Sleep deprivation | |
---|---|
Specialty | Sleep medicine |
Symptoms | Fatigue, eye bags, poor memory, irritable mood, weight gain |
Complications | Car and work accidents, weight gain, cardiovascular disease |
Causes | Insomnia, sleep apnea, stimulants (caffeine, amphetamine), voluntary imposition (school, work), mood disorders |
Treatment | Cognitive behavioral therapy, caffeine (to induce alertness), sleeping pills |
Sleep deprivation, also known as sleep insufficiency[2] or sleeplessness, is the condition of not having adequate duration and/or quality of sleep to support decent alertness, performance, and health. It can be either chronic or acute and may vary widely in severity. All known animals sleep or exhibit some form of sleep behavior, and the importance of sleep is self-evident for humans, as nearly a third of a person's life is spent sleeping.[2] Sleep deprivation is common as it affects about 1/3 of the population.[3]
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night, while children and teenagers require even more. For instance, healthy individuals with normal sleep, the appropriate sleep duration for school-aged children is between 9 and 11 hours.[4][5] Acute sleep deprivation is when a person sleeps less than usual or does not sleep at all for a short period of time, normally lasting one to two days, but tends to follow the sleepless pattern for longer with no outside factors in play. Chronic sleep deprivation is when a person routinely sleeps less than an optimal amount for optimal functioning. The amount of sleep needed can depend on sleep quality, age, pregnancy, and level of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is linked to various adverse health outcomes, including cognitive impairments, mood disturbances, and increased risk for chronic conditions. A meta-analysis published in Sleep Medicine Reviews indicates that individuals who experience chronic sleep deprivation are at a higher risk for developing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.[citation needed]
Insufficient sleep has been linked to weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, heart disease, and strokes.[6] Sleep deprivation can also lead to high anxiety, irritability, erratic behavior, poor cognitive functioning and performance, and psychotic episodes.[7] A chronic sleep-restricted state adversely affects the brain and cognitive function.[8] However, in a subset of cases, sleep deprivation can paradoxically lead to increased energy and alertness; although its long-term consequences have never been evaluated, sleep deprivation has even been used as a treatment for depression.[9][10]
To date, most sleep deprivation studies have focused on acute sleep deprivation, suggesting that acute sleep deprivation can cause significant damage to cognitive, emotional, and physical functions and brain mechanisms.[11] Few studies have compared the effects of acute total sleep deprivation and chronic partial sleep restriction.[8] A complete absence of sleep over a long period is not frequent in humans (unless they have fatal insomnia or specific issues caused by surgery); it appears that brief microsleeps cannot be avoided.[12] Long-term total sleep deprivation has caused death in lab animals.[13]
Last Reviewed: September 14, 2022. Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health.
Although both conditions [total and partial SD] induce several negative effects including impairments in cognitive performance, the underlying mechanisms seem to be somewhat different.