Sleep Deprivation-Goforth

Search this site

The Research Paper

Sleep Deprivation

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

By Alexandra Goforth
In completion of the requirements of

English II Honors

November 3, 2013

Formal Research Proposal

The research being conducted is the evaluative impact of the effects of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is “a
form of psychological torture inflicted by depriving the victim of sleep”. Over 70 million citizens in America alon
e suffer in some form or another sleep deprivation. In todays modern society, the population is greatly affected b
y not getting enough rest each night. The combined effects of consistent deprivation of sleep over time can be a l
eading factor of brain deterioration. Continuous lack of sleep can lead to death. “ As a person loses more sleep or
continues to receive less-than-adequate amounts of sleep the neurons become even more taxed and the I-functio
n may begin to generate even less coherent images possibly resulting in temporary insanity.” Memory loss, weig
ht fluctuations, sleep paralysis, weakened immune system, and high blood pressure are some of the smallest effe
cts of not getting enough sleep.

The topic of sleep deprivation was chosen because of the constant struggle people all over the world, especially
Americans have. As stated previously, over 70 million Americans suffer from sleep deprivation, the degree varyin
g. One would think, “How can a society function to its full potential when so many residents have not slept eno
ugh to recharge?”. The answer is that a society cannot. Interestingly enough, sleep deprivation affects largely the
new generation we are teaching to greaten the world: students. Studies have shown not even half of students to
day get enough sleep, which can greatly affect their learning and thinking abilities.

The topic chosen was limited down from the broad range of subtopics to the many health effects it can have. Sle
ep deprivation is a large topic, and many forms of research have branched from it. To decide how the research w
ould proceed, many topics were searched through, and eventually most were eliminated. The researcher tried to
single the subject down to the most impactful of this generation. It was decided that because so many people su
ffer from being sleep deprived, it was most fitting since so many could relate to it.

The research will be accomplished by searching through all resources available. This may include reading intern
et articles, journals, or web pages. This could also include watching videos pertaining sleep effects or listening t
o interviews. Reading segments of books which include anything revolving around sleep deprivation may help w
ith the researching process. The probability of finding someone who could be talked to about the subject could a
lso help majorly with the research being conducted.

The interviewing process will be a more strenuous task, but shall be accomplished. The conduction of the interv
iews will either be in verbal form or writing. This can include anything like emails, telephone calls, of face-to-fa
ce. The documents, if online, would be saved for later usage. If a personal interview were to happen, the use of a
recording device or camera would be used to further ensure the information would be securely saved. The interv
iew would be with someone who has experienced sleep deprivation and it's effects on them. They would answer
questions about how it personally affected them and if any damage remains.

The research and information gained from researching sleep deprivation will turn into knowledge. Knowledge h
oped to learn is how much sleep deprivation can an individual take before their bodies cannot handle it any mor
e? Can sleep deprivation "build up" over time or do the short term effects remain after the body has recuperated?
Out of all of the individuals in America, or the world, how many if these suffer from not getting enough sleep? C
an students be fully expected to function at school and retain knowledge when they can barely function correct
ly? Is there a certain age that sleep deprivation is more drawn to with its effects?

The mastery of researching and writing will be greatly developed during this project. Having to so fully research
a subject takes a lot of time, which creates a more informational atmosphere. All of the research gained will have
to be sort through and read, which will greatly heighten the organizational management needed. Also, because t
his is a formal topic paper, many forms of writing will be improved. This will cause more thinking and more use
of writing skills. The project will better prepare people for later in life when anything but formal prohibited. Th
is practice is something that will make a substantial difference in the growth of the writer.

Literature Review: Findings on the topic (Bibliography)

In the article ‘Chronic Sleep Deprivation May Harm Health’, Michael Breus discusses the importance of ge
tting enough rest each night to function properly the next day. Many short term consequences of sleep deprivat
ion have arisen in modern society, such as decreased alertness, performance, and loss of memory. However, man
y long term consequences include stroke, psychiatric issues (anxiety, depression), ADD, and heart attack. Breus
states that continuous lack of sleep can have effects worse than smoking, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Also stated, is that over 70 million Americans are affected by some form of sleep deprivation today. This proves t
hat sleep deprivation is a medical issue that cannot be taken lightly.(Breus, 2006)

In the article “Most High School Students Are Sleep Deprived”, Duval states that on average, only around e
ight percent of students in high school get enough rest each night. Ninety-two percent of high school students a
cross the country, even world, may be affected with symptoms such as daytime drowsiness, headaches, depressi
on, and poorer performance while at school. Duval also clarifies that ten percent of adolescents sleep only five ho
urs, and twenty-three percent sleep six hours. This can greatly impact all aspects of high school life and academi
cs. This supports that sleep deprivation is a large problem not for just one school, but the schools of the country
, even world. This not only impacts high schoolers, but most likely the statistics of college sleep rates are much
worse also.(Duval, 2010)

In the article, “Sleep Deprivation: 8 Scary Side Effects of Too Little Shut Eye”, Huffpost Healthy Living stres
ses the dramatic side effects of not getting enough sleep. There are the symptoms like grogginess, not being focu
sed, and sluggish, but also there are more symptoms not possible to be seen with the naked eye. Increases in stro
ke, weight gain, diabetes risks, and damaged bones are some of the effects. A person may quickly become overly-
emotional, hungry, and clumsy than usual. (Huffpost, 2013) This proves that the multiple effects of sleep depriv
ation are much more dangerous than people may think.

In the article "The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior by S.L it stated that many people think t
hey can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as needed, but this is not correct. The brain needs sleep t
o regenerate itself. Also it states that a symptom of prolonged sleep deprivation is hallucinations, which can lead
to temporary insanity. A persons immune system can be weakened and severely damaged from lack of sleep, wh
ich can intimately lead to death. White blood cells produced decreases, and so does growth hormones. Studies s
howed that people who received less than four hours of sleep per night were three times more likely to die in the
next six years. (S.L 2008) This further proves that not getting enough sleep can severely impact your life , and d
amage some of the most important organs in your body which can lead to death.

In the article, "Sleep Deprivation and teens: 'Walking zombies'", Strauss states that every high school stude
nt she encounters is a walking zombie. All of them have at least one hour less sleep than a person should, which
completely alters their awareness. A 2010 study in the journal Sleep found that teenagers who go to bed after mi
dnight are twenty-four percent more likely to suffer from depression and twenty percent more likely to consider
harming themselves than those who go to bed before ten at night. (Strauss, 2012.) this research will impact my p
aper because it proves that being sleep deprived is not something thats effects will fade, it can have a life hangin
g condition form.

This source was selected because it is a lot older than all of the other. Even in 1999, sleep deprivation and th
e effects it had on students was an issue becoming larger and larger. In the article "Adolescent Sleep", Stanford st
ates that children and adolescents needing more sleep is not a bad thing, it is just needed with their growing an
d changing hormones. However, the site also states that adolescents should have right at nine hours of sleep to f
unction properly. Also, teenagers need a healthy amount of sleep because it helps them control their stress and e
motions a lot better. Most adults think they get enough sleep, but an adolescent is considered to be anyone from
eleven to twenty-two. This article will help the impact of the research paper because it shows that more than te
n years ago sleep deprivation was still an issue at large.

In the PowerPoint article "Sleep Deprived Teens- A Growing Trend", Dahnt states that most adolescents do
not get enough sleep, and America has a similar correlation with Australia. Most adolescents are "evening types"
which means they stay up late on the week nights and even later on the weekends. This means they are consiste
ntly operating on not enough sleep during the week, and "catching up" on the weekends. This can alter the body
's natural sleep cycle, making it even harder to sleep during the weeknights. This can lead to Delayed Sleep Phas
e Disorder (DSPD) which is when an individual's internal clock cycle of sleep dies not correspond with their des
ired sleep and wake times. (Dahnt) This information can better the research being done because it yet again pro
ves that sleep deprivation can have major effects, especially in young adults.

In the article "The still of Sleep Loss in America", Herche says that over twenty percent of Americans get les
s than six hours if sleep. Many people and doctors alike blame this on the fact that there is always something to
distract people from sleeping. Things such as television, computers, and cell phones. Sleep disorders are severely
under-diagnosed and under-treated. This generation gets more than twenty percent less sleep than the generati
on before us. (Herche, 2011) This article can help people better understand not just sleep deprivation in one spec
ific location, but in all of America.

Interview

Sitting down with my mother seemed logical because our family has many people suffering from forms of slee
p deprivation. I asked how sleep deprivation made her feel. She responded with "it makes me feel like a walking
zombie. I've not been able to sleep for up to almost three days. I just feel foggy and fatigued and cant think right.
" I asked her the longest amount of time she has stayed up, to which she responded, "more than seventy-two hou
rs". She goes on to say "after staying up so long, you become so tired you can't sleep no matter what". I ask if she'
s done anything people have told her about that she can't remember doing. She laughingly responded with "I've r
andomly passed out from being so exhausted and drained with various sorts of food in my mouth. Ask your dad"
.

What is the impact of sleep deprivation in our world today

North Carolina

Sleep deprivation targets North Carolina. Over thirty percent of people in the Charlotte area stated in a surv
ey that they had insufficient sleep over the last fourteen days.This directly corresponds to the fact that sleep dep
rivation always targets more people than someone would think. It goes on to show that in North Carolina alone
, almost thirty-five percent of all it's residents are in some form sleep deprived. North Carolina is one of the most
affected stars in the entire country, but not as bad as others. It was proven that in North Carolina, more women
than men were sleep deprived, by about four percent. The most common age if people not getting enough sleep
was the ages of people between twenty-five and thirty-four. This percentage was about thirty-five point eight. T
he race with the lowest percentage was Hispanic, and the race with highest percentage was Native American. S
omething interesting to me was their employment status results. The highest percentage by far was those peopl
e unable to work, which was fifty-one percent. Then the unemployed came next. Most of them were unmarried.
Also, more of the people surveyed who had sleep deprivation also had children. People's health had an effect, an
d most people suffering were underweight in North Carolina.

The World at Large

Sleep deprivation not only effects one particular ace, it effects the entire world. The numbers if sleep deprived p
eople have been steadily increasing over the years. In just America alone, over thirty percent of people are sufferi
ng from some form of sleep deprivation. The effects can be disastrous to ones work and academics. A recent surv
ey in Africa and Asia shows that they are in a "global sleepless epidemic". This is because the numbers have neve
r been higher, and continue to increase. Sleep deprived people in developing world are a lot higher than the aver
age person would suspect, their number are surprisingly high. Over one hundred and fifty million people in dev
eloping worlds have a form of a sleep disorder. In Vietnam, women have a percentage of thirty-seven point six, a
nd men twenty-eight point five. Women seem to consistently have slightly higher percentages than men. The le
vels of sleep deprived individuals are sky rocketing, and so is the rate if diabetes and obesity. These two directly
correspond with each other. The obesity rate is supposed to rise overfifty percent by the year 2030, and sleep de
privation can only add to that number.

Implications of Sleep Deprivation on the Future

The United States

Sleep deprivation over the years has only gotten worse. With the percentages being so high already, the nu
mber can only grow from here. People all over country have reported in surveys that they have noticed the side e
ffects of not getting enough sleep shown in their job or at school. If this movement of sleep loss does not stop, th
e effects it will have on peoples mind will be tremendous. Hormonal imbalance, diabetes, obesity, higher chance
of heart disease, and memory loss are just some of the effects sleep deprivation can have on someone's body, and
this is fairly short term. Some if the log term effects can include heart attack, depression, hallucinations, and dea
th. With risks as serious as these, why people have not decided to sleep more is not clear. Most people think tha
t they can function properly without the correct number of hours slept, but this is not correct. No one can healt
hily function to their full capability without sleep. In the future, these effects can only become more devastating
to the mind and body.

Adolescents

More than seventy percent of teenagers do not get right hours if sleep, which is the amount doctors say they s
hould. Thirty percent of teenagers are functioning regularly. The odds this number increasing in the near future
is very slim. During the adolescence period of life, the brain is still very much developing. The lack of sleep can g
reatly affect their brains and can alter the pattern if development, leading to issues suck as anxiety, depression, a
nd even schizophrenia. Studies have shown that most adolescents have trouble falling asleep before eleven at ni
ght, yet have to get up usually well before seven in the morning, which would be eight hours. This makes it almo
st impossible for teenagers to ever receive the correct amount of sleep needed to rejuvenate themselves for the n
ext day of work. This deprivation only adds on to the next day, and the next leading to the weekend. Teenagers
usually sleep in on the weekends, which is the body's natural way if trying to catch up on all the hours during th
e week it lost. While being an adolescent, homework, jobs, and other activities away from home. Other distracti
ons also include electronics, which affect adolescents more than anyone.

Academics

It comes as no shock that students who get more sleep at night tend to do much better than their sleep depr
ived peers. This is because only students who had a full nights rest can operate fully. Others who did not get eno
ugh sleep, cannot function properly. This includes extra drowsiness, lack of focus, and memory loss. While learn
ing a new subject in school, they are much more likely to forget more quickly, or not be able to learn it in the firs
t place because they have no focusing ability. Any prolonged state of sleep deprivation will automatically cut do
wn your ability to concentrate, which is not good when trying to learn in an academic environment. The most c
ommon place for sleep deprivation to be at its worst is while the student is in college. While in high school, mos
t likely they had a curfew or set time to be in bed. When the student enters college, the feeling of independence
overcomes them and they realize that they can go to sleep as early, or late, as they would like. Most choose to go
to bed later, and then the deprivation begins. Also while in college, other factors can and most likely will contri
bute to lack of sleeps These include but are not limited to technology, cram sessions, and partying. This creates a
n environment which almost never allows the student to ever get a good full nights rest. Because if this, we are b
ack to the fact that students who get enough sleep always do better than those who are lacking in the rest depar
tment.

Resources

Breus, Michael. Chronic Sleep Deprivation May Harm Health. March, 2006. November 11, 2013. Retrieved from

Duval, Sylviane. Most Teenagers Are Sleep Deprived. January 2010. November 11, 2013. Retrieved from

Huffpost Healthy Living. Sleep Deprivation: 8 Scary Side Effects of Too Little Shut Eye. March, 2013. November
13, 2013. retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/scary-sleep-deprivation-effects_n_2807026.
html

S.L. The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Health. January, 2008. November 12, 2013. Retrieved from htt
p://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1690

Strauss, Valerie. The Washington Port. Sleep Deprivation and teens: 'Walking zombies'. March, 2012. Novembe
r 18, 2013. Retrieved from m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/sleep-deprivation-and-teens-walkin
g-zombies/2012/03/10/gIQAr0QP3R_blog.html

Unknown. Stanford.edu. Adolescent Sleep. Oct. 1999. November 15, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.e
du/~dement/adolescent.html

Dahnt, Hayley. Somnia. Sleep Deprived Teens- A Growing Trend. November 15,2013. Retrieved from http://ww
w.adelaide.edu.au/hda/news/T3_Dohnt.pdf

Lerche, Jeanie. Web MD. The Toll of Sleep Loss in America. November, 2011. November 15, 2013. Retrieved from
http://www.m.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/toll-of-sleep-loss-in-america?page=1

Interview: Donna Goforth. December 5, 2013

Comments

You do not have permission to add comments.

View as Desktop My Sites

Powered By Google Sites