Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): Sleep Deprivation

Gabriela Nicotra (FGCU Intro to Soci.): Sleep Deprivation

       Most people find it a struggle or great effort to wake up in the morning. They may also even wish that they could have gotten at least two more extra hours of sleep. Most Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, or not getting enough hours of sleep.  It is can also cause psychiatric or physical symptoms, and may even possibly have an effect on every day rituals or routines (Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, 2006). There are many different types of sleep disorders. Sleep disorders can cause many different symptoms including feeling irritable throughout the day, having problems staying awake, having issues concentrating, having a slow reaction, feeling like taking a nap almost everyday, falling asleep or feeling very tired while driving, having emotional outbursts, or even using caffeinated drinks, such as coffee, to keep yourself awake. Above all, teens probably suffer the most by not getting enough hours of sleep each night. Teenagers today are always on the go either working a job or two, playing a sport, doing extracurricular activities, or on top of all that dealing with their school work. As a former teenager, a normal day usually starts around 6 am and tends to usually end around anywhere between 11pm-12am each night. Constantly being busy and always on the go usually ends up with a lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation. This can also lead to resulting in many possible disorders, which may even possibly affect sleep results.

       One type of sleep disorder includes sleep apnea. It is a known to be a type of state when inhalation discontinues or stops for more than a good ten seconds throughout your sleeping period (Robinson, R. & Frey, R. J., 2006).  Sleep apnea can also be a key cause of being very sleepy during the daytime. It can also even cause many severe harmful effects on a person. There are two forms of this. One form is called obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. This is usually when breathing will stop because due to tissue which is located in the esophagus, resulting in closing or blocking off the air passage. A second type of this disorder includes central sleep apnea, or CSA. In CSA, the center of the brain is in charge for respiration and also to let it send some communication to the different muscles, such as those for inhalation. Also, OSA is very more common than CSA. (Robinson, R. & Frey, R. J., 2006).

    Another sleep disorder includes insomnia, which is known as the incapability to attain a sufficient quantity or value of sleep (
Barstow, D. G., 2006).  Most people with this sleep disorder usually do not feel rejuvenated when they awake. Many people who contain insomnia usually do not feel good when they wake up, and do not start off their day feeling revived. If anything, most people are usually feeling tired. Other effects of this disorder include the inability or difficulty in being able to fall asleep. Also, tossing and turning in bed for long periods of time can take place (
Barstow, D. G., 2006). In addition, it is also more commonly found in elderly people and even females. About 1 to 3 people in the
US experience habitual complexity in being able to fall asleep. Nervousness and anxiety disorders, along with being depressed are also some exceptionally downbeat symptoms (Kindersley, 2004).

       Furthermore, narcolepsy is another sleep disorder which can tend to cause unexpected times of deep sleep. These occurrences can usually happen at very unsuitable times, as well as when a person can be driving, eating, or even talking. Also, narcolepsy typically appears to effect people among the ages 15 and 30, yet this stipulation can also show up either later in life, or even earlier. From the instant these symptoms occur, the disorder is there for life. Narcolepsy affects at least 120,000 people in the
United States (Narcolepsy Disease/Disorder overview, 2007). People who have this disorder usually don’t need more hours or time of sleep; but instead, they tend to need daytime naps because they have a hard time staying awake for elongated periods of time.

       With this in mind, another type of disorder called the restless legs syndrome, or RLS, is an additional one which is associated with movement, feeling, and even sensation. Inhabitants with this condition usually enclose a very distasteful feeling of consciousness in each leg right after they lie down to go to bed. Also, most populace have a tough push to budge their legs or even their arms, which sometimes may even help them feel recovered. However, all this movement makes it more difficult or even impracticable to be able to get to sleep.

      Anonymous , (2008, October 17). Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Retrieved

            November 16, 2008, from eLibrary Web site:           

http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculum/do/document?set=search&urn=urn:bigchalk:US;BCLib;document;158171514

Barstow, D. G. (2006). Insomnia. In The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Vol. 3.          (3^rd ed., pp. 2032-2034)
Detroit: Gale Retrieved November 16, 2008, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=boca72467

Farrington, Jan (2003, November 1). Why teens need more sleep. Retrieved

November 16, 2008, from eLibrary Web site: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculum/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=23&edition=&ts=1B385A65E22C14A5799332C6804208B3_1226892358133&start=1&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B88114458

Kindersley , Dorling (2004, November 1). Insomnia. Retrieved November 16,

2008, from eLibrary Web site: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/curriculum/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=3&edition=&ts=31A9372579949F83F56B9D3A194D4BF3_1226899255950&start=1&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B127038371

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