According to survey data, around one-third of adults regularly sleep fewer than the recommended seven hours per night. It is a widespread public health issue, a problem that has only worsened in recent years.
Sleep deprivation can occur for various reasons, including illnesses, sleep disorders, the use of certain medications, working late, or staying up watching TV. Disruptions in the sleep environment like loud noises and bright lights can also reduce the quality of our sleep.
To avoid these problems, it’s important to prevent sleep deprivation or quickly work to address it. Understanding this condition, including its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment can put you in a better position to ensure that you’re getting the sleep you need.
To avoid these problems, it’s important to prevent sleep deprivation or quickly work to address it. Understanding this condition, including its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment can put you in a better position to ensure that you’re getting the sleep you need.
What Does Sleep
Deprived Mean & How to Overcome It
What exactly does it mean to be sleep deprived? And what are the effects of it, rather than just one sleepless night spent tossing and turning?We’re all aware of just how crucial a good
night’s sleep is in order to function properly throughout the day. A bad night’s sleep
can leave us feeling unrefreshed, drowsy, irritable, and unable to focus. Over the long-term, chronic sleep deprivation can harm learning and memory as well as heightening the risk of both mental and physical health problems like high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Only 5% of people said they always wake up feeling refreshed, a 38% decrease since 2016 - 2022 UK Sleep Survey
So, how do we know we are not getting enough
sleep and what can we do to overcome sleep deprivation?
What is sleep
deprivation?
The term sleep deprivation refers to the state of getting less than the needed amount of sleep, which, for adults, ranges from seven to nine hours of sleep per night. It can be categorized in different ways depending on a person’s circumstances:
Acute sleep deprivation refers to a short period, usually a few days or less, when a person has a significant reduction in their sleep time.
Chronic sleep deprivation, also known as insufficient sleep syndrome, is defined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as reduced sleep that persists for three months or longer.
Chronic sleep deficiency or insufficient sleep can describe ongoing sleep deprivation as well as poor sleep that occurs because of sleep fragmentation or other disruptions.
What causes sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation can be caused by multiple factors including poor sleep hygiene, lifestyle choices, work obligations, sleep disorders, and other medical conditions.
However, it is often driven by voluntary choices that reduce available sleep time. For example, you might decide to stay up late to binge-watch a TV series and this may result in acute sleep deprivation. An inconsistent sleep schedule may facilitate these decisions and make them feel less intentional in the moment.
Work obligations are another very common contributor to sleep deprivation. People who work multiple jobs or extended hours may not have enough time for sufficient sleep. Shift workers in particular who have to work through the night may also find it hard to get the amount of sleep that they really need.
Sleep deficiency may be caused by other sleep disorders or medical conditions. For example, sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that induces dozens of nightly awakenings, may hinder both sleep duration and quality. Other medical or mental health problems, such as pain or general anxiety disorder, can interfere with the quality and quantity of sleep.
What are the symptoms of sleep deprivation?
The primary signs and symptoms of sleep deprivation include excessive daytime sleepiness and daytime impairment such as reduced concentration, slower thinking, and mood changes.
Feeling extremely tired during the day is a major sign of sleep deprivation. People with excessive daytime sleepiness may feel drowsy and have a hard time staying awake even when they need to. In some cases, this results in microsleeps in which a person dozes off for a matter of seconds.
Insufficient sleep can directly affect how a person feels during their waking hours. Examples of these symptoms include:
Slowed thinking
Reduced attention span
Worsened memory
Poor or risky decision-making
Lack of energy
Mood changes including feelings of stress, anxiety, or irritability
A person’s symptoms can depend on the extent of their sleep deprivation and whether it is acute or chronic. Stimulants like caffeine can also mask the symptoms of sleep deprivation, so it’s important to note how you feel on and off these substances.
What are the consequences of sleep deprivation?
The effects of sleep deprivation can be serious and far-reaching.
Acute sleep deprivation raises the risk of unintentional errors and accidents. Drowsy driving, which involves slowed reaction time and the risk of microsleeps, can be life-threatening. People who are sleep deprived are more likely to struggle in school and work settings or to experience mood changes that may affect personal relationships.
Chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to a wide range of health problems. Sleep plays a fundamental role in the effective functioning of nearly all systems of the body, so a persistent lack of sleep creates significant risks to physical and mental health:
Cardiovascular disease: Studies have found strong associations between sleep deficiency and cardiovascular problems including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Diabetes: Insufficient sleep appears to affect the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, increasing the risk of metabolic conditions like diabetes.
Obesity: Research has found that people tend to consume more calories and carbohydrates when they don’t get enough sleep hence those that have poor sleep often struggle with maintaining a healthy weight.
Immunodeficiency: Sleep deficiency has been shown to lead to worsened immune function, including a poorer response to vaccines.
Hormonal abnormalities: Sleep helps the body properly produce and regulate levels of various hormones, potentially increasing susceptibility to hormonal problems in people with sleep deprivation.
Pain: Sleep-deprived people are at a higher risk of developing pain or feeling that their pain is getting worse. Pain may cause further sleep interruptions, creating a negative cycle of worsening pain and sleep.
Mental health disorders: Sleep and mental health are closely intertwined, and poor sleep has strong associations with conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
Given these diverse and important impacts of sleep deprivation, it comes as no surprise that studies have found insufficient sleep to be tied with a greater overall risk of death as well as a lower quality of life.
Treatment and Prevention of Sleep Deprivation
If you have ongoing or worsening problems with insufficient sleep or daytime sleepiness, working with your doctor or a sleep coach will be a good first step to getting relief. They can assess your situation and recommend treatment that best suits your needs.
In most cases, a focus on sleep hygiene — your sleep environment and daily habits — is a central component of preventing and treating sleep deprivation. I have written another blog post that outlines some key sleep hygiene improvements for those who get insufficient sleep.
Address Sleep Deprivation, Don’t Cope With It.
I hope you have found this post useful; I'm interested to know if you are getting enough sleep so let me know in the comments!
Stay happy and healthy, sleep well!
With love,
*Medical Disclaimer: The following content should not be used as medical advice or as a recommendation for any specific supplement or medication. It is important to consult your health care provider prior to starting a new medication or altering your current dosage.
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