Consequences of Sleep Debt

Consequences of Sleep Debt

Society has slowly but surely succumbed to a dangerous trend known as sleep debt. Sleep debt is when a person does not get the recommended amount of sleep per night and those hours of missed sleep start to add up. Sleep debt can be reversible and is often avoidable if society is properly educated and teachings are implemented. Nonetheless, sleep debt if not addressed properly can lead to grievous and sometimes deadly consequences. Due to society's higher demand of attention and social interaction, sleep debt has become a silent and hazardous epidemic resulting in the false impression that sleep is not mandatory, parents and children are unable to recognize the signs of sleep debt and society is incapable of perceiving the detrimental risks and effects sleep debt causes.

Society has become extremely demanding, resulting in citizens giving up their personal necessities to meet their own and others responsibilities or expectations. Sleep is something one simply cannot give up, it is mandatory. Just like food and water, without sleep one cannot function properly or sometimes at all. Paul Martin, who has obtained a phD in behavioral biology from Cambridge University states, "Sleep is not a luxury but a basic component of a healthy lifestyle" (Martin 2002) Sleep is based off of Circadian Rhythms, which are everyone's personal biological clock that is based off of the twenty-four hour clock and lets one know when they are supposed to sleep and wake. When the Circadian Rhythms get off track it can be extremely dangerous and lead one's body to take over and force them to fall asleep or nod off regardless of their surroundings. Although ones Circadian Rhythms can be diverted off its regular schedule, it is not permanent and is often easy to revert back to its original schedule. Keeping a consistent nighttime routine can significantly help with sleep debt. Instead of involving in technology before bed, which can stimulate and energize the mind, implement reading a book or classical music in a cool, dark room that helps relax the mind and the body.

Sleep Debt is a big contributor to some of society's biggest accidents and deadly catastrophes. William Dement, who is a Professor and researcher at Stanford University and is also considered to be one of the founding fathers of sleep medicine has stated, "The direct cause of America's worst oil spill was the behavior of the third mate, who had slept only six hours in the previous forty-eight hours and was sleep deprived" (Dement 1999). If devastations such as the oil spill in Alaska can result from sleep debt, what other accidents are caused on a daily basis from sleep debt? Sleep affects every single part of one's life, from driving to school or work to taking tests and meeting deadlines. Sleep nonetheless can also intensify things like, alcohol, drugs and irrational emotions. Yes, it is ok to pull all-nighters every so often so it's possible to meet certain expectations and responsibilities but it is critical to make up for those all-nighters and missed