...Sleep Deprivation, Disorders, and Drugs Mandy Makurat University of Phoenix, Associates Program PSY240 – The Brain, the Body, and the Mind April 27, 2014 Sleep is necessary to function. When we are well rested, we have the ability to think clearer, be sharper, more alert and our health benefits from it as well. If you do not believe me, do a home study on yourself some time and you will soon be a believer. Back in my early twenties, I conducted a sleep study for myself. I would go out 3 or 4 times per week to sing at open mic nights with a group of friends and bandmates. Over the course of a year, I continued this while working in an office full-time and going to school full-time as well as being a parent to a 9 year old boy. I slowly began to feel the effects from sleep deprivation. At first it began as being a little cloudy feeling, almost like a hangover and my eyes would get very sleepy. I would feel like I could fall asleep within seconds from my heavy eye lids and I used to take naps at work on my lunch breaks. Naps helped to some degree but the fact that I was running on empty at 10 am because I was up until 3am the night before and up again at 6 am for work eventually was not working for me. I became withdrawn from work, began to strongly dislike my position and made a slew of bad decisions. I found it nearly impossible to concentrate on my once mundane tasks and had a difficult time staying alert while driving my son to school in the morning and...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...Sleep deprivation is the disruption of a person sleeping patterns. It can be caused due to stress, sickness, and change of regime in a daily life. There are some people who can live with lack of sleep and not have any effects. There are other people who have bad effects and cannot function with lack of sleep. I myself need as much sleep as I can get. There was a time there for 8 months that I would spend my Friday and Saturday nights as a karaoke host. Typically I would not be home until 2 to 2:30 in the morning. On these days I would either have to get up for work or go cook breakfast for the organization that I belong to. There have been other times that I could just not get to sleep because I had too much going through my mind and I could not get it to shut down. I know that when I got up the next day or if I stayed up all night long I felt like I had been out drinking all night. My body did not feel well. I was sluggish and had the jitters. It also did not do well for me to try and take a nap and get only a small amount of sleep. My mood when I was without sleep was either no a nice mood or I was very much in a depressed crying stage. I did not have good motor skills and I found that I would drop off to sleep just using the remote to change the TV. When I was really deprived of sleep it was not safe for me to drive because I caught myself trying to fall asleep at the wheel. Is this coincided with what the textbook talked about with sleep deprivation? I feel it does coincided...
Words: 889 - Pages: 4
...Sleep is a necessary part of life. Without it, the brains normal functions can become slow, confused, or cease all together. Situations may arise often where deficient amounts of sleep are considered an acceptable byproduct of an alternative activity. For instance, a man who decides to go out with friends and close down a dance club knowing he needs to wake up at 5:00 am the next morning for work may find he did not receive an adequate amount of sleep to function at the best of his ability the following work day. On the other hand, intentional sleep deprivation, due to the impact it causes on the effected person, was often used to torture prisoners of war. The term sleep deprivation is used to describe a period of time where there is a complete absence of sleep or when one is not able to sleep for the optimal length of time. According to Orzeł-Gryglewska (2010): The clinical symptoms of sleep deprivation include longer reaction time, distractedness, disturbances in attention and concentration, forgetting known facts, difficulty in memorizing new information, and making mistakes and omissions. A higher level of stress is observed; tiredness, drowsiness and irritability increases; work effectiveness decreases and motivation usually falls down (p. 96). One’s judgment and ability to effectively reason may also be affected. Increased irritability may cause the subject to snap at loved ones or coworkers uncharacteristically. Cognitive changes may present after prolonged reductions...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
...“I try to elude you for you sleep are the close cousin of death, but no matter how I try and escape the grasp of the two of you, I know soon I will fall prey to your seductive charms and my only reward will be to dream of his beautiful face”- Anneke Wilson Sleep! Some of us have no problem getting there, while others have to fight just to get an appointment with the sandman. During this paper I will talk about the effects that lack of sleep has on people, including myself. I will talk about how it has affected my mood, behavior, and cognitive skills, as well as the long term effects that rise from it warranting plausible drug remedies. When my son died on January 4, 2011 it was the beginning of my descent into darkness. Before my son died I was always a night owl. On more occasions than one I had to force myself into sleep just so I would be ready to face the next day that lay ahead of me, which were filled with running after a little person that had enough energy to power eight suns plus one moon. When Adonys passed I didn’t want to sleep anymore, I felt like I didn’t need it, I thought sleep was my enemy and I would do anything to avoid it. So, for the first week that my son was gone I lay awake, I wandered around the house doing random things just so I would not meet sleep. At first it was only because I dint want to close my eyes for fear of seeing my son, then opening them and he not be there, that was scary. After awhile I didn’t sleep, because I just couldn’t,...
Words: 920 - Pages: 4
...Sleeping and Dreaming CheckPoint PSY 240 The Brain, The Body, and The Mind January 18, 2012 Windy Baker Kuntz There are two main types of sleep; first you have Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep or NREM (also known as quiet sleep and Rapid Eye Movement Sleep or REM (also known as active sleep or paradoxical sleep. This is broken down into five stages. The first stage is the beginning of the sleep cycle. It is considered to be a light stage of sleep. It is a transition period between wakefulness and sleep. Stage one lasts only a brief time (around 5-10 minutes). The second stage is when the brain begins to produce bursts of rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity known as sleep spindles. This only lasts for about 20 minutes and your body tempiture begins to decrease and the heart rate begins to slow down. The third stage is a transition between light and deep sleep. Your brain develops slow deep brain waves known as delta waves. The fourth stage is a very deep sleep that lasts for about 30 minutes, this is where delta sleep occurs and bed wetting as well as sleep walking is most likely to occur. Stage five is where most of our dreaming occurs. This is where we have our REM sleep. Respiration increases and so does brain activity. REM sleep is also referred to as paradoxical sleep because while the brain and other body systems become more active, muscles become more relaxed. Dreaming occurs due because of increased brain activity, but voluntary muscles become paralyzed. Our text...
Words: 469 - Pages: 2
...Sleep Deprivation, Disorder, and Drugs Psy/240 May 29, 2011 Roberto Vado Sleep Deprivation, Disorder, and Drugs Sleep deprivation and disorders are problems that many people deal with every day. As a mother of three small children, two of which are twins, I have many experiences with lack of sleep. My most recent experience with sleep deprivation was in the last month I was so stressed out that it made me physically ill. I had such an awful stomach ache that it kept me up at night. I would fall asleep and be awake an hour later, then fall back to sleep two hours later and be awake again in 45 minutes. It was like this for a month and it did not start getting better until a couple of days ago. My experience does coincide with the effects of sleep deprivation described in the text. “When you sleep substantially less than you are used to, the next day you feel crabby and unable to function as well as you usually do”(Pinel, 2009). Sleep deprivation made me feel very sleepy. If I did not keep myself busy I would fall asleep on the couch, which would scare me because then my children were unsupervised. I also felt very irritable. I would get very angry over small things that normally would not upset me. I also would feel like I could not function normal. When I would try to read school work the words would seem to scramble together. Long-term sleep deprivation has many effects on a person. “One of the most important findings of human sleep deprivation research...
Words: 835 - Pages: 4
...Sleep Deprivation, Disorders and Drugs Jennifer Mason PSY/240 April 04, 2013 Professor Dugan Sleep Deprivation, Disorders and Drugs There have been many times in my life I did not get enough sleep; in fact it is quite common for this to occur. In my life right now, I have my 3 month old granddaughter and her mother living with us as the baby was recently hospitalized due having reflux disease and is on a very strict eating regiment in order. This means we have to wake her up every two hours to feed her. I also work shifts that can be anywhere from 12-24 hours, needless to say sleep is at the bottom of the list of things to do, and I can definitely feel the effects from the lack of it. Lack of sleep does affect moods, just as your mental state can also affect sleep. Anxiety can increases agitation, which in turn can make it hard to sleep. Stress affects the ability to fall as asleep by making the body wide awake and sensitive to things such as noise. Individuals such as me who are under constant stress or may have exaggerated responses to life stressors will often time have sleep problems. For me lack of sleep makes me cranky, irritable and unable to concentrate or focus on anything. It seems that the more I want to be able to sleep, the less I am able too. I am so focused on not getting sleep, I work myself up to a point I cannot sleep at all. Sleep deprivation, can have significant cognitive risks that are associated with it. One may have trouble performing...
Words: 932 - Pages: 4
...restless night sleep. We have tossed and turned and woke up the next morning feeling tired and restless. You may ask yourself if this means that you have a sleeping disorder. What kinds of sleeping disorders exist and what causes them. Some of us have heard terms like, insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, nightmares, and night terror, but how do these sleep disorders effect an individual? To understand some sleep disorders we must first understand the cycle of sleep. Most of us believe that sleep is what occurs at night when we close our eyes. This is true, but sleep is actually 5 different patterns or stages of activity in the brain. When we first lay down and close our eyes, this is the beginning of stage one sleep. In this stage you are no longer completely aware of your external environment. A slight noise or light touch could wake you. You become relaxed, your breathing becomes regular, and you have disconnected thoughts. After about 10 minutes you enter stage two of sleep. Stage two is a transitional stage, just like stage one, but on an EEG (electroencephalogram), which measures the electrical output of the brain, the brain activity is different. This stage takes a louder noise or heavier touch to wake a person from sleep. It is also at this stage when sudden jerks in your arms or legs cause you to wake suddenly. Stage one and two together usually last about thirty minutes and then you enter stage three sleep. Stage three and four are considered deep sleep. These stages...
Words: 1279 - Pages: 6
...Sleep Disorder: Causes and effects to an individual Most of us have already or are experiencing trouble in sleeping every night or every time we’re trying to sleep. This might be normal and usually temporary due to stress, night terrors or some different issues. But if sleep problems are a regular occurrence and interfere with the daily life, we may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Sleep disorders cause more than just sleepiness, there are so many causes. The lack of quality of sleep can have a negative impact on our energy, emotional balance, and health to us. Sleep disorders also are serious enough to interfere with our normal physical, mental and social state. And in worst case, death because of sleepiness and mental condition cause of sleeping disorders. Sleep can affect our overall health. In many cases, people in good health tend to sleep well, whereas those suffering from repeated sleeping problems might have an underlying medical or mental health problem, it may be in minor or serious. Sleeping well is good to physical health and emotional well-being. Unfortunately, even minimal sleep loss can take a toll on mood, energy, efficiency, and ability to handle stress. People with daytime sleepiness are physically fatigue, have a tendency of falling asleep in unsuitable places at unsuitable times, and have poor concentration. Ignoring sleep problems and disorders can lead to poor health, accidents, impaired job performance, and relationship stress. It’s not normal...
Words: 3248 - Pages: 13
...Event: Sleep Deprivation The article I read was “Letting Them Sleep In: Sleep Deprivation Effects in Teens” by Elise Duge. Sleep deprivation is something that is common amongst many adolescents. Most teens need about 8½ to more than 9 hours of sleep each night. According to Psychologist and Sleep Disorders expert William David Brown, sleep deprivation affects every aspect of performance. In addition to making you tired and grouchy, Dr. Brown says that it can even lead to car accidents, suicide and homicide. “Dr. Brown says that sleep deprivation can lead to homicide and suicide, because the tendency for sleep deprived teens to react emotionally contributes to extreme or illogical reactions and can cause irritability, anger and many of the drama-filled behaviors we see during this developmental age.” “Dr. Brown’s study of teens at driving age discovered that 75% slept less than seven hours each night, and 17% had fallen asleep at the wheel at least once while driving.” In addition, lack of sleep can also lead to obesity and drug abuse. Sleep time is a factor in obesity, and with a lack of sleep, teens are more likely to be overweight. They’ll also have a more difficult time losing weight when compared to others compared to those who get a good amount of sleep at night. If students can’t get up early in time for school, they might be drawn to sleep medications or stimulating meds and drugs to stay alert during the day. Dr. Brown and many others feel that sleep deprivation can be...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
...Sleep deprivation in college students is very common with consequences that affect their physical and mental health. Peer pressure from friends or roommates and the demands of school and jobs leave many teens and college students chronically sleep deprived. Many college kids don't think they need the required hours of sleep necessary for good physical and mental health. In error many think that their youthful energy is enough to keep them going rather than a good 8 hours of sleep. What is sleep deprivation? The best definition of sleep deprivation is found by WebMD. "a sufficient lack of restorative sleep over a cumulative period so as to cause physical or psychiatric symptoms and affect routine performances of tasks." Sleep deprivation is a lack of sleep or not getting enough sleep, unlike insomnia which means a person has trouble falling and staying asleep. Much of society suffers to some extent from sleep deprivation. But ignoring the advice to "get plenty of sleep" has an exaggerated impact on the bodies and minds of college students. Faced with the famous dilemma: "Study, friends, sleep -- pick two," it is often "sleep" that students delete. Sleep deprivation, especially during exam periods, is a way of life for students. A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation (National Sleep Foundation, 2009) )found that “63% of college students do not get enough sleep.” Fifteen percent of college students admitted that they fall asleep in class. Those students who studied...
Words: 776 - Pages: 4
...body knows when to wake up and to sleep and eat. Definition: 24-hour body clock. REM sleep Rapid eye moment sleep; a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occurs. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active. Example: body moving without control. Definition: twitching during sleeping. Alpha waves The relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state. Example: sleepy. Definition: relaxed, about to fall asleep. Sleep Periodic, natural loss of consciousness - as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation. Example: body resting. Definition: natural body resting. Hallucinations False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus. Example: seeing unusually things. Definition: seeing objects that don’t exist. Delta waves The large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep. Example: snoring. Definition: Deep into sleep. NREM sleep Non-rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep. Example: no REM sleep. Definition: no rapid eye. Insomnia: recurring problems in falling or staying asleep. Example: kids cannot fall asleep easily. Definition: problems in staying or falling asleep. Narcolepsy A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times. Example:...
Words: 1034 - Pages: 5
...Sleep is essential for a healthy lifestyle, but as people get older and busier, the concept of sleep in our mind twists into a luxury instead of being a necessity. In reality, a multitude people all over the United States fail to realize that without a proper rest period, the body’s mental and physical state start to go on a downhill spiral, and they can start to experience many health issues such as fatigue and anxiety among many other conditions. Thankfully, this can all be avoided by acknowledging and using simple strategies that support adequate sleep. Surely, the most asked question is what exactly is sleep deprivation and what are the symptoms? Sleep deprivation is simply being unable to get the sufficient amount of sleep for long periods of time. The most common type of sleep deprivation has the symptoms of fatigue, excessive drowsiness, and irritability. There’s a distinct kind of lack of sleep called chronic sleep deprivation, and has dire symptoms such as malaise, depression, memory loss, and the development of psychosis. In severe cases it may eventually lead to death. This grave condition can be caused by abnormal stress levels, drug abuse, and overworking. (Davis) Lack of sleep has been associated with weight gain and obesity. In the article, 14 ways lack of sleep is causing weight gain, research has shown that tired people reach more for...
Words: 752 - Pages: 4
...include genetics (traits that run in families), environmental, and medical conditions. Sleepwalking is not associated with other sleep problems, sleeping alone in a room or with others, fear of the dark, or anger outbursts. Sleepwalking occurs more frequently in identical twins, and is 10 times more likely to occur if a first-degree relative has a history of sleepwalking. Therefore, it is thought the condition can be inherited. Environmental Factors Certain factors may cause a person to sleepwalk, such as: * Sleep deprivation * Chaotic sleep schedules * Stress * Alcohol intoxication * Drugs such as sedative/hypnotics (drugs that promote relaxation or sleep), neuroleptics (drugs used to treat psychosis), stimulants (drugs that increase activity), and antihistamines (drugs used to treat symptoms of allergy). Medical conditions that have been linked to sleepwalking include: * Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) * Fever * Gastro esophageal reflux (food or liquid regurgitating from the stomach up into the food pipe) * Nighttime asthma * Nighttime seizures (convulsions) * Obstructive sleep apnea (condition in which breathing stops temporarily while sleeping). * Psychiatric disorders, for example, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic attacks, or dissociative states, such as multiple personality disorder. 1. What causes...
Words: 287 - Pages: 2
...| Course Design Guide College of Social Sciences PSY/240 Version 6 The Brain, the Body, and the Mind | Copyright © 2011, 2010, 2009, 2006 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course provides an introduction to the investigation of physiological and neurological basis for human behavior. The student will be able to study and discuss various influences on personality development, such as pre-natal maternal behavior; gender; nature versus nurture; brain development; genetic composition; sensory motor interactions; learning disabilities; drug impacts; and neurological diseases. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Pinel, J. P. J. (2009). Biopsychology. Boston, MA: Pearson. Associate Level Writing Style Handbook, available online at https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/CWE/pdfs/Associate_level_writing_style_handbook.pdf All electronic...
Words: 2714 - Pages: 11
