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[S551]Sleep Deprivation And Academic Performance

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Sleep deprivation is universal and extremely common in the western world. This problem affects millions of people all over the world due to the high paced and mechanical lifestyle, causing a lack of time to get the rest we need and want. It may also be caused due to some genuine disorders, either due to some psychological problems or maybe chronic insomnia. Most of us are not really taught how to get better sleep and rest better in our daily life. As a result the total cost in lost man hours, production and precious lives are so huge and often it defies human imagination.

Deprivation of sleep means an overall deficiency in the necessary amount of sleeping hours, that a person is supposed to have in a day. The problem may occur due to diurnal changes in the mind and body, or also due to extreme insomnia. It may also be artificial, being induced by another person or your own baby. Lack of sufficient sleep is considered very dangerous and very unhealthy and as such must not be tried by any person. However, in some clinical cases of psychology, it actually may help some patients with certain mental illness.

Sleep deprivation causes serious changes in body physiology and mental composure; lack of it may result in irritability, vision impairment, stuttering speech, momentary loss of reasoning, confusions, hallucination and nausea. A consistent lack of sleep may result in a condition known as fatal familial insomnia and chronic dementia, and also leads to people becoming overweight and obese, and such physical transformation will eventually lead to other medical risks and complicated problems.

Recent research shows that not getting enough rest has the same hazardous effects as being in a drunken state. Sleeping for less than 6 hours a night has been shown to affect your coordination, judgment, mental alertness and reaction and will also lead to muscular deficiencies, when the mind gradually looses its control over the muscle, which ultimately leads to Muscular-skeletal diseases. The average adult is said to need between 6-8 hours, 8 hours or more for college students and teens and this figure is even higher for young children and babies.

Sleeping disorders are very common in cases of college going young adults, when they try hard to stay wake during the night to study for their tests and examinations or when partying with their friends. A prolonged loss of sleep may result in daytime lethargy and laziness, which will eventually leads to poor academic or business and work performance as well as lack of social interest. Late night parties and bashes will cause a serious loss in the total budget, as many people invariably get drunk and loose sleep in the process.

Sleep is a precious and natural gift provided to maintain a clean and healthy body rhythm and accurate biological clock; an intrusion in such a natural rhythm is always undesirable and disadvantageous to our body and can lead to more serious problems and complications in the long run.

Do you wake up and still feel drowsy? If you are dealing with sleep deprivation, you are not alone. Almost 1/4 of America's adults, or 47 million adults, have some type of sleep deprivation. This condition can affect your emotional state, energy level, memory and mental abilities. As you may have noticed, this can eventually lead to depression, stress and irritability. There are other health implications that can afflict the body as a result of sleep deprivation. As the body is deprived of sleep, its ability to metabolize glucose declines, which leads to the early stages of diabetes. Furthermore, a even a healthy person will begin to show signs of premature aging.

Your sleep patterns can be interfered by the symptoms of sleep deprivation. As stress increases from lack of sleep, your ability to wind down and get adequate rest declines. As a person ages, they require less sleep. An infant, up to 24 months old requires 13 to 17 hours of sleep. But people who are 16 to 65 years old only need six to nine hours. These numbers can change from person to person though. Everyone is different and while some people may be just fine on three or four hours of sleep a night, others may need ten or even more.

Eight Steps to Improving Your Nights Sleep...

1. Start a Bedtime Pattern - Make some time to relax and unwind before bedtime. Make some type of a bedtime plan to prepare your mind and body for bed and create a break between the stresses of the day and your time of rest. Try some type of personal meditation, reading, aromatherapy or a warm bath.

2. Stay Away From Caffeine - Everybody knows that caffeine is stimulant. That is why people take it in the morning to wake up. What may not be so apparent is how long caffeine can stay in a persons system. It can actually remain in your system for up to fourteen hours. You could still be awake at midnight, from a cup of coffee at noon. Avoid caffeine at least five to seven hours before going to bed.

3. Stay Away From Alcohol and Nicotine - While alcohol may make you drowsy at first and thus make it easier to fall asleep, it can cause disturbances in your sleep, resulting in a less restful sleep. Interestingly, many people do not view nicotine as a stimulant. After all, a smoke before bedtime feels so relaxing, right? Similar to caffeine in the system, Nicotine can keep you awake and cause you to wake during the night.

4. Make Your Bedroom a Place for Sleep - Dim the lights, keep the room cool (but not cold) and turn down the noise. Creating an environment that is conducive to relaxation and sleeping can actually make a big difference.

5. Dont Watch TV in Bed - Having a TV in the bedroom is usually never a good idea, especially if you fall asleep with the television on. Even as you sleep you can hear what is happening on the TV and a part of your subconscious brain processes it, thus raising your internal stress levels and disrupting your sleep. When you watch TV in bed, you start associating the bed with non-sleep activities. Additionally, TV shows are based on conflict then resolution. Whether you realize it or not, this can be stressful to you on a subconscious level. Leaving the TV on while you sleep can also be detrimental to your getting adequate rest.

6. Exercise - Don't exercise during the hour before retiring to bed, but at least 15 minutes of daily exercise will help the body improve circulation and result in a healthier heart and better sleep.

7. Write Down Your Thoughts - If you have thoughts, worries, concerns, or goals to accomplish the next day...do not lie in bed thinking about them. Take a few minutes to write them out on a piece of paper, or maybe on a tablet that you keep next to your bed. That way, you can forget about those things until the next day.

8. Take a Daily Glyconutrient Supplement - Glyconutrition is the study of a special new class of vital carbohydrates that are treated differently in the body than the other 200 carbohydrates found in nature. Recent studies have shown that glyconutrients can help the body's cells to communicate better, giving your body the building blocks to do more cellular repair. When you are healthier, you naturally sleep better.

Learn how you can become an Energetic Early Riser!

Article Source : Pg. 7

Spencer Hunt - has sinced written about articles on various topics from . Spencer Hunt suffered from poor sleep, but after finally finding something that worked, he now helps others to enjoy an energy and immune system boost through scientifically validated glyconutrients. Free consultations:. Spencer Hunt -'s top article . to your Favourites.