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An Introduction to Sleep Deprivation | Facts about sleep | What is sleep deprivation? | What causes sleep deprivation? | Symptoms and effects of sleep deprivation | What to do if you have sleep deprivation
Due to the highly connected, fast-paced and digital world we live in today, sleeping less has unfortunately become a typical part of our lifestyle. While our sleep choices and patterns can fluctuate from day to day, an ongoing lack of sleep can result in a condition called sleep deprivation.
Consistent quality sleep is as important to our health as daily food, drink and exercise,
This page is designed to answer all of your questions about the why and how to get sufficient sleep, what sleep deprivation means for you, and what to do in order to restore balance to your sleeping habits.
Sleep is an important biological function that our bodies need every day for brain development, physical repair and recovery, cardiac function and metabolism maintenance, as well as recharging our energy levels to support daily activities such as performance, learning, and mood1.
Sleeping well is important for wellbeing and vitality, and offers us a range of benefits, including helping us to maintain a healthy weight, enhancing our mood and improving our general health.
Read more here: Sleep is important.
While people generally require around 7.5 hours of quality sleep a night, everyone’s sleep patterns are different.
There is little scientific evidence as to how many hours a person needs to survive on, or that a lack of sleep directly leads to death, however staying awake for long periods of time can lead to serious physical and mental stress that can put people more at risk of safety issues, such as falling asleep at the wheel or causing industrial accidents2.
For example, it has been found that people who drive after being awake for around 19 hours have shown the same impaired reaction times, coordination and judgement abilities as those with a blood-alcohol level of 0.053.
The record for the longest period without sleep is around 18 days, where they reported experiencing hallucinations, paranoia, blurred vision, slurred speech and memory and concentration lapses4.
Read more here: How to break a weak sleep cycle: flaws of week-day sleepiness
While there’s no definitive answer to how much sleep is enough, it’s recommended that the average Australian adult gets around 7 to 9 hours a night, with no less than 6 hours and no more than 10 hours5.
Read more here: What are the sleep requirements of Early Birds vs Night Owls?
Sleep deprivation is a general term used to describe the state caused by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep, whether this is done voluntarily by choosing to go to bed for a reduced number of hours, or due to medical sleep disorders such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Read more here: What is Sleep Apnea?
Generally, sleep deprivation has many physical and mental manifestations, including:
While having one or two of the above doesn’t necessarily mean you are sleep deprived, if you are experiencing a combination of these signs over a long period of time, it’s probably an indication that you have sleep deprivation.
Read more here: How does sleep deprivation affect our performance?
If you are constantly tired and experience sleepiness during the day, you might be suffering from a sleeping problem. Take our free sleep assessment to find out if you're at risk.
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There are a few common causes of sleep deprivation, which include the following:
Sleep deprivation is a serious concern because it can impact a person in many different ways, including the following:
Poor ongoing sleep can directly affect our normal neuron and brain functionality6 which impacts mental health.
This can lead to nightmares, depression, hallucination and unexpected behavioural changes4.
A lack of sleep can have a negative impact on the way we perform our daily tasks, including activities at work, our memory recall, driving and our ability to learn.
Read more here: How does sleep deprivation affect our performance?
Sleep deprivation can cause physiological symptoms, such as weight gain, headaches, reduced immunity levels and skin issues too7.
Read more here: How does sleep deprivation affect you?
As sleep deprivation is caused by a lack of sleep, the solution is not only to get more sleep- it’s also about restoring healthy habits, hygiene and cycles each night.
Here are some tips to help you to get back on track.
As you read above, poor sleeping habits can start with underestimating how important sleep is to our health and wellbeing. This means changing your perspective on sleep and making it a priority.
Alcohol, caffeine and certain medications just before bed can keep you awake for longer and reduce the quantity and quality of your sleep throughout the night.
When you head to bed, ensure that your room is ideal for sleeping. This includes no electronic devices, a comfortable temperature, a quality mattress, sufficient darkness and peace and quiet.
It’s important to take the time to wind down before you put your head on your pillow. This may include brief meditation, turning off devices and putting concerns like work and your to-do list out of your mind.
[1] Good sleep = good health. Government of South Australia- SA Health.
[2] New report shows inadequate sleep is costing the country $66.3 billion. News.com.au. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/new-report-shows-inadequate-sleep-is-costing-the-country-663-billion/news-story/811494f9623e2778dd74e1cf1c5ec15a
[3] Can you die from lack of sleep? – ABC Health and Wellbeing. http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2012/03/13/3451196.htm
[4] 40 Facts about sleep you probably didn’t know. ABC The National Sleep Research Project. http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm
[5] Sleep Health Facts – Sleep needs across the lifespan. Sleep Health Foundation. http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/files/pdfs/Sleep-Needs-Across-Lifespan.pdf
[6] Selective neuronal lapses precede human cognitive lapses following sleep deprivation. Nature Medicine. Volume 23, Number 12, December 2017
[7] The affect sleep has on your skin. Griffin+row. https://www.griffinandrow.com/education/lifestyle/general-lifestyle-factors/effect-sleep-skin/