...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
...Describe the following sleep disorders and include the causes, symptoms, consequences and possible treatments for: Narcolepsy, Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Nightmares, and Night Terrors. Narcolepsy is a disorder of losing the brain’s ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Narcolepsy results to excessive daytime sleepiness. Main cause of narcolepsy is unknown but many cases are thought to be caused by lack of brain chemical “Orexin”, which regulates sleep. Some studies show that narcolepsy might be genetic as well. Symptoms of narcolepsy are often referred to the “Tetrad of Narcolepsy”, which are cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnogogic hallucinations. No treatment has been proven yet, but taking oral CNS stimulants such as Amphetamine and Methylphenidate can help with the excessive daytime sleepiness. Insomnia is a disorder in which a person suffers from having trouble in falling asleep or in staying asleep. Insomnia is caused by the disturbance of the circadian rhythm that results to the inability of to fall asleep during the regular sleeping hours. Symptoms include awakening at night and awakening too early; difficulty falling asleep at night; feeling tired after sleeping; and difficulty paying attention. Getting proper and regular sleep patterns can help treat insomnia. Sleeping pills and other sedatives can also help treat insomnia. Sleep Apnea is a disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or instances of shallow or infrequent breathing during sleep. People who suffer...
Words: 392 - Pages: 2
...Sleep Deprivation, Disorders, and Drugs Anita Rouse PSY/240 02/13/2011 Kelli McLaughlin Lack of sleep is something we all have to deal with here and there, some more than others. There are even other individuals who have to live with sleeping disorders. Sleep deprivation, and sleeping disorders negatively affects those who are experiencing these issues. Luckily, scientists have come up with many different medications to help individuals sleep better. In this paper I will be discussing a time when I was sleep deprived and how it compared to the effects of sleep deprivation which were discussed in the text. I will also be discussing the effects of long-term reduced sleep and some common sleeping disorders and some of the drug remedies which can be used. About a month ago I experienced a hard time sleeping at night and it lasted a week. I would try and force myself to go to bed at my usual time, which is at 10:00 pm, but I would just lay there wide awake. When my alarm went off I felt like I had just fallen asleep. My usual sleeping routine works perfectly for me, I usually go to sleep around 10:00 pm and wake up at 6:30 am, which gives me eight and a half hours of sleep. When I was sleep deprived I am not sure how many hours I was sleeping, but I do know that I often saw 2:00 am, which means I was getting at the most four and a half hours of sleep each night. What was horrible about this week, was even though my oldest son goes to school, I had a toddler to worry...
Words: 1086 - Pages: 5
...If Only I Could Sleep Thomas M. O’Rourke Southern New Hampshire University Sleep is essential as it allows you to function physically and psychologically. When you do not get enough sleep on a continual basis many things can affect you. Sleep deprivation can lead to higher risk of chronic health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. According to Harvard Medical School, for people with hypertension, one night without enough sleep can cause elevated blood pressure all through the next day. There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon your ability to sleep well, or perhaps we will trade sleep for more work or play (Lim, 2008). We may have medical or mental conditions that disrupt our sleep, and be aware that we are sleep deprived to name a few. Sleep deprivation induces significant reductions in performance and alertness. Reducing your nighttime sleep by as little as one and a half hours just for one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness as much as 32% according to research (Lim, 2008). It is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. Studies show an increased mortality risk for those reporting less than either six or seven hours per night (Abdul, 2012). One study found that reduced sleep time is a greater...
Words: 810 - Pages: 4
...night may not seem like too much of a problem, but it can progress to weeks or scattered sleeping patterns. Regardless of lack of time during the day, the night should be solely left to prepare our bodies to help us through the day to come. Lack of sleep can affect us the very next day, as well as accumulate to result in chronic illnesses. Some problems caused by sleep deprivation that affect all ages are drowsy driving, snoring, and decreased performance. Statistics show that “twenty percent of all serious car crash injuries in the general population are associated with driver sleepiness, independent of alcohol effects (Wickboldt et al., p4).” Teens are already known for their reckless driving, but most will not believe that the underlying problem is due to a lack of sleep. Most of these symptoms are usually unnoticed because it has become prevalent in the American culture to stay up late. In America alone, “it is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and adversely affecting health (Wickboldt et al., p 20).” Lack of sleep is not something that can be seen like obesity, or given special treatment in school like how kids with Attention Deficit Disorder get extra hours to complete a test. Therefore, it is our job as a community to recognize that if we do let this overcome teenagers and adults, it will become another regular widespread illness that could...
Words: 2439 - Pages: 10
...Sleeping Disorders 13SU_PSY_161_50 Human Growth and Development Abstract This paper will list two published medical research articles on Adolescent Sleeping Disorders. Sleeping disorders plague people and most have no idea that they even have the disease. Sleeping is the most important function your body has to cope with injury and stress. We need sleep to give our bodies a chance to heal themselves, flush out impurities in our digestive track or blood stream, and to rest vital organs. Sleep is needed to replenish after daily physical activity. In young adults, sleep will allow your body to release growth hormones that affect the bones, tissue, and new red blood cells (Gavin, Mary L., MD. "KidsHealth." Sleep Problems in Teens. Kids Health). Teens and adolescents spend one third of their day sleeping. Meaning by the age of 15, you will have spent about five years of your life asleep. Most adolescents need right around nine-and-a-half hours of sleep each night (Ransohoff, Katie. "Sleep and Sleeping Disorders."). Surveys conducted show that most adolescents get right around six to seven hours on the average. If you do not get enough sleep, you may experience some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation. Some of these symptoms of sleep deprivation are: • Falling asleep in class • Irritability • Difficulty waking up in the morning • Difficulty concentrating • Depression after prolonged sleep deprivation Most...
Words: 1528 - Pages: 7
...Over the past few years, I have consistently found myself tired. I could wake up from a deep sleep that ranged from six to eight hours and show still show signs of fatigue. I could be in the middle of doing something and would find myself dozing off. I decided to research how this condition may be affecting me on a daily basis. I also tried to examine what actually may be causing me to experience these. The most common cause of sleep deprivation is that a person may have some sort of a sleep disorder. There seems to be hundreds of different sleep disorders that can affect someone. People can suffer from insomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome, hypopnea, syndrome, night terrors, rapid eye movement behavior disorder, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. Some are very common while others are found in very few patients. I was intrigued by restless leg syndrome because I have heard of it on several occasions. Restless Leg Syndrom is also known as Willis-Ekborn disease is a neurological disorder that causes a person to move uncontrollably at moments where they may feel uncomfortable. It is common referred as RLS and the symptoms can occur anywhere on the body despite the more commonly used name implying that the problem occurs in the leg. There are several symptoms that are common and they can affect a person at almost any age. According to the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, around 45% of patients exhibited their first symptoms of the ailments before their twentieth birthday...
Words: 857 - Pages: 4
...Endocrine system effects on Sleep Deprivation Deprived sleep is a universal widespread problem observed in both children and adults. It is a vital process that helps in the functioning of learning, memory processing, cellular repair, and brain development. Statistics show that the average total hours of sleep have decreased per person to less than 7 hours per night over the past 3 to 4 decades. Many people experience sleep loss due pressures at work, stress, and our day to day lifestyle. The reduced hours of nocturnal sleep have shown to lead to serious health problems such as depression, obesity, hypertension, along with many other diseases. It also affects cognitive performance and emotionality. (1) The Endocrine system is responsible for the body’s stress systems and the release of the stress hormones necessary for adaptation and survival in the environment. Sleep deprivation are associated with increases in the hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal axis, increased levels of cortisol and autonomic sympathetic activation and increased catecholamine levels during wakefulness. Increased sympathetic levels causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Just briefly waking up from sleep for only a few seconds is associated with autonomic reflex, causing a temporary rise in heart rate and BP to the level seen while awake. This is more related to disruption and discontinuity of sleep than to the duration of sleep deprivation or the amount of sleep that is lost. HPA is a stressful...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...Discuss at least two causes of sleep disturbance. What effects have been shown to occur as a result? Sound sleep is vital for human functioning on a daily basis. Yet some people do not get the required amount. Whether, inadequate sleep might be due to physical, psychological or socioeconomic conditions, sleep disturbance is a common problem. Impaired sleep or sleep disturbance means failure to fall asleep, inability to regain sleep and persistent arousal during the night (Prinz, 1977, as cited in Harrington & Avidan, 2009). The most familiar types of sleep disorders are insomnia; difficulty falling asleep in-spite of sufficient sleep opportunity, and obstructed sleep apnea; difficulty in breathing while asleep that results in frequent awakening (Harrington & Avidan, 2009). The multiple causes of sleep disturbance may include ageing, noise, chronic disease, nocturia, alcoholism, chronic pain, obesity and stress. This essay focuses on three common causes of sleep disturbance: ageing, noise and psychological problems. It also focuses on consequences like memory impairment and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. Ageing may be a common cause of sleep disturbance. Changes in sleep pattern, like increased lighter stages of sleep, increased fragmented sleep, as well as decreased total sleep time and early morning awakenings may all occur with advancing age. The prevalence of obstructed sleep apnea is 13% among older men and 4% among older women (Enright et al., 1996...
Words: 1035 - Pages: 5
...Sleep deprivation is prevalent in industrialized societies and has been linked to serious health issues and traffic accidents. This essay views sleep and sleep deprivation from five different motivational perspectives in order to gain a holistic understanding of the phenomena. From evolutionary, psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive, and hierarchy of needs perspectives, it is inferred that the cognitive and behaviourist perspectives uphold the most merit for gaining understanding into sleep and sleep deprivation. However, it is concluded that in order to obtain the greatest comprehension of the phenomena, the implementation of all motivational perspectives is required. Sleep is one of the most fundamental components of a healthy existence. The phenomenon of sleep deprivation, resulting either from lifestyle choices or the undertreatment of sleep related illnesses, could be a factor for a multitude of health disorders prevalent in today’s society (Nature, 2005). It is suggested that people of industrialized countries obtain about 20% less sleep today than they did a century ago. Sleep deprivation has been linked to Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and has also been found to significantly increase the chance of a motor-vehicle accident (Wilson, 2005). In order to address the problem of sleep deprivation, it is imperative that the motivation behind sleep and sleep deprivation is understood. This essay will look at sleep and sleep deprivation through five different perspectives of motivation:...
Words: 2775 - Pages: 12
...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
...head: THE IMPAIRED NURSE: SLEEP DEPRIVATION The Impaired Nurse: Sleep Deprivation Amber Nye, SN Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing The Impaired Nurse: Sleep Deprivation The impaired nurse is a major subject matter in evidence based research. Healthcare services are available twenty four hours a day, three hundred-sixty five days a year. With that being stated, shift work is a requirement in the healthcare field. Sleep deprivation is the lack of sleep due to an external stimulus preventing the opportunity of sleeping and this is a commonly known result of shift work in nurses. Sleep disorders commonly occur with nurses who work rotating shifts. Sleep quality is important, but sleep is not just about how many hours you get. Night shift workers have to sleep during the day which may interfere with their body’s rhythm telling them it is daytime and this jeopardizes their sleeping. This is where sleep deprivation comes into play. Shift work is a major source of disturbances in the healthcare profession. Most healthcare employees have no say over which shift they work. Chan (2008) studied this by using subjective measurements. The Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire was used to address nurses’ sleep patterns. Chan (2008) found that sleep deprivation causes symptoms such as arousals, exacerbations of gastrointestinal problems, and lowers threshold. This is because the stress system is activated by this sleep situation and neuro-hormonal...
Words: 1175 - Pages: 5
...much worse in this world than not getting an ounce of sleep! Well, unfortunately millions of people across the globe suffer from some type of sleeping disorder. Whether it is insomnia keeping you up all night, or maybe even sleep apnea preventing you from getting a solid full nights rest. Today, I will go over some of the more common sleep disorders that are plaguing people around the globe. Insomnia Not only are sleep disorders extremely common, affecting virtually everyone at some point in their lives, but they can also lead to serious stress and other health concerns. Insomnia is by far the most common sleep disorder, affecting nearly 60 percent of U.S. adults at least one night each week. Common symptoms of insomnia include difficulty falling asleep and waking up before it is time to get up. There are many factors that can contribute to insomnia including stress and undetected physical medical conditions. Studies have shown that stress is the leading cause of insomnia among the affected population. Typical treatments include sleeping pills and behavior therapy. Practicing good sleep habits can often be effective for treating mild cases of insomnia. Sleep apnea Sleep apnea is the second most common sleep disorder and affects approximately 20 million Americans. Sleep apnea affects the way you breathe when you’re sleeping. In untreated sleep apnea, breathing is briefly interrupted or becomes very shallow during sleep. These breathing pauses typically last between 10 to...
Words: 839 - Pages: 4
...researching was the correlation between teenage mood swings and sleep deprivation. As a parent, you anticipate the days of dealing with teenager who is experiencing mood swings. I have a sixteen-year-old daughter who is constantly going through mood swings. One minute her and I will be engaged in a nice conversation and literally the next minute I am her worst enemy. There is no way a parent can prepare themselves for what they will deal with when it comes to being a parent to a teenager. When a teenager is experiencing a mood swing we tend to refer to as being hormonal changes. I wanted to explore the option of it being more related to sleep patterns and deprivation. In a research study found in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (July, 2010), it was learned that a teenager who gets less than nine hours of sleep is defined as being sleep deprived. It was found that a biological change occurred which involved a shift in the teenager’s circadian rhythms. When there is a shift in this rhythm it calls for later wake times. It was discovered that teenagers have a hard time falling asleep before 2300, which in turn, shift their waking to around 0800. In another study, researchers took two groups and conducted an experiment of sleep deprivation on the emotional center of the brain which is responsible for mood swings. One group of young students were allowed a good night’s sleep and another group stayed awake for 35 hours. An MRI, magnetic...
Words: 678 - Pages: 3
...Bipolar: The Emotional Curse Many people today suffer from a condition called manic-depressive disorder, more common known by many people as bipolar disorder. Bipolar is mental illness that has been around since the 16 century. This condition affects a person by giving them instant mood swings. One can be happy at one point time and in a few seconds be upset for no reason. It’s a condition that affects approximately 5.7 million people in the United Sates or 5% of people in the world. (Bipolar Disorder Statistics) many people are affected with this condition and are not well educated on the topic and have many questions like where did I get it? What can I do? Is there a cure? Most often the question is why me? The cause this condition is a chemical imbalance in one’s brain. Three brain chemicals noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine are involved in both brain and bodily functions. Noradrenaline has been consistently linked to psychiatric mood disorders such as depression. Serotonin is connected to many body functions such as sleep, wakefulness, eating, sexual activity, impulsivity, learning, and memory. Lastly the brain chemical dopamine is commonly linked with the pleasure system of the brain. (Kent). Emotions are controlled by the limbic system; it lies on both sides of the thalamus, just under the cerebrum. Studies have shown that’s this trait is genetic and is passed down from generation to generation. Just because a person may have the bipolar gene doesn’t necessarily...
Words: 1050 - Pages: 5
