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Jessica Ott

Professor Stanard

ENG 1201

25 July 2021

How is a Person's Sleep Affected and How Does Sleep Affect a Person's Overall Health?

Sleep is crucial when it comes to a person’s everyday life. The quality and quantity of

sleep that a person receives varies from person to person. There are many factors that can affect a

person’s sleep, which is why it is important to understand what these factors may be and how to

avoid them. Understanding how a lack of sleep can affect a person’s mind and body will allow

people to acknowledge just how important sleep is for their overall health. It is often common

knowledge that sleep plays a big part in a human's functioning, but still, the importance of sleep

is sometimes overlooked. Everyone should be aware of how stress from daily life is one of the

main causes for a lack of sleep because it leads to negative mental and physical health outcomes.

Some recurring factors, found from the sources, that affect a person’s quality and

quantity of sleep include college, unexpected life events, and smartphone dependence. All these

factors have one thing in common, which is that they can all lead to stress. This stress is what

often leads to a lack of sleep and is why sleep is one of the main causes of a lack of sleep. The

article, “The Effect of Stress Perceived by Adults Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their

Sleep Quality” by Sebahat Baskan and Demet Gunes, informs the reader that there is a link

between poor sleep and high stress levels caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (Baskan 64). This
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information helps to support the claim that stress is one of the main causes of a lack of sleep

because it shows how COVID-19, an unexpected life event, has caused stress, which in turn has

affected people’s quality of sleep. All this information is credible because Baskan is a part of the

faculty of health sciences at Erzincan Binali Yildirim University.

Moving on, while Baskan and Gunes discuss how stress leads to poor sleep due to

unexpected life events, the article, "Relationship of sleep quality, smartphone dependence, and

health-related behaviors in female junior college students” by Po-Yu Wang discusses how a

person’s smartphone usage negatively impacts their sleep quality. This article informs the reader

that “...stress is a significant predictor of sleep quality and may lead to insufficient sleep” (Wang

4). The author further informs the readers in the article that they are able “...to infer that some of

the stress may derive from intrapersonal functioning and interpersonal support problems” (Wang

4). This information is important because people who spend too much time on their smartphones

are likely to lack interpersonal skills. This is one way that a dependence to smartphones leads to

stress. The factor of over usage of one’s smartphone causes stress, which causes poor sleep

quality, which in turn leads to a lack of sleep.

Lastly, the article, “Causes and Consequences of Sleepiness among College Students” by

Shelley Hershner and Ronald Chervin discusses how many college students suffer from sleep

deprivation. The article informs the reader that there are multiple factors that contribute to

college students suffering from a lack of sleep. Some of these factors include class times, use of

technology, and use of substances (Hershner 76). As mentioned above with the unexpected life

events and the smartphone dependence, these factors that college students face can lead to stress,

which leads to a lack of sleep. This information helps to show another way in which stress leads

to a lack of sleep, making stress the main cause of a lack of sleep.

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Overall, all three sources use credible evidence and are reliable. The articles by Baskan

and Wang come from the Sinclair database and are peer reviewed. The article by Hershner

comes from the Sinclair database, which is a credible website that provides information on the

authors and provides references. Furthermore, their purposes for conducting research are all

similar because they are informing people on what factors that cause stress, that then lead to a

lack of sleep. Overall, it is important to realize that there are many factors that can cause stress

that affect a person’s quality and quantity of sleep and there have been numerous studies done on

these factors.

Moving on, a lack of sleep can have direct effects on a person’s overall health. When it

comes to a person’s mental health some common and recurring effects, found from reliable

sources, include a decrease in cognitive performance such as memory and decision making, an

increase in the likelihood of depression, and a decrease in mood. The book, Sleep Deprivation:

Global Prevalence, Dangers and Impacts on Cognitive Performance by Larry Williams, informs

the reader that after conducting their research they found that sleep’s effect on a person’s

cognitive function varies. This information means that the quality and quantity of sleep affects

each person differently. Williams informs the reader that it is always possible to see some sort of

significant changes in neurological responses (Williams 8). This is important information

because it shows that while results are not always the same, it is still clear that a lack of sleep

affects a person’s neurological response in some way.

After reviewing all this research, the reader can tell that the effect that sleep has on a

person’s neurological responses is negative. For example, William discusses how people who

have experienced sleep deprivation show a reduction in their accuracy of responses and show a

slower response time, when it comes to their working memory (Williams 7). Having a slower
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response time when it comes to a person’s working memory will directly have impacts on their

day-to-day activities. Overall, this information supports that a lack of sleep affects a person’s

mental health in a negative way and goes one step further by showing how a lack of sleep can

harm a person’s daily life.

There are multiple ways in which a lack of sleep affects a person’s cognitive functions. In

the above paragraphs Williams discusses how a lack of sleep can affect a person’s cognitive

performance, and more specifically their working memory. The article, “Effects of Sleep

Deprivation on Executive Functioning, Cognitive Abilities, Metacognitive Confidence, and

Decision Making” by Eugene Aidman discusses how a lack of sleep affects a person’s cognitive

performance, but more specifically their decision making. Aidman informs the reader in his

article that a person who lacks sleep is more likely to participate in reckless decision making,

when under boring circumstances (Aidman 10). This information provides just one way in which

a lack of sleep affects a person's decision making. Reckless decision making, in most cases, will

lead to poor outcomes.

Continuing with the previous topic of decision making, it is important to look at different

ways in which a lack of sleep can affect a person’s decision making. Still looking at how a lack

of sleep affects a person’s decision making in a negative way, the article, “Wakeup Call:

Reviewing the Effects of Sleep on Decision-Making in Athletes and Implications for Sports

Officials” by Michele Lastella discusses a different way that a lack of sleep affects a person’s

decision making. She informs the reader that underlying factors such as unexpected emotions

and stress are the factors that directly affect a person’s decision-making quality (Lastella 3). She

goes on to discuss how these “...cognitive factors of decision making are recognized as

significant indicators of an individual’s ability to respond to a situation…” because of “...their

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ability to utilize such mechanisms to deal with and influence decision making” (Lastella 3). This

information is important because it shows how a lack of sleep affects cognitive functions that

affect a person’s decision making.

As mentioned above, the article by Lastella provides a different view, compared to

Williams’s article, on how a lack of sleep affects a person’s decision making. Both are credible

sources because they can be found from the Sinclair library website, and they are peer reviewed.

The purposes of these two articles for conducting research are similar because they are both

informing the reader on how a lack of sleep affects a person’s decision making, just due to

different factors. Overall, it is important to obtain information from multiple reliable resources to

receive different perspectives on the topic of research.

Furthermore, the author Eugene Aidman discusses in his article how a lack of sleep does

not completely take away a person’s cognitive functions, instead a lack of sleep influences clear

levels of cognitive performances (Aidman 198). This information is important because it shows

that just because a person loses some sleep, does not mean that they will be unable to use their

cognitive functions entirely. Being aware that a lack of sleep does not completely shut down a

person’s cognitive functions is reassuring because a large group of people can confirm that they

have experienced a lack of sleep at some point in their lives.

Moving on, while Williams, Aidman, and Lastella focus their research on how a lack of

sleep can affect a person’s cognitive functions, Hershner focuses her research on how a lack of

sleep can lead to an increase in depressive symptoms. In her article, “Causes and consequences

of sleepiness among college students,” she informs the reader that “In a study of female college

students, sleep debt of 2 hours per night and/or a bedtime after 2 am was associated with greater
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depressive symptoms” (Hershner 79). Sleep debt is the gathered amount of sleep that a person

loses due to inadequate sleep, which in turn leads to negative health outcomes. This research,

provided by Hershner, does a good job at providing the reader with a statistic that supports the

statement that a lack of sleep can lead to more depressive symptoms.

Lastly, Hershner mentions in her research article that a lack of sleep can also lead to a

decreased overall mood. In her article, “Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college

students,” she informs the reader that “Increased total sleep-in teenagers has also been shown to

improve mood. When school start time was delayed by 30 minutes, fewer students rated

themselves as ‘at least somewhat unhappy or depressed’” (Hershner 80). This information shows

how even something as little as a person’s mood can be negatively affected by a lack of sleep.

Overall, a lack of sleep affects a person’s mental health in multiple ways.

Moving on, when it comes to a person’s physical health some common and recurring

effects, found from reliable sources that pass the CRAAP test, include an increased risk for

obesity, a decreased immune system, an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The article,

“Physical Health and Sleep: How Are They Connected?” by Danielle Pacheco informs the reader

that a lack of sleep can increase a person’s overall risk of diseases and health problems.

Furthermore, she informs her readers that a person has less time to recover at night when they

experience low-quality sleep (Pacheco). This information is important because when a person’s

body does not have time to recover overnight, due to poor sleep, then their body will be

susceptible to negative physical health outcomes. A good night's sleep is how people can ensure

that their body is ready for whatever the next day holds.
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One example of a negative effect of a lack of sleep is a decreased immune system. The

article, “Physical Health and Sleep: How Are They Connected?” by Danielle Pacheco discusses

why a person’s immune system performs worse. Pacheco states that “during sleep, there is a

peak in the number of certain T-cells, various cytokines, and other important components of your

immune system. Not getting enough sleep can affect how the immune system responds to viruses

and other infections” (Pacheco). Having a decreased immune system is a bad thing because when

a person’s immune system is weak, they possess a higher chance of developing infections and

illnesses more often. This information shows how a lack of sleep directly causes negative

physical health outcomes.

Another example of a negative effect of a lack of sleep is a person’s body's decrease in

insulin management. The article, “Physical Health and Sleep: How Are They Connected?” by

Danielle Pacheco discusses why this decrease in insulin management occurs within the human

body, following a lack of sleep. Pacheco informs the reader that “insulin is a natural bodily

hormone that regulates your glucose level. Sleep deprivation can affect how your body reacts to

insulin and cause your glucose level to rise, which in turn puts you at higher risk for developing

Type 2 diabetes” (Pacheco). This information shows how a lack of sleep can cause negative

physical health outcomes. Furthermore, dealing with these long-term health outcomes is taxing

and may end up costing money.

Moving on, another negative physical health outcome that is an effect of lack of sleep is

obesity. The article, “Lack of Sleep as a Contributor to Obesity in Adolescents: Impacts on

Eating and Activity Behaviors” by Jean-Philippe Chaput discusses how a lack of sleep can

directly contribute to obesity. She informs her readers that, “there is strong evidence

demonstrating that insufficient sleep leads to obesity and is associated with a long list of adverse
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health problems. Lack of sleep increases food intake and is associated with more screen time”

(Chaput 7). This information does a good job at providing another way in which a lack of sleep

can contribute to negative physical health outcomes. Furthermore, obesity can lead to other

serious health problems. Not only does this information from Chaput inform the reader on how a

lack of sleep can lead to obesity, but it also adds how insufficient sleep can cause many adverse

health problems.

Lastly, the article, “Interactive Effects of Sleep Duration and Morning/Evening

Preference on Cardiovascular Risk Factors'' by Freda Patterson informs the reader that

“inadequate sleep is a demonstrated risk factor for cardiovascular disease and a correlate of

cardiovascular risk behaviors” (Patterson 159). This information supports the fact that a lack of

sleep leads to negative physical health outcomes. The article also informs the reader that

“cardiovascular disease is one of the largest contributors to global mortality” (Patterson 155).

The fact that something as simple as sleep can lead to such a negative health outcome is why

people should take more care in their sleep. If more people were aware that a lack of sleep could

increase their likelihood of developing a cardiovascular disease, then they would try and cut out

the non-essential activities that lead to this lack of sleep. Overall, the increased risk for

cardiovascular disease is another example of the negative physical health outcomes that can

occur from sleep deprivation.

The information provided by Pacheco is reliable because she has a degree in psychology

at the University of British Columbia and she studied the science of sleep. The information

provided by Chaput and Patterson are reliable because they can be found on the Sinclair

database. These articles differ from the others because they focus on the effects a lack of sleep

has on a person’s physical health, unlike the articles by Aidman, Lastella, and Williams, who
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focused on a person’s mental health. Overall, it is important to look at both the physical and

mental health outcomes when it comes to sleep deprivation because this allows people to

understand the full picture.

The main misconception surrounding a lack of sleep is that a lack of sleep will cause little

to no damage to a person’s overall health. Furthermore, people do not realize how some of their

everyday routines are affecting their sleep. Some people may be able to function with little sleep,

but they may not be realizing how this lack of sleep is affecting their overall health. Another

misconception that surrounds sleep is that there are positive outcomes to a lack of sleep, and that

these positives outweigh the negatives. One positive example could be having more time to be

productive in a day. While having more time to be productive can be beneficial, this example is a

short-term benefit that is overshadowed by the long-term negatives. As mentioned above in the

counterargument, people should be aware of just how crucial a good night’s sleep is for their

overall health. Overall, there are not many misconceptions surrounding sleep, but there are still

some.

The main answer for ‘how is a person's sleep affected?’ is that it is affected by stress. The

main answer for ‘how a lack of sleep affects a person’s overall health’ is in negative mental and

physical outcomes. There is rarely, if ever, a time when a lack of sleep leads to positive health

outcomes. Overall, more research could be done when it comes to investigating just how stress

leads to these negative health outcomes for a person’s overall health. Further, it would be

interesting to see if there are any positive outcomes from a lack of sleep.

Some may argue that a lack of sleep can be good for a person. One article by Melisaa

Matthews, titled “Why Lack of Sleep Might Be Good and Bad for You” informs the reader that,
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“Insufficient sleep has been tied to depressive symptoms. But a new meta-analysis published in

the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry looking at that link found a surprising result: Sleep deprivation

may treat depression” (Matthews, 2021). While this information may bring up a new point on

how a lack of sleep could be positive, there are a couple of things to be wary of. First, the

website that this information came from may not be the most credible. While it is up to date, the

website has advertisements, and it is not peer reviewed. Furthermore, it is important to note that

there is more research on the negative effects of sleep deprivation, compared to positive effects,

so the bad outweighs the good. Overall, people could argue that a lack of sleep is good for

people, but from reliable research people can see that the negatives of a lack of sleep prevail the

positives.

Everyone from time-to-time experiences stress, which leads to a lack of sleep and

negative health outcomes. While some people need more sleep than others, a large lack of sleep

can be very harmful to the human body. Factors that can affect a person’s quality and quantity of

sleep include unexpected life events, college, and smartphone dependence. It is important to

notice that all these factors cause stress, which is why stress is one of the main causes for a lack

of sleep. It is beneficial to understand how a lack of sleep can negatively affect a person’s mind

and body. Some of the main negative effects that a lack of sleep has on a person’s body include

decreased cognitive functions, such as memory and decision making, an increased likelihood of

depression, a decreased mood, an increased likelihood of obesity, a decreased immune system,

and an increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease. When people are aware of these negative

effects, they are more likely to acknowledge just how important a good night’s sleep is. People

should evaluate their daily life habits and consider reducing non-essential stress. This reduction
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of stress in a person’s daily life will help to improve their overall sleep quality and their overall

health.
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Works Cited

Aidman, Eugene, et al. “Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Executive Functioning, Cognitive

Abilities, Metacognitive Confidence, and Decision Making.” Applied Cognitive

Psychology, vol . 33, no. 2, Jan. 2019, pp.188-200. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric7AN=EJ1262969&site=eds-live.

Baskan, Sebahat Atalikoglu, and Demet Gunes. “The Effect of Stress Perceived by Adults Due

to the COVID-19 Pandemic on Their Sleep Quality/Yetiskinlerin COVID-19 Pandemisi

Nedeni Ile Algiladiklari Stresin Uyku Kalitesine Etkisi.” Journal of Turkish Sleep

Medicine, vol. 8, no. 1, Mar. 2021, p. 57. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.4274/jtsm.galenos.2021.02996

Chaput, Jean-Philippe, and Caroline Dutil. “Lack of Sleep as a Contributor to Obesity in

Adolescents: Impacts on Eating and Activity Behaviors.” International Journal of

Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, vol. 13, Sept. 2016, pp. 1–9. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1186/s12966-016-0428-0.

Hershner, Shelley D, and Ronald D Chervin. “Causes and Consequences of Sleepiness among

College Students.” Nature and Science of Sleep, Dove Medical Press, 23 June 2014,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4075951/.

Lastella, Michele, et al. “Wakeup Call: Reviewing the Effects of Sleep on Decision-Making in

Athletes and Implications for Sports Officials.” Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science &

Medicine, vol. 9, no. 2, Sept. 2020, pp. 65–71. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=146576640&site=eds-live.
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Matthews, Melissa. “Is Lack of Sleep Bad for You? Science Can't Make up Its Mind.”

Newsweek, Newsweek, 26 Sept. 2017, www.newsweek.com/lack-sleep-risks-benefits-

dementia-depression-studies-670730.

Pacheco, Danielle. “Physical Health and Sleep: How Are They Connected?” Sleep Foundation,

OneCare Media, 24 June 2021, www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health.

Patterson, Freda, et al. “Interactive Effects of Sleep Duration and Morning/Evening Preference

on Cardiovascular Risk Factors.” European Journal of Public Health, vol. 28, no. 1, Feb.

2018, pp. 155–161. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckx029.

Wang, Po-Yu, et al. "Relationship of sleep quality, smartphone dependence, and health-related

behaviors in female junior college students." PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 4, 2019, p.

e0214769. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A581128092/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=bookmark-

OVIC&xid=6d2e928e. Accessed 6 July 2021.

Williams, Larry. Sleep Deprivation: Global Prevalence, Dangers and Impacts on Cognitive

Performance. Nova Science Publishers, Inc, 2017. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1453454&site=ehost-live.