Sleep Deprivation
The Growing Complication
What is Sleep Deprivation?
According to America alone, approximately
Americans suffer chronically from a sleep disorders that have affected their quality of life (Colten).
50 to 70 million
Just like the basic functions of life such as breathing, drinking, and eating, sleep is also a crucial component that is essential in revitalizing your body to improve both your physical and mental health.
Sleep is responsible for healing the body, resting the mind, growth, and many more. However, as the pace in life increases with the growing responsibilities as an adult, the consistent nature of getting an adequate amount of sleep becomes tarnished for many. As a result, a negative condition that has arisen at an alarming rate globally today is sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation is a negative condition that is derived from individuals not getting the adequate amount of sleep needed within their day-to-day lives. As a result, these detrimental habits of put individuals at an increased risk for serious medical conditions such as:
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Alzheimer's
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Depression
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Diabetes Mellitus
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Insulin Resistance
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Hypertension
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Anxiety and more (Hanson)
Despite its many adverse affects, many individuals tend to overlook this detrimental condition due to the lack of immediate affects and overlooking their situation to simply feeling "tired".
While there is not a specific number, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that adults should receive approximately:
7-9 hours of sleep every day!
What Contributes to Sleep Deprivation and Who Does it Impact?
There are a wide range of different reasonings behind someone’s lack of sleep. Some of the more generalized factors include “poor sleep hygiene, lifestyle choices, work obligations, sleep disorders, and other medical conditions.” (Suni). There are a multitude of factors that overall contribute to sleep deprivation.
In regard to demographics, we are specifically targeting college students. According to the CDC, “60% of college students have poor quality sleep and garner”, an increasing “75% of college students” have “reported occasional sleep disturbances” and what is alarming is that “73% of students exhibited some form of sleep problem, with a higher frequency among women than men” (Mbous). When it comes to college students, there are a lot of stressful factors that can severely impact their ability to sleep. A variety of stress factors that lead to the lack of sleep can be derived from financial pressures, familial issues, grades, burn out, fear of safety, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, these stresses only continue to grow due to the increasing rigor and responsibilities bestowed upon students and individuals as they progress throughout their careers. Though many are working hard, many students have to sacrifice much sleep in order to achieve their goals and dreams. These same factors can also be applied to not only college students, but a wide range of adults due to the increasing difficulty in the economy, workplaces, familial life and more. Moreover, sleep deprivation is a condition that affects a broad range of demographics that ultimately leads to many negative repercussions in the future.
One major contributor to the lack of sleep that has developed outside of generalized factors has been the increased use of technology. More than ever, technology has been more prevalent than ever due to the virtual transition of the pandemic. Books have essentially all transitioned to electronic books, meetings are generally scheduled through video calls, and free time is increasingly spent on video games indoors. Therefore, despite having various innovations and technological advancements, there has been a new series of negative habits and factors that have contributed significantly to the lack of sleep in many individuals. For example, a study in the National Library of Medicine revealed that 62% of patients took their phones to bed with them, 37% texted after “lights out,” and 1 out of 12 adolescents were woken by a text in the middle of the night at least 2 or more times a week (Fuller). As a result, based on the evidence retrieved, the data suggested that the use of technology such as smartphones, iPad, computers, and more at bedtime are correlated to the decreased sleep quantity and quality in many (Fuller). Additionally, these statistics demonstrate the issue of sleep deprivation prior to the virtual transition of the pandemic. In short, due to the sheer addiction and reliance on technology, the issue of sleep deprivation continues to become more prevalent globally today.
Demographics Affected
Main Contributors
