Sleep deprivation is defined as the condition of not having enough sleep. It’s pretty simple to understand: if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll be sleep deprived. But what are some of the consequences of being sleep deprived and how can a person enhance their quality of sleep to prevent sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in alertness and performance with only a lack of one and a half hours of sleep. This decreased alertness can impair your memory and cognitive abilities, which can heavily affect university students who are attending class when they’re sleep deprived. It can also create a poor quality of life. A sleep-deprived person may not be capable to participate in certain activities that involve sustained attention, such as reading their favorite book or going to the movies.
Being sleep deprived can potentially lead to a lot of health problems, including heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Losing sleep can also cause a person to gain weight because it not only stimulates appetite, but it also stimulates a craving for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods.
Another very negative consequence of sleep deprivation is an increased likelihood of automobile injury. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsy driving is the cause for at least 100,000 automobile accidents, 71,000 injuries, and 1,550 fatalities. Please don’t drive when you’re drowsy and sleep deprived, it’s very dangerous to yourself and the people around you as well.
So what causes sleep deprivation then? It can be caused by a number of things, such as using your smartphone at night, eating snacks before bed, sleeping in, your room being too hot or too cold, or even an unsupportive mattress.
Here are some simple ways to prevent sleep deprivation:
- Don’t use an electronic device 60-90 minutes before going to sleep
- Charge your smartphone in a room other than where you sleep, to prevent you from checking it while you’re falling asleep
- If you’re going to have a midnight snack, don’t have something with a lot of empty carbohydrates and instead have a healthy carbohydrate combined with protein (such as peanut butter on a cracker or a banana with some yogurt)
- Have a consistent bed time and wake time, to keep your body on a regular sleep-wake cycle
- Make sure your room is at a comfortable temperature before going to bed
- Avoid napping during the day, but if you do nap, don’t nap for more than 25 minutes at a time
- Don’t do heavy exercise late at night, as this will stimulate your body to stay awake (stick with working out in the morning or afternoon)
College students need as much sleep as they can get so they can be as attentive and alert as possible during their classes. So if you’re having issues with sleep deprivation, I highly recommend using some of these tactics to help you sleep better and get into a regular, healthy sleep schedule. It will be very beneficial to maintain a regular sleep schedule with the proper amount of sleep each night (at least 8 hours) to help you be successful at university.
Written by Shelby Rogers