Impact of sleep deprivation on physical and psychological health

Introduction

Sleep is essential for humans, but the functions of sleep are unclear. Past hypotheses have suggested that an important function of sleep is to reduce metabolic rate and conserve energy (Caron, pp. 1226-1235). During sleep, however, metabolic rate in the brain varies by sleep stages; it has been observed that most regions of the brain are less active during slow-wave sleep but some regions are more active during rapid-eye movement sleep (CDC, 2009). Rather than simply being a time of rest for the body and brain, it is widely accepted that, during sleep, essential neuronal activities take place such as memory consolidation (Patel, pp. 1077- 1078).Sleep is associated with increased secretion of growth hormone and sleep deprivation impairs normal immune activity as well as carbohydrate metabolism and endocrine function. Although maintaining adequate sleep is considered crucial for health, the required amount of essential sleep or “core” sleep is not clear and scientific debate is ongoing. Core (or basal) sleep is generally believed to be about eight hours, but this may vary greatly between individuals.

Observational studies have indicated that maintaining 7 - 8 hours of sleep is associated with the best health outcomes, while sleeping less or more is associated with poorer health status and increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Sleep duration is also associated with a large number of social, economic and lifestyle factors that influence health and risk of morbidity and mortality, while stress, depression and poor physical health status impair sleep quality and sleep duration (Ferrara, pp. 155-179). Given that the brain is to perform certain tasks (i.e. memory consolidation) during sleep, then variations in processing efficiency may affect the quantity of sleep required for different individuals (i.e. individuals with higher efficiency of neuronal sleep tasks may require less sleep). Efficiency itself may be influenced by metabolic rate in the brain, and even possibly related to global metabolic rate and energy expenditure. Moreover, sleep duration, energy intake, metabolic rate and energy expenditure interact with psychological distress, health status, physical activity levels and body mass.

Discussion

Consistent with examination led by National health Interview Survey (Nhis), there were an aggregate 187,091 grown-up records from the seven waves of Nhis. Data on rest span, health status or Kessler 6 score was not accessible for in the ballpark of 3% of members and they were in this manner barred, leaving what added up to 181, 261 member records for dissection. Dispersion of rest length of time by health status and age aggregation is indicated in Figure 1. For all health status bunches, the most ordinarily reported rest term was 7-8 hours; there was in any case, significant variety. Over all age gathers, members with reasonable or weakness were more improbable than those reporting fabulous, extremely exceptional or great health to rest 7-8 hours. Moreover, members in reasonable or weakness were more normally spoke to around those dozing less than 6 hours and those resting 9 hours or more.

Alternately, those in fantastic or extremely exceptional health all the more normally dozed 7-8 hours than those in great, reasonable or weakness. Comparable examples were ob- served for rest length of time by mental misery. Members with high genuine mental misery scores reported resting 7-8 hours less regularly than those in low or direct mental trouble and were additionally destined to rest for less than 6 hours or 9 or more hours ...