Attention Everyone: Sleep Deprivation is no joke!!!!!

Shyquinda Harrington

Professor Rebecca Hubbard

ENG 101

4 October 2013

Attention Everyone: Sleep Deprivation is no joke!!!!!!!

            Why are we not getting sleep? Why do we even need sleep? Statistics show that people in the 25-35 age range more likely will be more affected than any other age range when you don't get enough sleep. These two questions need to be answered so that it will be known that getting sleep plays an important role in our life and should be taken very serious. It needs to be relevant of why we cant sleep, why we need sleep, and what solutions can be taken into consideration to help sleep deprivation.

            A lot of controversy has gone on about sleep. Many want to know why they are incapable of sleeping like they should. Russel Foster, a circadian neuroscientist, said that the third of our life we spend getting sleep is just as important as the waking two-thirds. When we sleep, our brain processes the things we have learned. Circadian is the biological processes that occur regularly at about 24-hour interval. Humans have biological rhythms, or can be known as circadian rhythms are controlled by a biological clock. I recently found out that people with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep or awaken when it is needed. Foster also states that when we get less sleep, we get very tired. We start having poor memory and judgment. He mentioned that sustained stress along with lack of sleep results in suppressed immunity. This means people who are very tired are more likely to be exposed to infection and cancer. I think the main reason why we can not get sleep is because we are easily distracted. Being distracted by your electronics like your phone, t.v, or maybe a video game can cause sleep deprivation. Technology is another reason why we get distracted from our sleep. Watching t.v, keeping it on all night, and computers can disturb you getting good sleep. My last reason for why we cannot sleep is because we keep our lights on. We let our room light, computer light, t.v light, or any other light stay on which tricks our brain into thinking it is still daytime, so we end up staying awake.

            Furthermore, let’s switch gears to why it is essential to get sleep. Most people can go days without sleeping, with the impression that living the vamp life is prominent. It is fun and enjoyable for the moment, but when it starts messing with your health, that is when it becomes serious. I found six reasons why sleep is necessarally needed. First reason is for learning and memory. It has been known that sleeping after learning new things increase the chance of remembering what you have just studied. For example, studying some material for a test then sleeping will help you remember what you need to know for the test the next day. Weight can also be a reason why sleep is important. Not sleeping can cause weight gain because it will start changing our appetite. Sleep deprivation affects safety. You could possibly fall asleep on the road while driving because you feel so tired. Your mood will start to change. You could become impatient, hard to concentrate, or ill. Sleep disorders can cause hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and an irregular heart. Last but not least, sleep deprivation can lead to disease. Keeping up with sleep can help fight cancer, or it will start to cause problems with the immune function

            In addition to what causes sleep deprivation, there are however some solutions to help you get some sleep. Research shows that putting your entire work related things away an hour before bed will help. You put it away so that when you go to bed you will not be thinking about work. You could start dimming your lights a couple of hours before bed to avoid bright lights. Do not drink caffeinated beverages for six to nine hours before you go to sleep. You could also try keeping your cell phone out of the bedroom to prevent from being awakened by the ring from your phone. One other thing is to watch a little t.v or listen to music until you fall asleep. There are plenty of things to try when you are trying to get some sleep.

            To sum all of this up, sleep is a tremendous important factor in our life. Sleep plays a bigger role in our life than what most people think. You might not think getting enough sleep won’t affect you, but indeed it will change you in ways you cannot imagine. Nobody should enjoy being tired, exhausted, ill, or forgetful. So do yourself a favor and do all you can to prevent yourself from becoming deprived from sleep. Remember, “ Sleep is God. Go Worship. Amen to that.”- Jim Butcher.