Essay - Sleep Deprivation is Common Ailment in Modern Society and it...

Sleep deprivation is common ailment in modern society and it affects 47 million American adults, or almost a qu*****rter of the adult population. (Sleep Deprivation Symptoms) In essence sleep deprivation refers to an extended period of time in which the body and m*****d are deprived of normal sleep. The effects ***** symptoms ***** ***** ***** can range from memory loss to an impairment of physical *****d mental functioning. ***** ***** interfere with memory, energy levels, mental abilities, and emotional mood. This ailment is *****ten a product of our rushed ***** work --driven modern world. Besides the pace of modern life and work, *****re are a number of causes, including stress. Other ***** include health and mental problems as well ***** the imbibing of certain foodstuffs and caffeine. The central thesis of this paper is to show, through a study of the causes ***** ***** of sleep deprivation, how important normal sleep is for the healthily development and functioning of ***** human body and mind.

As mentioned, one of the central contemporary causes of sleep deprivation is stress in everyday life. This aspect may lead to states of tension that disturbs the normal sleep pattern. Field, McCabe, and Schneiderman in Stress and Coping describe.how sleep deprivation acts as a stressor

***** an individual is deprived of sleep for a period of time there are decrements in performance... ***** deprivation may be considered stressful because two control systems, one regulating sleep and one regulating forebrain arousal, are discordant, ***** the arousal system overrides ***** sleep ***** system. Thus, the behaviors that one engages in dur*****g sleep deprivation artificially sustain a high level of forebrain arousal to combat *****iness.

Field, *****, and Schneiderman 69)

***** above view therefore indicates how sleep deprivation disturbs the balance and functioning in the brain and thus ***** a ***** reaction.

However sleep deprivation itself has also been found to increase physical and ***** stress levels and can in fact exacerbate the stress in an *****. In this sense a cycle is cre*****ted where stress causes sleep loss *****ing ***** sleep deprivation, which in turn *****creases ***** stress in the body.

Ano*****r negative effect related to both stress and sleep deprivation ***** that it ***** "....lead to immune suppression." (Field, McCabe, and ***** 27) This means that the body is more vulnerable to diseases ***** virus attacks if deprived of sleep for long periods of time.

It has been found that ***** of sleep deprivation can have a pro***** ***** on the norm*****l ***** and functions of ***** body. For example, a study undert*****ken by the Chicago Medical Center in 1999 showed that ***** deprivation "... drastically affects the body's abil*****y to metabolize glucose, lead*****g ***** ***** that mimic early-stage diabetes." (Sleep Deprivation Symptoms) This effect on the normal functioning of ***** body can lead to reduced concentration and even to radical and uncharacteristic ***** swings. For instance The National ***** Foundation (NSF) has suggested that many social problems, such as road rage, may be caused, in part,