Wednesday, April 14, 2010

A World without Sleep

Ever had trouble sleeping at night or staying asleep? Imagine not being able to sleep at all or very little each and every night. I have been learning a lot about sleep disorders and other disorders that cause insomnia and it is really interesting to know that almost everyone will have some type of insomnia in their lifetime. This can be caused by many several factors and can be associated with a great number of conditions that include diabetes, heart disease, obesity, as well as depression. Conversely, not getting enough sleep increases the risks of developing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

Sleep is an extremely crucial part of a healthy lifestyle, and without sleep, our brains would not be able to function properly. We need sleep for our bodies to stay healthy, both physically and mentally. Without sleep, many people can begin to develop blurred vision, dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, insanity, as well as memory loss. A person who is running on little sleep is almost as dangerous behind the wheel of an automobile as a person under the influence. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it is estimated that 100,000 car accidents occur each year as a result of a fatigued driver. Reaction times and performance rapidly decrease with a lack of sleep.

It is no wonder our country is low on sleep considering we depend highly on coffee consumption, spend hours a day on the computer, on the phone or watching television. Furthermore, we have become so dependent on copious amounts of drugs such as caffeine in order to function, but in reality it is just contributing to our problems. In sum, it is vital to get a good night’s sleep every night to maintain good health and reduce many consequences that people can face without sleep.

Posted by Amanda Makowski (2)

12 comments:

  1. Most of us are big in caffeine beverages that explains the insomnia, but these days life demand so much from us to the extent we need that boost from caffeine but it is unhealthy to over consume because it affects our health.

    Posted by Anna Moreno

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  2. I can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel when our society will become less stressed and more convenient. With new technology to help us manage our time, we find more work to do in the short amount of time it takes to do one task.
    It also seems like insomnia is a catalyst which can create multiple diseases. So if we suffer from insomnia, we are susceptible to several other diseases and since we can't just go to sleep we would have to depend on drugs? I wish there were more options.

    Posted by Vinh Tran

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  3. Many people don't seem to realize how vital a good nights sleep is. Some people think nothing of pulling an all nighter thinking they're doing themselves good when in reality they're doing themselves little help. I posted a blog a while back on the dangers of being sleep deprived. To summarize it quickly what essentially was discovered was that those who were insomniacs ended up having decreased brain density compared to regular sleepers. You're literally losing brain matter the less you sleep! Granted these affects are gradual and not sudden it's imperative that people start sleeping more, for their sakes and for others too.

    Posted by Charly Almonte

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  4. I have learned the hard way that trying to cram too much work into one day with only hurt you the next day. I would keep being more tired progressively each day. As a full time student with almost a full time job, my day is pretty packed. I used to think less sleep would help me finish but it only made me have less energy the next day. Now I make it a point to get enough sleep no matter what I have left to do. I can say I wasn't aware of all the health risks but I can totally see how less sleep can affect your help. Obviously if our bodies didn't need sleep we wouldn't naturally try to get sleep. I'm glad I'm more aware from this article and think that this information could help several family members would have noticed sleeping habits affecting their health negatively.
    -Valerie Silva-

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  5. This article really hit home for me, I often do not get enough sleep. For whatever the reason I am unable to get restful sleep, this condition of mine has progressed over the years getting worse every year. My own personal opinion on the majority is I feel people as to distracted by technology these days. In my opinion people can't let their mind rest, people seem to feel the need to be connected all the time. This is just opinion but that's how I feel.

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  6. I used to stay up late during freshman year but now I’m glad I get a decent night’s sleep. It really does have negative effects on health. The time you need to sleep nearly doubles every time you stay up all night. So it’s really counterproductive to stay awake like that, regardless of the health issues. I know a few people who have some insomnia and hopefully there will be more options in the future that work better than medication.

    Posted by Daniel Solomon

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  7. I like that many people can relate to this blog. It is a subject that affects so many people and I agree with what everyone has said. I hope people begin to realize the importance of sleep for a healthy body and mind. We not only become fatigued, but it also affects our brain functions. Pulling all nighters in order to study for exam is not beneficial. I have also been learning about the most effective ways to study, and all nighters are certainly not the way to go. Our body needs the sleep for the exam too!

    Posted by Amanda Makowski

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  8. Sleep is definitely very important and I think everyone should put a lot of effort into trying to get the right amount of sleep each night. I know for college students this can be hard and I wish I knew the best advice on how to do that but I don't even know myself. What i have found to work, though, is changing my values. Once I began to consciously value my health as much as i valued getting good grades, getting the right amount of sleep became easier to do. So maybe if more college students began valuing sleep more, then getting sleep can be easier for them too.

    Posted by Kayla Perry

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  9. Sleep is a very interesting topic. So much has been studied around sleep and its effects and it seems the more that is studied the more questions arise. The way society is structured, sleep has a very clear period in our daily schedule. Slight differences in your schedule result in different amounts of sleep per night. I feel as though every individual has different sleep requirements and that each person should find out what their personal requirement is.

    Pat Salome

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  10. Being on a college schedule makes learning about this research a little depressing. It is frustrating not being able to prioritize sleep, even though it is a integral part of any healthy lifestyle. It seems that insufficient sleep is ubiquitous currently. Though I would like to elaborate on this post, it is almost 1 a.m. and I really should go to bed.

    Posted by Matt Grazewski

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  11. Agreeing with Matt, sleep is very hard to come by in certain points in college students. I'd imagine that most desk jobs such as a paralegal/lawyer or some kind of desginer/architect do not get much sleep either. There are only so many hours in a day and I think as humans we feel we need to utilize those hours productively. At least being young, I know that if I sleep my full 8 hours I feel lost and feel as though I did nothing. Sleep is key, but I think as we get older and more in set with our lives we will get more of it!

    Posted by Amanda Hostetter

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  12. Life is always beautiful when you have good health.i have be in pain For almost 2 years had Hpv and I was lonely and sad luckily I was directed to a very kind and Great Dr Oyagu who helped me cure my Hpv and today I am free from Hpv and very healthy thank you so much Dr Oyagu Email him: oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com or whatsapp him via +2348101755322

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