15. Hallucinations, delusions and illusions (Hallucinations are false perceptions that occur in the absence of appropriate external stimuli, whereas illusions are misinterpretations of external stimuli that are, in fact, present).
16. Slowing and slurring of speech and difficulty naming common objects.
17. Episodes of fragmented thinking
18. Paranoia
19. Expressionless appearance or looking and feeling dazed
20. Monotone speech
21. Feeling frustrated if not being able to nap

Long-term effects of sleep deprivation:

• Impaired immune system
• Frequent infections
• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Psychiatric problems such as depression and other mood disorders
• Mental impairment
• Increased mortality risk
• Relationship problems with a bed partner
• Obesity

Perhaps on another occasion, I can discuss sleep in more depth.

 

David