PSY 1010

Putnam
Jack Stout
11/9/2016
Sleep Deprivation and Mental Health
In your mind, what are the most important things to do in order to maintain good health?
For many, the answer is simple. We need food, water, and shelter. However, due to years of
scientific study on the human body; it has become very clear that our bodies need more than just
the big three. Discoveries have been made about how the lack of companionship can affect
ones health. Other discoveries have been made about how much good exercise does for the
body. However, there is one thing that each of us can do to maintain not only physical strength,
but mental strength as well sleep! Recent studies have shown that the average American adult
only gets 6.8 hours of sleep each night. After reading more about this, it sparked a question in my
mind: How does this lack of sleep effect our brain?
To understand more about the effects that sleep has on the brain, we must first understand
what sleep is. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines sleep as the natural periodic suspension
of consciousness during which the powers of the body are restored. Sleep occurs as part of the 24
our rhythm that our bodies fall into naturally. This rhythm, also known as the circadian rhythm,
is part of our natural schedule because it allows our body to achieve everything it needs to in
order to function properly. Other parts of the Circadian Rhythm are: The bodys chemical
production, blood pressure regulation, digestion, and temperature regulation. (Caldwell)
In a study about the circadian rhythm it was learned that people, even without a clock to
see what time it is, will generally follow the same schedule. (Psychology, 193) In cases when
subjects do not follow the same schedule, in almost every case, the subject would not have as
good of health as the subjects who followed a schedule. This can be seen as proof that humans

are habitual creatures, and that the natural cycle that our body wants to follow should take place.
In subjects that followed the same schedule it could also be possible that they were not only
healthier, but also lived a less-stressful lifestyle, had a higher sense of self-esteem, and also had
the capacity to make more money than others.
According to many studies, you need sleep just as much as you need to breathe. Sleep is
vital to our health both in the short-term and the long-term. We all know the feeling after a bad
nights sleep. We feel irritable, tired, depressed, and unable to focus. Many people think that this
is just the after effects of a bad night, however research has shown that this is your body telling
you that several things are going wrong. The inability to focus comes from a condition called
micro-sleep. Micro Sleep is defined as a short period in which there is a brief lapse of
consciousness due to the lack of sleep. (Flynn) You may feel depressed or irritable simply
because your batteries are not charged. You could think of your brain as a car battery. When it is
kept at a proper charge there are rarely problems, it starts the car, and performs all of the
functions necessary. However, when the battery is not charged fully, it will fail to start the car, or
will very sluggishly do so. Sleep is to our brains, as a charging station is to a battery.
Short-term effects from lack of sleep can seem hard enough, but the long-term effects of
lack of sleep can be so hard on your body, they can at times even become fatal. Many people
suffer from conditions that make it hard for them to sleep. Some of these conditions include:
sleep apnea, delayed sleep phase disorder, jet lag (or time zone sleep disruption), advance sleep
phase disorder, narcolepsy, 24-hour sleep/wake syndrome, restless leg syndrome, sleepwalking,
or even high amounts of stress.
Prolonged inability to sleep can lead to several major mental illnesses including bipolar
disorder, high-level anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. People who have been sleep

deprived risk a higher chance of developing decreased cognitive ability over time. (Colten)
Although it has yet to be solidly proven, there is talk within the scientific community of
Alzheimers Disease being linked with sleep deprivation.
As I was seeking more information on the topic, I decided that hearing a first-hand
account from someone who has had prolonged sleep disorder would be a great way to learn more
about sleep deprivation and its effects on the brain. I decided to interview someone with severe
sleep apnea. This person, on average gets only 3.5 4 hours of sleep each night. I started by
asking her how she copes with her sleeping disorder, and things that she does differently because
she has sleep apnea. She started by saying that it is extremely hard, and that she feels tired nearly
every day. She explained how she feels by saying: Some days it gets easier, but there is always
this desire in the back of my mind to have a restful night of sleep. One night out of 100 I will
have a good night and get a couple more hours in than my usual. I can just never quite get
enough rest to have the energy that I want and need to have. I was astonished at her response,
and asked how the lack of sleep has affected her mentally over time. She explained that she feels
as though her short-term memory has suffered because of it. She also has a hard time
concentrating for long periods of time. Lastly she remarked that she gets overwhelmed and
moody quite easily because she cannot function as quickly as most people can.
Although this important aspect of good health can be looked over at times, I hope that
this will bring to light the importance of sleep. A higher level of awareness of the effects of sleep
on our mental capacities will help us to prioritize sleeping, and will help us to understand the
reasons that many feel the way they do. It is my hope that sleep research will continue to
progress so more people can understand their bodys needs. Research on sleep, and how to
overcome sleep related mental illnesses will result in a mentally healthier community.

References
Caldwell, J. P. (2003). Sleep: The complete guide to sleep disorders and a better night's sleep.
Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books (U.S.).
Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., Wegner, D. M., & Nock, M. K. (2014). Psychology (3rd ed., 193203). New York, NY: Worth , a Macmillan Higher Education Company.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary. (2004). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster.
Flynn, E. (2015). Life Without Insomnia: Identify The Root Cause And Cure Your Insomnia
Forever! Amazon Digital Services.
Colten, H. R., & Altevogt, B. M. (2006). Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: An unmet public
health problem. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine.