The Bad and the Ugly of Losing Sleep

Rebekah Anderson, Staff Writer

Sleep deprivation is the condition of not getting enough or little to no sleep. Falling asleep is possibly one of the easiest things some humans can do, but for others, it doesn’t come so simple. According to Brandon Gaille, 35% of U.S. adults are not getting the recommended seven hours of sleep each night.. The case of this condition has a number of symptoms and causes.

Losing sleep can be a serious thing, even though it doesn’t really seem like it at some points. There are a number of symptoms that lead to the loss of sleep, such as fatigue or weakness, moody, lack of concentration, abstraction or forgetfulness. This illness also has a number of causes. It can be due to stress-related things, depression, or sometimes hormonal issues. As students, it can also cause issues academically.

Hanna Mitchell shares, “It is an often thing for me to lose sleep, and it is really hard to follow up with a number of things because I fall behind with everything including stuff in and out of school.”

Sleep deprivation does affect one’s well being. The health effects include memory damage or loss. Not getting enough sleep can also prevents the body from strengthening the immune system. It will increase anxiety in people as well. It will also cause weight, heart and respiratory problems. What causes most students to have this condition is stress.  It will start show in school work, tests, homework, projects and self appearance. These students are also at a higher risk of getting sick as well. 12% of students who don’t get enough sleep every night end up falling asleep in class at least three times per month.

Sleep deprivation is a sickness that can normally affect any age, but it is mainly prone to affect teenagers and most young adults. Most things to prevent is by setting a daily sleep schedule which means trying to go to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning. Another helpful thing to do is to try not to watch TV or be on an electronic device right before bed. This will cause stimulation in the brain which will lead to headaches and the loss of sleep. It is also a good idea to eat three hours before going to sleep. This is because most of that food will become added fat and being stored as extra weight. It will tell your brain that it needs to stay awake and focus on getting rid of it which leads us to not falling asleep peacefully.

Sleep deprivation cannot be cured with medicine, but there are specialists out there who can help people who suffer from this illness. It could be helpful if you feel like you suffer some of the side effects.

As Mesut Barazany once said; “Your future depends on your dreams, so go to sleep!”