Cause & Effect

Causes and Consequences of Sleep Deprivation In most causes the average adult needs between seven to eight hours of sleep per night. People who are well rested feel alert and do not have the urge to take a nap.

What causes sleep deprivation? Excessive worry and depression is a main cause for sleep deprivation. Working at night or traveling between time zones also makes it very difficult to get in any kind of healthily sleep routine. A medical illness causing pain or difficulty breathing is a problem for many people.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a very good example of a sleep disorder. This is a very common disorder where there is obstruction of the nose and/or throat by enlarged tonsils. These obstructions cause pauses in breathing during sleep. The most obvious synmptoms include snoring, headaches in the morning and fatigue throughout the day. Obstructive sleep apnea, rarely but sometimes, can be the cause of heart failure and is said to be a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

Example of dark circles

Sleep Deprivation Much? Seacoast Harley, NH

Sleeping

What are the consequences of sleep deprivation? Hand-eye coordination is very often a result of sleep deprivation. People with these problems often produce less work, are less enthusiastic or motivated throughout the day. It is well known throughout the workplace lack of sleep is a major cause of work accidents. Exhaustion is also known to be a main factor in automobile accidents. If sleep deprivation becomes a chronic problem, it can cause difficulties with social relationships because of irritability. Lack of sleep can actually cause medical problems. It is said the early morning to afternoon is the time when people are the least alert. At these time is when more accidents due to lack of sleep are most likely to occur.

If a person shows signs or symptoms of a...