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Go To Sleep
My latest English assignment was a research paper. I was given a social issue, and I was to determine the best solution. My topic was sleep deprivation. I learned a lot during this assignment, and it has given me more motivation to "Go To Sleep". I hope you enjoy
Go To Sleep
How does sleep deprivation impact a person’s health? Jolanta Orzel-Gryglewska, who works at the University of Gdańsk in Poland, wrote a paper titled “Consequences of Sleep Deprivation”. She states “sleeplessness also relates to the changes in the immune response” (p.1). When a person is sleep deprived, the immune system responds slower to illnesses in the body. With the immune system slower to respond it is easier to become sick. Other health risks are obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Orzel-Grylewska also stated, “Among the sleep deprived individuals, the risk of gaining weight by 5 kg increased by 35% and the risk of obesity by 27% in comparison with the individuals having optimum sleep time” (Consequences of Sleep Deprivation, p.6). There are other ways sleep deprivation can be a health risk to individuals. Sleep deprivation in teens “often results in risk-taking behavior” (Sleepy Teens, Melanoma, the Thrill of a Thriller, and More, video, 2012). The section of the brain that is in responsible for executive decisions (the prefrontal cortex), is already underdeveloped in teenagers. Combine an undeveloped prefrontal cortex and sleep deprivation, and the results tend to lead to bad judgement and dangerous decisions. This increases the risk of fatal accidents. Sleep deprivation is hazardous to one’s health.
Sleep deprivation is not only a health hazard, but also a community problem. Brain efficiency is affected with lack of sleep. “Cognitive performance deteriorates during extended wakefulness and circadian phase misalignment” (Effects of Partial and Acute Total Sleep Deprivation on Performance across Cognitive Domains, Individuals and Circadian Phase, Lo, June C; Groeger, John A; Santhi, Nayantara; Arbon, Emma L; Lazar, Alpar S; Hasan, Sibah; Schantz, Malcolm von; Archer, Simon N; Dijk, Derk-Jan, p.1). The brain slows down, and response time decreases. Imagine a sleep deprived individual behind the wheel of a car, bus, and truck or operating heavy machinery. With response times slower, the risk of fatal accidents increases. One might think that driving while sleep deprived is no big deal. But in “Consequences of Sleep Deprivation”, Orzel-Gryglewska observes that “the impairment of performance which is caused by 20-25 hours of sleeplessness is comparable to that after ethanol intoxication at the level of 0.10% blood alcohol concentration” (p.1). Being sleep deprived is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Sleepy workers can lead to tragedies like the Union Carbide chemical plant incident in Bhopal, India, the nuclear tragedies at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and the Exxon Valdez oil tanker being grounded (NCSDR, 1994; Moss and Sills, 1981; United States Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources, 1986; USNRC, 1987; Dinges et al., 1989). All those tragedies were linked to sleep deprivation in the workers, which lead to costly clean up and environmental decay. Sleep deprivation is a community health and environmental issue that needs to be resolved.
What is the solution to the sleep deprivation epidemic? While this issue is a community concern, the solution is to be faced by individuals. Doctors can prescribed sleeping aides as a way to help rectify this issue. Yet, sleep aides are not effective without making changes to a person’s nightly routine. Others have used the method of resynchronizing a person’s sleep pattern, especially for those working in shifts. This is done by adjusting sleeping patterns during off work times so the brain can associate certain activities with bed time. A person becomes tired after repeated practice of a regular bedtime routine. By itself, these ideas are less effective unless it is implemented together.
The best solution to this problem is to not only change a person’s sleep pattern, but to also remove sleep distractions from a sleep area. To be ready for sleep, a person must have the right amount of daylight exposure. In “Clinical Manual for Evaluation and Treatment of Sleep Disorders” the authors discuss how light at the right time can help bring sleep back to a person. “Light is a major synchronizer of circadian rhythms, and it has become apparent that, as in most other organisms, circadian rhythms in humans can be reset by appropriately timed exposure to bright light” (Reite, Weissberg, Ruddy. p.35 2008). Having light in the day, and darkness at night is key to proper sleep. By turning off the television or other media devices early enough the brain will begin to associate the lack of light to bed time. After the bright light stimulants are removed, a person can begin the bed time routine, “this may include quiet, pleasant activities such as reading a story, as well as activities required to prepare for bed, such as changing into pyjamas and brushing teeth” (Neuroscience Research Progress : Sleep Deprivation : Causes, Effects and Treatment, Fulke, Vaughan, 2009 p. 35). A person must also use softer light while preparing for bed. By turning off most lights in a room except for a lamb or candle will help a body begin to feel ready to rest. By implementing these changes to a person’s day, sleep will be within reach, and benefit a community as a whole.
Take a look again at the teenager mentioned earlier. Once again it is 3:00am. There is a teenager sleeping soundly in her bed. The lights and her phone are turned off. For the past few days, she has been developing a strict bed time routine. She has her homework done by 8:00pm, and has turned off the television by 9:00pm. Then she begins her nightly routine. She goes for a walk around the block to stretch her leg muscles after being in the sitting position all day. She has brushed and flossed her teeth, and washed her face and put on her comfortable pajamas. On a stressful day, she has a warm bath to relax her nerves. It’s still early, so she takes out her favorite novel. After she is done reading, she turns off her phone and the lights in her room. She begins breathing deeply and slowly, and soon is off to sleep. Her health has begun to improve, and she has more energy in the day. While sleep deprivations causes numerous health issues and tragedies, proper sleep can improve the health of an individual and the safety of a community. It’s time to go to sleep.
Reference
Lo, J. C., Groeger, J. A., Santhi, N., Arbon, E. L., Lazar, A. S., Hasan, S., . . . Dijk, D. (2012).
Effects of partial and acute total sleep deprivation on performance across cognitive
domains, individuals and circadian phase. PLoS One, 7(9)
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045987
Orzel-Gryglewska, J. (2010). CONSEQUENCES OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION. International
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 23(1), 95-114. Retrieved
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Sleepy teens, melanoma, the thrill of a thriller, and more: Tonic (series 2) [Video file]. (2012).
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Fulke, P., & Vaughan, S. (2009). Neuroscience Research Progress : Sleep Deprivation : Causes,
Effects and Treatment. Hauppauge, NY, USA: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.. Retrieved
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Reite, M., Weissberg, M., & Ruddy, J. R. (2008). Clinical Manual for Evaluation and Treatment
of Sleep Disorders. Arlington, VA, USA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Retrieved
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Moss TH, Sills DL, 1981. The Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident: Lessons and Implications .
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United States Senate Committee on Energy and National Resources. 1986. The Chernobyl
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USNRC (United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission). 1987. Report on the Accident at the
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Dinges DF, Graeber RC, Carskadon MA, Czeisler CA, Dement WC. 1989. Attending to
inattention. Science 245(4916):342.
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