Sleep Deprivation Essay, Research Paper

Sleep Deprivation

In today s busy lifestyle, the days are just not long enough to get everything done. Getting the correct amount of sleep is important to not only be healthy, but also to live safely, as may Americans may not know the severity of sleep deprivation. The human body requires sleep to regenerate, and a lack their of causes it to function abnormally. High school and college students generally need more sleep than adults, but on average sleep less than the 9 hours recommended. Time schedules and hectic life styles cause sleep deficiencies. What people may not know is how dangerous it can be to not get enough sleep. If you find yourself taping your eyelids open, and yawning all day, you may need to reschedule your time to get more sleep!

The exact cause of sleep is still unknown to scientists, however many theories on how and why we sleep are in circulation. For example, sleep could be away to sort thoughts and memories or to give our immune system a chance to catch up. In addition sleep could be a way to prevent the brain from overheating, build neurons and our body to manufacture proteins. Further more, scientists believe that sleep is a way to restock depleted glucose levels that the brain needs to function.

Most everyone has been caught a few times with bags under their eyes, but over time Americans have continued to push deprivation to the extreme. For example, students have more pressure on them to do well in school, as competition continues to rise for

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degrees ext. Staying up late to finish homework and study is common these days. In addition, hobbies and sports deprive young people the sleep they might need to become fully rested. Scholarships may be the only hope for some people to get an education past high school, and this demands early morning or late night practices and studying. Furthermore, social lives force most young adults to stay out late on weekends, and then sleep in Saturdays and Sunday mornings, throwing their sleeping patters off even more.

Whether you are aware of it or not, sleep deprivation is dangerous. In a survey across America, 62% of the population admitted to driving drowsy, and 27 % further admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel at least once in the past year. As it only takes a split second to cause an accident, being a victim to a sleepy driver would not be an enjoyable experience. Not to mention that sleep deprived people are moody, filled with malaise, have poor concentration, and are susceptible to illnesses. Research has also shown that a sleep deficiency not only has a negative impact on work output, but also takes away from peoples will to perform the task hand. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes annually (about 1.5% of all crashes) involve drowsiness or fatigue as a principal factor in the accident. It s unfortunate to loose 1,500 people in the U.S. alone to a situation that can be easily avoided with such a simple function as sleep (4% of all traffic crash fatalities are sleep related). At least 71,000 people are injured in fall-asleep crashes each year. The NHTSA estimates these crashes represent $12.5 billion each year. Furthermore, laws are being placed to prevent sleepy drivers from getting on the road. This is because deprivations mimics drunkenness, and slows down drivers reaction time to nothing in many cases. Although being ticketed for driving under an *exosted* state of mind would be a hassle and inconvenience, it would help to save lives.

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Good sleeping patterns not only promote a good health, but also prevent accidents from occurring. Sleeping properly and regularly, allows your brain to perform at maximum capacity. If at all possible scheduling time to get the most out of every day, including 8 to 9 hours of sleep is very important. If not for yourself, sleep properly to prevent the distress on others that may occur from an accident. You may not notice your mistake, but a death certificate leaves an erasable mark on families.