The Signs of Sleep Deprivation Articles | Sleep

By: J.Morgan

There can be serious consequences upon a person’s health and well being when they do not receive enough sleep.  When a person does not receive a good quantity of sleep every evening, their body suffers from sleep deprivation.  Many people are not aware of the fact that extreme sleep deprivation can in actual fact lead to death.  Sleep deprivation is not always voluntary.  There are those people that do not get a sufficient amount of sleep due to their busy lives.  However, there are those people that have a true sleep disorder that affects their ability to sleep at night.

It is easy to tell if you are not receiving enough sleep for correct health once you are aware of the signs to look out for when it comes to sleep deprivation.  Whilst certain signs are obvious, there are many that are not so obvious.  Some people could be suffering from sleep deprivation but not be aware of it.  Other times, people may think that their symptoms are attributed to another condition or situation, not realizing that it is in fact due to a lack of sleep.

Listed below are some clear signs of sleep deprivation:

Lack of concentration
Poor creativity
Feeling tired and sluggish
Being emotional
Being moody and irritable
Snapping at others because you are tired
Feeling depressed
Not wanting to do things that you once loved
Not enjoying being in the company of your friends
A slower reaction
Unexplainable aches and pains
Slurring your speech
Unexplained weight gain
Sleeping during the day
Oversleeping the alarm or regularly hitting the snooze button

Eight hours of sleep each night is generally the amount that most of us require.  However, a majority of adults only get six or less.  At times, the lack of sleep is due to a sleep disorder or situation that is out of your control.  However, a majority of the time, it is because we are so busy that we do not find the time for sleep.  Staying up late and attempting to squeeze in as many things as possible into our day is what many of us do, followed by an early start in the morning.  When doing this day after day, our bodies suffer.

Whilst many of us have demanding lives, such as juggling work and school, or work and a family, it is of great importance to ensure that we set enough time aside for sleep.  If sleep is not taken as a major priority, our lives and health can suffer greatly.